Universities With Stellar Test Prep Grab Spotlight

Yeungnam University in Daegu said yesterday that it has had the most students passing the Associate Financial Planner Korea test in Korea.

Considering the average pass rate of 28.5 percent, 42 of 53 Yeungnam students passed the test for a success rate of 79.2 percent.

“To meet the strong interest of students in the financial planner certificate, the school provided active support. And we believe it paid off in the end,” the university said in a statement.

The certificate is considered the first test in becoming a certified financial planner. Those who pass can take the certified financial planner test after 200 hours of courses and three years of work experience.

“We couldn’t just sit and watch students rushing to private academies,” said Won Seung-yeon, an economics professor at Yeungnam University. “We’ve provided active support such as free lectures by inviting guest lecturers.”

Given the growing difficulty in finding a job due to the economic slowdown, university departments with outstanding results in certification have grabbed the spotlight.

On the customs broker examination, ChungAng University in Seoul has had the most students pass for four consecutive years.

“We offered incentives that give students passing the first round of the customs broker test free tuition for a semester and those who make it to the second get free tuition for all remaining semesters,” said Choi Seok-beom, a business administration professor at ChungAng University.

“We invited graduates who passed the test so that they can pass their knowhow on passing the exam. In addition, we offered a lecture series on the customs broker license.”

One 19-year-old student who was accepted at Seoul National University chose to major in business at Yonsei University. He said, “I made the choice because I think I can receive a lot of support here in preparing for the certified public accountant test.”

Yonsei’s business school has produced the most CPAs in Korea over the past four years.

“We’ve seen an increasing influx of freshmen choosing our university for the CPA test,” Yonsei’s School of Business said. “The school is also actively helping students by providing orientation and classes for the CPA test.”

The University of Seoul, which created a department of science in taxation in the 1980s, has produced the most students passing the certified tax accountant test.

“Since outstanding students hoping to become tax accountants are rushing to the department of science in taxation, the department has become harder to get into,” a University of Seoul source said.

alwaysj@donga.com