Took the test in Singapore. Felt AM to be harder than the CFAI mocks, but PM was much easier so it probably evened that out. Couple of people around me did not come back after the AM paper.
Lol you’re forgiven, we’re all a little brain-fried right now, I’m sure.
I agree with you. Wasn’t a hard exam, and most of the stuff I had trouble with was due to my own lack of preparation.
Thought the exam was a lot easier than expected. I was a mess the night before and the morning of but came out of the AM session feeling like it was too good to be true. Same with the PM session; however, things that are too good to be true probably are and I’m assuming the majority of canditates found the exam easy as well which will probably bump up the MPS.
I knew 100/120 for sure and the PM session I knew 90/120 for sure. So assuming I get 80 percent on the ones I knew for sure that’s like a 63.
Assuming I fail until I know I pass.
AM was easier than PM. My timing was fine for both - didn’t have to scramble last minute guesses. I didn’t waste any time taking water/bathroom breaks. Not sure why the policy is to not allow a small cup of water on the exam desk though.
One guy showed up without a calculator and seemed surprisingly nonchalant about it during registration. May God have mercy on his soul.
One decided to go to the restroom during the announcement and it seemed like she wasn’t allowed back in until the actual exam started.
Another guy near my desk kept sighing and tsking every five mins. It was fun observing these little things. I’m gonna bring earbuds for the next exam. For now I’m taking a break. Cleared out the heaps of Schweser materials from my table. Hoping won’t be needing them for December -_-
Although I would not say that AM was super easy (I prepared for the CFA in 3 weeks in May, so my knowledge was still quite uncomplete), I agree that AM was quite easy but PM was significantly more difficult in Paris 
Ok friends. It is my turn to share now.
Background - bachelor’s and master’s in engineering.
Financial background - The day i started to study for the exam, i did not know what is equity or dividend.
Begining of self-study - Early January 2016.
Numbers of hours studied - 600+ (I am being very conservative in counting hours)
Employment Status - Unemployed so i was able to put 600+ hours. No family. No life.
Books Used -
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Scheweser Notes,
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Principles of Economics by Dirk Mateer & Lee Coppock (i love this book),
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Financial & Managerial Accounting by Warren-Duchac (another good book),
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Understandable Statistics by Brase & Brase (my long time companion) and
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An online video course.
Most Difficult Part - In the begining of the preparation, i struggled with Financial Reporting as i did not know even the most basic terms like equity, preferred shares, dividend etc. But, once i got a hang of it, it was not so bad.
Difficulty of the Course Material - The mathematics and complexity of concept used in CFA level 1 is similar to complexity in high school (9th and 10th standard). So, the material is not dificult in itself but it is hugeeeee…
Exam Difficulty - PM session was very easy. I was done 30 minutes before time. AM was little complex and i did not know the answer of 12 question as i got little confused.
Shortcomings - I did not study from the CFAI books. I did not solve any CFAI books chapter end problem. I did not use QBank even though i had purchased it. I did not solve the free sample exam available on the CFAI website. However, i did solve most of the Scheweser Notes chapter end problem and the questions given in my online video course.
Lessons Learned -
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If you are staying in a hotel the night before, make sure you take your luggage with you to the examination hall. After you are done with your AM session, you may realize that couple of formulas are mixed up in your head. You may desire to go through those formulas in your break. I left my luggage in the hotel lobby at the counter. Fortunately, my hotel was very close to the examination center and i was able to go back to the hotel to check on few fundamentals.
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Make sure that you are in your seat in the examination room 30 minutes before the start of the exam. The staff closes the door before 9 AM and 2 PM for instruction. And if you are outside, they will not let you come in even if you are ahead of time. It does not damage a whole lot but you may come in the panicky mode if you are outside and they close the door.
Good Luck to everyone on their exam results…
Thanks
Phil
Mate,
No water cup on the desk because candidates, in the past, spilled the water on their answer sheet ruining it.
Phil
intresting point of view, so close to my experience. By the way, concerning reviewing your notes, for me I saved on my phone a complete mind map that I used after lunch to check some formulas. Consider doing this next time instead of bring your paper notes with u. Hoping the best for all of us. PS: plz moderators, isn’t there a way to save a post or mark it, so we can come back to it later… thx in advance.
I found the morning exam to be a bit more challenging than the evening. I had a little trouble finishing the morning exam ontime and had to guess 3 or 4 questions (morning) and 2 or 3 (evening).
But all in all very manageable, feel good about it. Hope all goes well in 7 weeks
Hi guys,
I was wondering if we do take the same exam all over the world ??
Yes
Hello everyone, for me the PM part in ethics was a bit tricky in comparision with the AM that was much easier.
Can anyone give references of the exam all over the world matter? Because if it were the same exam for all places, it will possible that someone take the exam in China and then send it to France i.e.
And also it seems that people from different places have different opinions about how was the exam… 
Exactly, I thought the same way. especially that it seems people didn’t feel the same way about the am and pm sessions in different regions.
Logically we should be assigned the same test to be compared, but if that means that it can give the possibility to some to cheat and be at the same place as the ones who worked hard to get, then CFAI should do the necessary to prevent it.
Who can’t wait for the 26th? If you pass, what are your plans and do you think it will help your job prospects (if you are currently seeking employment)?