Hello guys, I had been a long time lurker of Analyst Forum in level 1 but never felt the need to join before. It looks like L2 is a different game altogether. Figure I won’t be able to tackle it on my own so here I am.
So tell me guys, when do you plan to register for the June exam? First deadline is in Sept. And, when will you start studying?
Hello Analyst,
Yes L2 is a beast and its a different ball game altogether! But its not right to say you cant tackle it alone, Ive seen people do it. But then I couldnt and without AF and reading the debates/posts, not sure if I could have done it 
Start studying early is better, but again there is a thin line between starting early and burning out yourself by starting too early. October was when I started, but started on a slow pace and picked up the pace by december. By march I was full steam! Again every month if I finished my portions, I would “gift” myself a holiday and not touch any books
All the very best and happy studying!
Study early so you are not taking off too many days from work or studying 8 - 12 hours a day at the end.
Complete the end of chapter reading twice - there is over 1000.
Understand the topic weights on the exam - Ethics, Accounting and Equity count for nearly 60% of the exam. Complete these areas first.
Then move on to your weak areas, don’t leave them for the last minute - you may not remember it May as well as you could have in February or March.
Make sure you can complete all question in 3 minutes or less (120 questions, 360 minutes = 3 minutes per question).
If you get stuck on a concept, skip it and come back to it later. Don’t ruin a whole study session on one problem or question. Post search Analyst Forum threads for the answer. If it is not there post a thread.
im planning to register in the month of August… but wont be able to start full time study before december, as i have another exam in november…
+1
FRA, Equity and Ethics are really very important. You should aim to get >70 in them. They can make all the difference between a band 10 and a pass. Also, when you do the EOCs first time around, do mark the ones that u have gotten wrong and which u think are important. Make sure to go through them again the second time.
You have put it rightly that L2 is a very different game. It’s a good thing that you have realized that early. Most of the people don’t and get carried away.
Anyway, i have yet to plan my study schedule but i’ll probably be registering soon in few weeks.
Keep hanging around here!
For CFA L1 I used Schweser guides and I felt well prepared at the end. As you all said, L2 is a different game and I was wondering which material would be better? CFA official books, Schweser or a blend?
Tks!!
Registered on the 25th of July? Why wait, might change my mind
will start studying when the books arrive but…slow pace at first. Won’t hit it hard until dec.
Best
Hey thanks sooraj, simply_put and spyali. Will definitely keep your advices in mind.
@Rest: Well I’m hoping to register soon as well. My plan is to study from the cfa curriculum only till December. Will go at a slower pace and my priority would be to nail the most weighted-area subjects first. Later i’m gonna revise everything from elan notes. Have used them in level 1 and passed so i’m quite happy with them. Last two months, I’ll devote solely for practicing and brushing up my weaker areas. Hope the plan works for me.
Not a problem mate, All the very best!
The amount of formulas you need to know for this exam is crazy. Make sure you have a good formula sheet as you get close to exam day and commit them to memory. You don’t want to waste time during the exam trying to derive formulas. Much better to be able to regurgitate it on the spot.
Try dry erase pens and fill your windows with formulas. My office will be covered with them by the time next June rolls around.
Duly noted. Thanks guys!
Retaking L2 (the beast) in June 2013 this time with better strategy & all the learnings from June 2012…with an aim to be scoring >70% in ALL…i repeat ALL the subjects…CFAI put me down once but now is my turn!!!
Cmon guys lets do it!!!
What will be different from your stategy this time around?
Last time i had relied solely on schwesser & ignored the CFAI EOCs & also underestimated the question bank but this time i m gonna Practice practice & practice as i have been thru with the material so the focus is on questions
I would probably start a bit earlier this year - around Mid-December. Started in mid-Feb for L1 and was always racing against time, studying 2-3 hour on weekdays and 8-10 hours on weekends. It would be nice to have some social life this time around.
Plan to use the CFAI curriculum like before, and maybe add the FinQuiz material to practice more. From whatever Schweser I looked at during L1, I found it inadequate. It might have helped me pass, but definitely wouldn’t have helped me master as many concepts as reading the curriculum.