AN ACCOUNTANT from Reading scored a world record in an international examination for number crunchers.

Naomi Hunt beat off competition from 17,000 students across the world to get the highest mark in a test set by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

The 25-year-old managed to score 87 per cent in the organisation’s audit and assurance services paper.

Ms Hunt, who works at accountancy firm MacIntrye Hudson said: “I became interested in accountancy after leaving Cardiff University and working for the Inland Revenue.”

Christopher Forster, the organisation’s international president, said: “Naomi’s is a remarkable achievement which places her among the very best of our students.

“The ACCA professional syllabus is very tough and we make no apology for that.”

The organisation has more than 345,000 members in 160 countries.