LA CROSSE, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a joint effort between Kaplan Schweser and dozens of CFA Institute societies, nearly 4,000 candidates for the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation received final practice for this year’s CFA Exam through a six-hour Kaplan Schweser Live Mock CFA Exam, administered on May 22 in more than 50 countries around the world. A sampling of the CFA Institute societies presenting the exam includes those in Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, United Arab Emirates, United States and Uruguay. This global effort marked the launch of Kaplan Schweser’s Live Mock CFA Exam and largest ever single-day administration of a live simulated CFA Exam.

The CFA designation is a highly sought-after international professional qualification for finance and investment professionals which recognizes that designees have met certain academic and professional standards, including passing the rigorous three-level CFA Exam., The Kaplan Schweser Live Mock CFA Exam provides candidates with a realistic test-taking experience similar to the actual CFA Exam to familiarize them with testing policies, exam format, length and level of difficulty. Additionally, candidates receive a follow-up report with written explanations for correct answer choices, evaluation of individual performance by topic area and relative rank among other Mock Exam takers.

“The response from CFA candidates and CFA society volunteers has been tremendous,” said Dr. Doug Van Eaton, CFA, VP of CFA Education at Kaplan Schweser. “The CFA Exam is one of the most challenging professional examinations, and candidates who undergo realistic practice gain a competitive advantage, as they gain familiarity with the test in advance and can hone their prep to work on their weaknesses. Participation from so many CFA societies shows that these industry associations recognize that practice is critical to their members’ success in passing the exam.”

More than 140,000 candidates worldwide have registered for the June 5, 2010 CFA Exam, making it the largest pool of candidates to register for one exam cycle in the 47-year history of the CFA Program. Levels 2 and 3 of the CFA Exam are administered once a year; Level 1 of the CFA Exam is administered twice a year in June and December.

About the CFA Charter

CFA Institute is the global association for investment professionals. It administers the CFA and CIPM curriculum and exam programs worldwide; publishes research; conducts professional development programs; and sets voluntary, ethics-based professional and performance-reporting standards for the investment industry. CFA Institute has nearly 100,000 members, who include the world’s 86,700 CFA charterholders, in 133 countries and territories, as well as 137 affiliated professional societies in 57 countries and territories. More information may be found at www.cfainstitute.org.

About Kaplan Schweser

Kaplan Schweser, a division of Kaplan, Inc., is a leading provider of financial and accounting education for hundreds of thousands of business professionals around the world. The 2011 exam season marks the 20^th anniversary of Kaplan Schweser as the global leader in CFA review. For more information, please visit www.schweser.com.

About Kaplan, Inc.

Kaplan, Inc. is a leading international provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO) and is its largest and fastest-growing division. For more information, please visit www.kaplan.com.