How many hours does one need to put into L2?

I am waiting for the Dec07 L1 results and there is no way I start to study now. Could anyone point me towards a good thread on how many hours I need to go through in order to pass L2 (assuming that I barely passed L1)? Sorry but I just can not really find a good thread on that. Thank you in advance.

“Sorry but I just can not really find a good thread on that” Thats because its never been discussed.

333.33 hours should do it. Seriously, if you can’t pass with that, forget it.

I put at least 400 hours into L1… And I am rapidly forgetting everything… is it 600 hours for L2? any ideas?

if you put in 600 quality hours, i.e. constructive studying…i guarantee a pass.

I agree.

how do you measure it? keep a stopwatch? maybe a little chess timer? dont worry about doing the minimum hours, just give yourself 6 months, pace yourself, study hard and make sure you understand something before going to the next topic. if you are a fast reader you need less time, a slower reader more time.

Siberian_Golfer, I’d suggest reviewing Ethics while you are waiting to hear from the CFAI. I think you can be more efficient with your time. I remember you taking book 6 and 7 exams, I don’t think those were necessary. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the amount of information retained, I did Ethics - it was very easy after studying for Level I. I’m sure you will find that true for at least a few more sections. Good luck!

So mike0021, would it be a problem if there are only 5 months until June, and that I don’t get results from LI until the end of January?!

Most people I know gave themself about 3-3.5 months. You could be like me and give yourself a solid 1.75 months and be back here next year…

Thanks Turkish, didn’t real feel like cracking the books anyways. I was told 4 would be enough; so I’ll start in Feb, and you start in April and we’ll both be laughing! (Unless I’m crying on the 23rd.)

its all about how intensive you are, you could def do it in 3-4 months if you work really hard and your full time job isnt too time consuming, but people that i talk to that work in finance/banking such as myself usually need 6 months to not burn themselves out and go at a steady pace and not getting fired at work for leaving early to study

CFAI says 250 hours.

“CFAI says 250 hours.” why would anyone listen to the CFAI?

of course, study for 250 hours, fail, and bring some more cash to the well-respected CFAI

As many as it takes to learn the material.

now we gotta define “learn the material” concept

“How many hours does one need to put into L2?” The correct answer is “more”. Another correct answer is “when you are truely prepared, then and only then will you know when it is time to stop preparing.” For me, I started studying in Febuary, probably studied 5 to 10 hours per week until mid-April, then studied 10+ hours a week until the week before the exam, and studied about 50 hours the week of the exam. I felt very prepared and had ample time to cover the entire Schweser curriculum, which I felt covered 99% of what was on the exam. I used no other materials. That seems to add up to about 200-250 hours total. More important than the amount of time you study are these things: (1) Focus and efficiency while studying (2) Systematic covering of the entire curriculum one LOS at a time – you only need to know what’s on the LOSs. Don’t waste time on non-LOS material, and don’t neglect even a single part of a single LOS. (3) Selfawareness to know when you have mastered the KEY concepts and when the marginal benefit to additional studying on an LOS is very low. (4) A planned strategy for memory retention (i.e. flashcards, acronyms, know what works for you) (5) Bringing your A game on exam day (i.e. good night’s sleep, good breakfast, good playlist on your iPod while you wait, familiarity with calculator, good utilization of extra time / lunch time, stress management). Somebody who pays attention to those 5 things can probably spend 200 hours less time studying than somebody who pays little or no attention to those 5 things.

I put in 1750 hours for level 2.

“I put in 1750 hours for level 2.” Seems about right.