15,413 Applicants Registered for the First CPA Exam... Competition Ratio 7.01 to 1

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jihwan] The competition rate for this year's first Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam registration was recorded at 7.01 to 1, an increase from last year's rate of 6.12 to 1.

According to the Financial Supervisory Service on the 19th, the total number of applicants who submitted their applications for the 57th CPA first exam for 2022, held from the 6th to the 18th of this month, was 15,413, an increase of 1,955 applicants (14.5%) compared to 13,458 last year.

The competition rate (calculated by dividing the number of applicants by the expected number of successful candidates, 2,200) rose to 7.01 to 1 from 6.12 to 1 last year.

By gender, male applicants accounted for 55.4%, while female applicants made up 44.6%. The proportion of female applicants has been steadily increasing from 32.6% in 2018, 34.3% in 2019, 37.4% in 2020, to 41.2% last year.

The average age of applicants was 26.3 years old. Early 20s accounted for the largest share at 44.3%, followed by late 20s (43.6%), and early 30s (8.5%).

By education level, 60.1% of applicants were university students, and 72.2% majored in business-related fields.

The first exam will be held on the 27th of next month in Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, and Daejeon. The exam locations and times will be announced on the Financial Supervisory Service CPA exam website and the Financial Services Commission website on the 9th of next month. The results of the first exam will be announced on April 8.