Since the curriculum is very similar to 2008, I am going to skip Schweser and go with the CFAI texts and EOC questions. I will use the Schweser practice tests and CFAI mocks towards the end of my studying. What are my fellow repeat L3 pals doing?
Failed horribly focusing on just CFAI texts. Will go back to schweser since it worked for me at L1 and L2. After nailing Schweser, this is when I will do EOC from texts and refer to text for longer material (ips etc)
Schweser Notes (the CFAI texts had too much “noise” which made it hard to focus on the LOS’s) Practice problems / exams. I think I also need to learn things at different angles, so if a concept learned is presented in a different way (or creative way which is CFAI is fond of doing) I will be able to tackle it.
Just re-registered pimp. I’ll be going mainly with Schweser again. It’s gotten me this far and I can’t say it is one bit responsible for my not making it. I will read through some of the more significant sections in the CFAI books though. This year I have to make my self able to start doing practice questions and exams much earlier, especially the IPS stuff. Last year I started way too late which left little to no time for review at the end.
Big Babbu/Pimp: I haven’t registered yet, but the 2009 curriculum posted on the CFAI website looks awfully similar to 2008’s. Is this case once you register (are you both seeing the same curriculum as on the website)? If so, i’m pumped for my personal vendetta in '09. My fate hinged on the AM essays; they pummeled me. Any thoughts on how to prepare for them aside from taking the old exams; where should the focus lie, coherence/grammar, etc?
TrojanHater08 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Big Babbu/Pimp: > > I haven’t registered yet, but the 2009 curriculum > posted on the CFAI website looks awfully similar > to 2008’s. Is this case once you register (are > you both seeing the same curriculum as on the > website)? If so, i’m pumped for my personal > vendetta in '09. > > My fate hinged on the AM essays; they pummeled me. > Any thoughts on how to prepare for them aside > from taking the old exams; where should the focus > lie, coherence/grammar, etc? I literally memorized key phrases from CFAI answer key for old exams, “To earn a total return bla bla bla” ect, for Institutional and Individual portfolios
L3Beatit: “the CFAI texts had too much “noise” which made it hard to focus on the LOS’s” How true is that. I spent most of my time studying stuff that seemed important, but was not even going to be tested. TrojanHater08: " but the 2009 curriculum posted on the CFAI website looks awfully similar to 2008’s" yes, they basically added 1 los and removed one. the rest of the los’s are moved around. i.e los 47 last year is now los 16 etc… that is why we are in better shape. Any of you guys from Toronto>?
Vancouver area.
CSK and IH8FSA, thanks. this is awesome news…i was planning to do a 2-week refresher in Sep/Oct before ramping things up in early 2009. this will make it worthwhile.
TrojanHater08 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > My fate hinged on the AM essays; they pummeled me. > Any thoughts on how to prepare for them aside > from taking the old exams; where should the focus > lie, coherence/grammar, etc? The advice given to me in one of the prep classes was: -use bullet points wherever possible to help with clarity -spend half the time alotted on a question actually answering it the first time through (wishful thinking, but helps on time management) then revisit -only give three answers if they ask for three (never more, it can only hurt) -only argue why one thing is correct, never why some other answer is incorrect You may find these unhelpful, but I feel that it helped me a bit (though I did run out of time)
I hear ya IH8FSA. I used test books for Level 3 (twice) and failed miserable twice. (this year was like a kick in the stomach) I am only used text books for questions and to read over vague scwhesar notes. All else, schwesar and likely some courses on how to write the written exams.
my advice is to re-order the new CFAI text books. If you are registered for next year, then you will get them for 1/2 price. If you decide not to use them and you are registered, then sell them for a small profit. - Start in January. - Take a Class to keep you focused else you will get lazy. - Read the Schweser and do the end of chapter questions. Schweser does a good job with their summaries. - Do the EOC questions over and over again. They aren’t as difficult as the exam, yet they are more challenging than the schweser ones. - Make your own flash cards. SS on front. Answer on back. Study them while riding bike at gym. Hang out at a bar with a friend who is also taking the exam. Take their cards and ask the other person the SS questions. The social interaction will do you good. I did it at my friend’s pool. I retain more when someone is asking me the question and I have to think about it. - In May, start reviewing cards, schweser and old tests. Do all of the EOC questions again. You will pass.
AbbeFaria Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > TrojanHater08 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > > My fate hinged on the AM essays; they pummeled > me. > > Any thoughts on how to prepare for them aside > > from taking the old exams; where should the > focus > > lie, coherence/grammar, etc? > > The advice given to me in one of the prep classes > was: > -use bullet points wherever possible to help with > clarity > -spend half the time alotted on a question > actually answering it the first time through > (wishful thinking, but helps on time management) > then revisit > -only give three answers if they ask for three > (never more, it can only hurt) > -only argue why one thing is correct, never why > some other answer is incorrect > > You may find these unhelpful, but I feel that it > helped me a bit (though I did run out of time) Cool, thanks. this is helpful. i did well in the first half of the AM session, securing big points, only to compromise the quality of my performance as time lapsed (particularly during the last hour, which i coined the infamous frantic session).
Schweser 16 week on-line and Windsor program did not get the job done for me after 4 tries at level 3 (passed 1 and 2 consect.). Better to focus on every single point of minuitae in the curriculum than spend the $ on review material. IMO, Windsor program was too highly speeded and did not go into enough detail to give you the value added.
Oh god. The same thing I did for L1, 2 and 3, only stopped working this time. CFAI books, Schweser, Schweser vids, Schweser. Then do old exams and maybe another CFAI practice, not that they were overly helpful for me killing PM and tanking AM. I honestley feel if I just did a better job in AM getting across concepts and not panicking at the end, that I’d be done today. So ya.
Dear CFA Halifax—I’m planning to get into a study group to help grind every single LOS into the ground. Schweser can give you the general concept or direction, but IMO it doesn’t give you enough ammo to pass. In addition, I believe that sometimes you can know the material too well and get tripped up on the multiple choice
yeah, it may not hurt me to find a study group in Calgary, seeing as how I could build some networks there…pretty small one as of now. We’ll see…
The online exams offered by the institute helps. They’re essentially giving you a few freebies for the exam. I definitely recall a tricky ethics situation appearing on both the sample test and the real exam. If you can dish out the cash, it’s well worth it for a few extra points.
which mock exams are more useful? Schweser ones or CFAI ones?
oc4cfa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Schweser 16 week on-line and Windsor program did > not get the job done for me after 4 tries at level > 3 (passed 1 and 2 consect.). Better to focus on > every single point of minuitae in the curriculum > than spend the $ on review material. IMO, Windsor > program was too highly speeded and did not go into > enough detail to give you the value added. Windsor is a high speed review. Did you do windsor this year? If after 4 times a review went too fast maybe do something different… Stalla? This is scary because I’m doing Windsor and hoping it will be useful.