Business students at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro broke into the top quintile of test takers in a national business test.

Every year, undergraduate students at the Bryan School of Business and Economics participate in Educational Testing Service's Major Field Test in business, a test taken by 80,000 students at more than 460 business schools across the country. The Bryan School traditionally ranks in the top third of test takers, but this year UNCG business school students outscored 80 percent of their peers on the test.

"This is a piece of data that shows students the quality of a diploma from the Bryan School," said Kevin Lowe, who administers the test as part of the Bryan School’s business policy and strategy course, a course that every student must complete. "We've traditionally been in the top third and now we’ve broken into the top quintile."

The test is something like a comprehensive final exam for business students and encompasses several areas of study: accounting, economics, management, finance, business analysis, information technology, legal and environmental issues, marketing and international issues.

The Bryan School continued to score well on the areas of information technology, marketing, international business and the legal and social environment. This year, the school also showed particular improvements in finance and accounting.

"This gives us some sense of an external validation for our program," said Lew Brown, a professor in the Bryan School who worked with a committee to adopt the test five years ago.

Notably, two students in the Bryan School scored in the 99th percentile on the test and 17 students scored in the 90th percentile or above.

Approximately 160 Bryan students took the test in the spring. The cost of the test is approximately $23 per student and is paid for by the Bryan School. The test accounts for 10 percent of students’ final grades.

Educational Testing Service is the same organization that administers the SAT. The Bryan School uses the test as part of its assessment process required for accreditation with AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, an accreditation held by only one-quarter of business schools across the country.