A record number of candidates signed up to take the Chartered Financial Analyst exam on Saturday.
More than 227,000 people intend to take the Level I, II or III tests, up 20 percent from last year, according to a statement Wednesday from the CFA Institute. Typically, about 30,000 who register skip the exam.
Obtaining the designation can lead to a higher salary, better understanding of the market or promotions. Levels II and III are administered only in June, while Level I is offered in June and December.
The average candidate will study over 300 hours for the three levels, which have more than 2,000 pages of curriculum. It takes most candidates four years to pass all three levels, and fewer than 1-in-5 are ultimately successful.
Most candidates planning to take the exam Saturday are from the Asia-Pacific region, where 53 percent live. The Americas make up the second-most, at 28 percent.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.