Looking at formular notes during lunch break?

Hi,

It might sound stupid… but as I was advised that to strictly follow the rules…

Are we allowed to look at the study materials during the lunch break?

I am planning to drive to the venue and keep my materials in the car… If it’s allowed I will go back to my car to look at some notes during lunch break.

Thank you in advance.

Yes, its allowed.

Absolutely Yes. Why not?

It is allowed, but I personally would recommend not doing it. Think about it this way, you are spending from now until June studying, half an hour in the middle of the exam wont do much for you.

Personally, when I wrote level 1 a month back I just sat down in the waiting area, ate lunch, talked to some friends on facebook and on the phone, and relaxed. You will be writing 6 hours of tests that day, and in my opinion I think the break time is more well spend relaxing instead of stressing out.

I disagree. I had 3 questions from the am session I was unsure about. I revised the concepts during lunch and it served me well in the afternoon for similar questions.

I certainly don’t see any harm in it, as long as you can do it with a view toward doing well in the afternoon session, not stressing over mistakes made in the morning session.

There’s a tradeoff in reviewing your notes.

On the one hand, you might pick up a point or two by nailing down something you didn’t get down in your studies. In my estimation, this is not very likely.

On the other, it takes away from your opportunity to chill out, rest, and recharge a bit. And on a long, involved exam like the CFA one, my sense is that a lot of people just get tired at the end. And points earned/lost at the end of the afternoon session count just as much as those gotten first thing in the morning one.

It’s counterintuitive, since chilling out FEELS like you’re not giving all you could. But being in the right frame of mine (and being well rested for the exam) counts for far more than people realize.

But, your mileage may vary.

Hi Mind The GAAP,

I hear you, but I disagree with you. If you review some of your notes in the lunch time and few questions show up from some of those areas in the PM Session of the exam , it could make a difference between a Pass and a Fail. But this is just my 1 cent and what works for me. Something else might work for others.

Hi sydneyguy,

Same here, I get where you are coming from, but I personally wouldn’t prefer that way. When I study I try to not remember any formulas, but instead I only look for the intuition behind it. Think back to the diluted eps calculation, no chance I’m rewriting that one out on my exam paper from memory, but I try to make sure I can figure out the answer from intuition. Re-reading formulas doesn’t do anything for me, but to each their own.

Elfship,

I’m sure at this point in your career you have written many tests, so just do what you know works for you. You are 100% allowed to review on the break, and seeing as there are conflicting opinions here just do what you know works for you.

Happy studying and good luck in June!

yes smiley