So failing band 6 is no fun at all. Esp when u started studying in September 2013 for the June 2014 exam. The feedback I was given was that I overstudied and paid attention to the details and not the bigger picture. I felt very confident walking out of the exam, esp the morning section, but the results said otherwise.
So I’m expecting in a couple of months and will be taking around 6 months off from work for maternity leave. I do have help in the house with the newborn coming, but is now the right time to take it and give it another go? I would be devastated if I take this precious time away from the baby and not pass. But on the other hand, taking 6 months off from work gives me a few hours to sit down and study. I honestly can’t decide and don’t want to rush into a decision. I was really banking on passing this year, but can’t look bad, just need to look forward and see what works best for me. I do have a good support system, I just don’t know how this life changing event will impact my ability to suceed.
This is a special window of time you can never get back. Enjoy every moment, without the stress associated with sitting for the exam. You can sit for LIII in 2016 or 2017 – the syllabus for the last level hardly changes.
Does it get harder as they get older or easier? I hear mixed things about babies needing less cognitive attention but more physical whereas older kids need more cognitive than physical (talking to vs needing to be held).
I sat L3 while on maternity leave (baby was a couple of months old on exam day). I prepared no more than 120 hours, I just didn’t get the chance to squeeze more in so going in the exam room I knew that my chances were slim.I failed band 7. Pretty painful experience, having wasted that precious time. But I think that if you start early, stick to a schedule and stay focused, you’ll get there. Heck, I’m about to register myself again!
yeah I’ll study about 2-3 hours a day while watching the baby the remaining hours with permanent live-in help as well. My husband said he can watch the baby at night when I can sneak off to library or cafe to study so I dont get distracted.
I honestly do think it’s do-able but I won’t know until after I have the baby on how practical it really is…
For what it’s worth, one of my Level I candidates had a baby early this year. She brought him to class a few times. She was sure that she would fail the exam, but was prepared to retake it this December.
Was she on maternity leave? I feel like Lvl 3 is a whole different beast and I tried listening to some intelligent teachers, but it still did not work.
Look, the reason I said “no” is because you don’t seem to be gung-ho about killing this beast with a newborn at home. And I don’t blame you. With all of the distractions surrounding your life with the new baby, you will need to work *three times harder* than the next Joe who is sitting for LIII in 2015. Is it do-able? Absolutely. Would I recommend it? If there is any doubt in your heart, then I think you should wait until the following year. Will raising a baby be much easier in another year? Not significantly, but I think you’ll be “better-adjusted” to your new lifestyle. (Surviving on a couple hours of sleep each night takes a bit of practice)
My second son was born in January 2012. Despite my hard studies and even attending a CFA boot camp, I failed miserably at my first sitting for LIII. As a guy who didn’t have to take care of the baby nearly as much as my wife, this made it even more disappointing. I can only imagine how hard it would be for a new Mom to defeat the beast (without grenades, an Uzi along with a battle axe).
I’m gung-ho about getting the charter. I’m just shell shocked of my result because I was uber confident that I was going to pass this round. Plus it meant a lot to me to pass this time due to what’s coming up in my life. I definitely have the willpower and ability to pass (this is pregnant me talking). I’m just worried that mommy-me will have a different perspective given the change in circumstances. That’s why I want to wait it out a bit to make the decision, but wanted to hear from what others had to say regarding the ability to pass once motherhood comes. I know it’s a very personal question and everyone has their own unique circumstances, but just wanted to get people’s opinions.
I also heard that it doesn’t get much easier no longer how long you wait. so also trying to figure out if i can get it done sooner than later, it might be better for me overall. I think 6 months maternity leave will also make it more practical to study given that I’m not working full time between jan- april.
However, I passed L2 after my daughter was born, so it’s not impossible. But I’m also a guy, and my wife was the primary caretaker of the baby. So if you don’t have a really good support system at home (like I did), then it might be incredibly difficult.
my mother in law lives with us and loves kids. plus my husbands aunt is staying with us for the first 2 months…enough support system? plus my hubby will watch baby at night and on weekends…
I failed level 2 last year when the baby was born in Jan. But to be honest, baby didn’t consume a lot of my time and I was a bit lazy and overconfident after my stellar performance in level 1. This year I passed with the baby grown up and keeping me busy. The key is to find a slot when baby is asleep. They sleep a lot so this should be easy. I used to wake up early in the morning for the last couple of months and that did the trick. Robbing your family off their deserved time with you will frustrate them and you more. Its all about finding the slots when they least need you.
