CFA Institute announced yesterday that 52% of the 63,249 candidates worldwide in the chartered financial analyst program passed the exams they took in June.

More than half of candidates worldwide passed at least one of the three chartered financial analyst exams in June, among them 3,134 Canadians.

To earn the CFA charter, candidates must pass three six-hour exams, which test an applicant’s knowledge of everything from ethical standards to equity analysis.

This year’s success rate for all three levels of exams was 52%, up from last year’s pass rate of 48%.

“The overall weighted pass rate has moved from 48 percent last year to 52% this year,” said Robert Johnson, managing director of the CFA and CGIPS Programs Division, in a news release. “We believe this reflects several factors, the most important of which involves better preparation by candidates.”

Nearly 6,000 Canadians took one of the tests; 53% succeeded.

Europeans came in with the highest pass rate at 57%, while 54% of Americans passed the tests.

A total of 12,314 candidates passed the level-three exam, making them eligible for CFA designation.