Which section discourage you the most?

CFA Level I
#1

Folks,

In level 1, which section discourage you the most? How did you overcome it at the end? Thanks a big time.

#2

Econ was long and boring at times. Other than that deferred taxes is the real pain at Level I

#3

So far: GIPS (through Quant/Ehtics/and almost done with FRA).

#4

FRA - no contest. Not only do I have a limited accounting background, but also, I find the material uninteresting. I’m attempting to overcome its perceived difficulty by holding myself accountable for the materal. I set a timer, get my hours in, and then relax.

#5

FRA so far. I have an Econ degree so that was the easiest for me.

#6

Econ is long and boring.

#7

For me? Economics was horrible. and I mean HORRIBLE. I read the schweser notes, the curriculum, watch videos, took tuition classes, yet still was baffled at some of the material :expressionless:

#8

Quants. I had a fair idea of Economics as I took it in A levels but the last three readings of Quants were a nightmare and even after reading through I knew I hadn’t understoond a darn thing. It was almost like I had skipped them.

#9

If econ is giving you trouble, don’t be afraid to post some practice problems to the forum. My background is in applied economics, so I would welcome the opportunity to contribute to the cause.

#10

Ya, I’m having a hell of a time with Quant. Nothing sticks and I hate memorizing formulas. Trying to go through Quant problems on lunch breaks slowly to try and let everything sink in. Midway through FRA and enjoy it much more as I actually figured I’d use accounting in college.

#11

Yeah I was pretty much clear uptill the 8th reading. From 9th onwards it was almost like I’ve skipped them…

#12

Economics. It’s not that it’s hard, just boring compared to the other topics in the curriculum.

#13

Quant is killing me—my prior knowledge base in statistics and probability is essentially zero and I’ve had to turn to other sources to learn for the first time some of the concepts–online stats courses, Khan Academy etc… I am registered for June but not sure that is feasible since I have been trying to finish the Quant book since November… I have taken and passed the Series 65 so some of the other areas are at least familiar to me, and when I take sample exams on Ethics I am scoring around 90% and that is without even having read the material yet–so I am hopeful that Quant is either the most difficult or is just the most alien to me personally!!. The handful of charterholders I know caution me to learn the material in L1 well and to resist the temptation to find shortcuts or just memorize everything because all the concepts build on one another and it will make L2 that much harder. I am not under any pressure from an employer etc to achieve the CFA so that of course helps but on the other hand I don’t want to spend the next 10 years trying to pass all three levels!!