Congrats to all of you who passed level II (yes I did it too with over 90%, way beyong excited) and good luck on all of you waiting for level III results!!!
For those of you who will pass, this following couple of weeks are probably the only time you will be in this forum. I kindly ask you for your advice on level III. It is actually quite different format from what I have heard. I have a few questions if you can share you thoughts
1- Prep materials - I have been using Kaplan notes for level I and II, the basic version. Has any of you take classes (the premium package) for level III? Is it helpful? or any of you use other materials?
2- Timing - I started End of Jan and Feb for level II. Shall I start earlier for level III? How many hours approximately you spent on preparation?
Something Additional:
Hey guys, I was not try to brag about anything. I was just very happy that all the time and work I put in turns into a good result. I always have a huge respect for people taking level III although someone says level II is the hardest one (which I certainly don’t think so). I know people say so because level II was a big jump from level I. I know most of you are anxiously waiting for your result., so if you find this post bothering, please simply ignore it. Totally understand. and GOOD LUCK to all of you. It is a difficult journal for all of us.
The purpose of this post is just to get some updated feedback from you guys who just took the exam. I know there are tons of the post on the forum, and I did my search also. However, with all the changes, some of them might be less relevant.
Again, if you find this post annoying, please ignore and leave the front space to the candidates who want to share their advice.
3- Format change- what are some things you wish you knew when you were preparing after taking the exam? Any tips?
There is a gold mine worth of data in this forum that any seasoned 90th percentile L2 passer should have the analytical skills to uncover. . . that I’m sure of.
I used to think that passing level 2 deemed the candidate respectable. But a lot of these new passers are becoming annoying with questions when we don’t even have results yet.
FWIW, I just logged in for the first time in 4 years in order to share some of my experience in the program. Not everyone will immediately bail after finding out they passed.
I would echo what the others above said but I can comment on Kaplan. Kaplan did a pretty good job on most of the material, but I probably would’ve felt more prepared had I cracked the CFAI material more. Andy Holmes was a gift from god at Level 2 but the level 3 instructors were just okay. Greg Filbeck was my class instructor and he spent a lot of time fielding questions and talking to the class about non CFA stuff, which I found distracting. I would say use Kaplan as a supplement if you want but CFAI should be your focus.
Time will tell if Kaplan was enough for me to pass.
My favorite was seeing on linkedin about all the people who passed level 2 instantly updating their profiles to “level 3 candidate”. . . like bro come on, registration wasn’t even open yet. lol.
To be fair this is the most annoying entrance to the L3 forum possible.
I know that passing L2 is an achievement, and congrats at being one of the top in your level, that’s great. But, imagine being a L3 candidate, being so close to finishing that you can taste it, and watching the L1 and L2 results come out while you continue to anxiously wait your results. And then you have someone join the forum to drop a low-key brag about how smart they are and ask for advice on how to pass from a bunch of people who’ve had sticks up their butts waiting for results for months.
Go hit the search button and see the hundreds of advice threads and take those for what they’re worth.
lets report those claiming candidacy b4 registration opens!! Lol jk
being at level 3 I now see why people here don’t respect level 2 as much now. Level 3 is way tougher on the mind given the pressure of being at the finish line in addition to the different testing structure.
so true bud. L3 puts insane amount of mental pressure and not to forget, gives you sleepless nights and agitation. My coffee doze had doubled and also started smoking (something I don’t recommend) due to the stress. L3 was definitely the toughest for me.
I took L2 and L3 many times and when I took it with the CFA class in DFW it seemed to all come together better. The teacher from PSU is a rock star. Of course, so is Andrew from BYU in L2. I also like the guy from White Fish, MT that teaches ethics and all kinds of other tips. I think it’s worth it to spend a bit more money for the premium package. If you don’t pass, and answer half the Q-Bank with 80% correct, they give you the next year free. At least they did when I took it in 2018.
Hey guys, I was not try to brag about anything. I was just very happy that all the time and work I put in turns into a good result. I always have a huge respect for people taking level III although someone says level II is the hardest one (which I certainly don’t think so). I know people say so because level II was a big jump from level I. I know most of you are anxiously waiting for your result., so if you find this post bothering, please simply ignore it. Totally understand. and GOOD LUCK to all of you. It is a difficult journal for all of us.
The purpose of this post is just to get some updated feedback from you guys who just took the exam. I know there are tons of the post on the forum, and I did my search also. However, with all the changes, some of them might be less relevant.
Again, if you find this post annoying, please ignore and leave the front space to the candidates who want to share their advice.
You’re fine - there’s no need to apologize. Everyone in here remembers how excited they were when they passed level 2. They’d be lion if they said otherwise!
We’re here to support anyway.