Japanese Security Dealers Test with Prometric
Contact:
Donald W. Boucher
443.923.8031
donald.boucher@prometric.com
Prometric Affiliate Wins Exclusive Contract with Japanese Government: Converts First Government-sponsored Exam to Computer-based Model
(BALTIMORE, MD - February 19, 2002) R-Prometric, an affiliate of Thomson Prometric - the global leader in technology-enabled testing and assessment services, has secured an exclusive contract with the Japanese government. R-Prometric will convert the Japanese Security Dealers Association (JSDA) Licensing Examination from a pencil-and-paper program to a robust computer-based model.
The JSDA is responsible for administering securities-related licenses on behalf of the Japanese Ministry of Finance. The organization is comprised of more than 500 member companies - 297 security firms and 246 banking institutions - whith employees who trade on the Tokyo Stock Exchange or engage in other security-related business and trade practices only after successfully completing the required licensing examination.
The JSDA is adopting computer-based delivery to realize greater test integrity and security, on-demand test scheduling and registration, immediate results and more streamlined testing and licensing administration.
The delivery of the computer-based JSDA exam begins this April. More than 20,000 tests are expected to be taken this year at 80 public Prometric-affiliated testing centers.
This is the first of Japan's public certifications to be converted to a computer-based format. Until now, only private sector certifications – primarily in the Information Technology arena – have been delivered in Japan by Prometric.
"The conversion and delivery of this prestigious examination gives R-Prometric a greater presence and an even stronger foundation in the Japanese computer-based testing market," said Abe Hirohisa, R-Prometric President and Chief Executive Officer. "We value the trust that the Japanese public licensing examination organization has placed in us and our services, and we look forward to a successful partnership."
Japan is a large testing and assessment market, second only to the United States in testing volumes. The vast majority of the 15 million tests administered each year in Japan, are pencil-and-paper based.
Launched in 2000, R-Prometric is focused on delivering the benefits of computer-based testing to the Japanese marketplace. The company is a joint venture between Prometric, Recruit and Human Resources Research. Recruit is Japan's largest media company focusing on career development and other information services. Human Resource Research is a Recruit-affiliated business.
About the Thomson Corporation and Prometric
With 2000 revenues of approximately U.S. $6 billion, the Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com) is a leading, global provider of integrated information solutions for business and professional customers. Based in 50 countries and employing over 40,000 people operating globally, Thomson holds lead positions in the legal & regulatory, financial, and learning and scientific & healthcare information sectors.
Thomson Learning serves the needs of individuals, learning institutions and corporations with products and services for both traditional and distributed learning. Visit us on the Web at www.thomsonlearning.com.
Prometric (www.prometric.com), a part of The Thomson Corporation, is the global leader in technology-enabled testing and assessment services for information technology certification, academic admissions, and professional licensure and certifications. Prometric delivers standardized tests for more than 200 clients, in more than 25 languages, over the Web or through a network of more than 4,800 testing centers in more than 140 countries. Based in Baltimore, Md., Prometric employs more than 3,000 employees worldwide.
