Testing fees for state-recognized qualifications are not declining despite a surplus in funds from exam fees and course tuition, an administrative audit conducted by the Management and Coordination Agency showed Sunday.
The audit's findings also showed many cases of "irrational" requirements to take qualifying tests.
Officials said it was the first comprehensive audit of the system of state-recognized qualifications.
According to the audit results, of the 280 qualifications recognized by the central government as of April 1999, problems were found with 268, or 96 percent of them.
The agency plans to recommend that the 17 government ministries and agencies in charge of overseeing qualification testing take steps to correct irregularities.
Of the qualification tests covered in the audit, 45 saw fees rise or remain unchanged despite surplus revenue in the budget for those tests.
The agency also said it would call for a review of age requirements and educational background and experience requirements for 163 qualification exams, including those for tax accountants and certified public accountants.
Furthermore, it called for greater transparency and objectivity in the examination process for 156 qualifications, urging the publication of examination questions and standards for acceptance.
In some cases, the testing itself has become perfunctory, as it is for becoming a taxi driver, as the same or similar questions are used every year and can easily be acquired ahead of time by a test-taker, according to the agency.