I sat for Level 1 on the East Coast of US in May. The vast majority of the other candidates were Chinese Nationals. I was curious as to why the exam is so popular among this group. Is there a tremendous demand in China for individuals with skills in risk ? Is it simply the result that there is a heavy quantitative element to the exam and Americans are not exactly known for their love of math?
Chinese Test Takers
- Thread starter BigTime
- Start date
I am Chinese and i sat for part 1 on the East Coast of US in November, i think 90% of candidates were Chinese. I think there is not a tremendous demand in China for risk area. Maybe just Chinese students like take test or FRM is not that popular as CFA for American since i found more Americans than Asian in Test day for CFA.
gprisby
Active Member
China (and India) have over 4x the population as the US, maybe that plays a role? I have noticed the same. Where did y'all sit? I was in Tampa.
kevolution
Member
I also noticed a similar thing when I took the test. In my opinion, and this is purely my opinion, I feel like as an international student or one with limited English exposure, you're looking for an alpha for career searching which will have to be language agnostic.. and what fits that skill? Quantitatively intensive fields and subjects. The FRM is a lot more quantitative than other tests or exams (GMAT, GRE, LSAT, maybe even CFA?). Native English citizens don't necessarily need this type of credential to excel in job search or move up at their company because they have the benefit of years of English and immersion in American culture that undoubtedly still impacts your career progression because managers and companies will tend to hire people who can easily communicate with other people (whether it be your coworkers or clients or executives), so they aren't forced to search for exhaustive exams to solidify their value for the company.
It's the same reason why most quants are from international background because that's their relative alpha. This isn't to say someone from a different background can't be a banker/consultant, or an American can't be a quant. Everyone has certain level of skill in a particular field and if you can show that, you'll succeed no matter what.
It's the same reason why most quants are from international background because that's their relative alpha. This isn't to say someone from a different background can't be a banker/consultant, or an American can't be a quant. Everyone has certain level of skill in a particular field and if you can show that, you'll succeed no matter what.
terrance00232
New Member
I’m from Taiwan, we only have an exam site. Btw, there were less than 60 part2 exam taker this time. However, there were over 150 people who sat for part1 exam at the same day. I’m not quite understand the situations in China, but most people consider the FRM certification as an advantage for the job hunting in Taiwan.
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