If you are having problems getting motivated I would suggest starting with the behavioural finance stuff. Not only is it a nice read but you will also find it motivational in that you will come across concepts such as Self-Control Bias which is exactly what you are trying to combat when trying to focus on a ‘long’ term goal such as June vs going out to the pub, gym…etc
Glad to see I’m not alone here. I think part of the reason I’m having a hard time getting motivated is that the material isn’t nearly as hard as L1 or 2. I thought I would be spurred on by terror at the thought of having to write essay answers, but so far my own lack of tenacity concerns me more than the material itself. I almost wish I didn’t know that pass rates were >50% for L3.
lack of motivation caused me to fail level 3 last year (made it half way through the material, stopped studying in March). This year I have a tad more motivation however the nightly decision is: CFA L3 vs MW3.
I knew when i downloaded this on steam that it was bad news for my studying. Last year i deleted MW2 and SCII from my desktop until June, this year I have been more focused on getting a MP7 then getting back to the books. Ugh, need to stop fkn around.
I personalty would leave that till the end, along with ethics. Just an opinion. This topic depends heavily on ability to recall and not about understanding complex concepts. I think studying such a topic 120 days out has little utility because you are going to be forgeting it by the time your are 1 month out, and you have to do it almost from scratch. At least thats how it would be for me. For those who read the entire curriculum I hope someone can help me out with this. Rank the topics/reading for me in terms of demory dependence. I have a very short term memory, I would leave those readings till the end and get the most total utility by studying the non memory topics first. Thanks
an update to encourage those who have yet to start. I have not started, I am in a new country and a new job, I am also relocating within the country, that is not fun in your own country, try doing it in a new country I have maxed out my credit cards during two months. i have no car and i have to ride with other people to work and it is a pain, i go with this guy who starts work at 7, i don’t have to start till 8… i must get married soon cause my girl does not get along with her parents and can not live with them much longer, and i cant do my girl like that… i can go on forever, i am not complaining, i just want to motivate those who think they have it bad, i will pass this exam and nothing is going to stop me. when things cool down for me i will study 5 hours a day on top of work. hola
i passed level III last year. i would recommend attacking ethics last, mastering topics for the PM first (so that you perform like a robot under fatigue in the PM), then practicing the AM, and more important than you think, mastering time management in the AM.
I read the books in order - just made it a goal to go through the sections in order…
Good on you mate!! Love your attitude! Been there myself, didnt have money to pay for level 2 exams the year before…could not afford schweser materials and had to borrow to be able to register…life was pretty hard back then, but you know what, I passed! So I really hope you pass this one too… I have maxed out on credit cards cause of wedding too!! And I have not started yet…I will probably start tonight… Good luck…
Pretty much just started if it makes anybody else feel better. Afraid of failing because looking at the Schweser Notes, I believe they are not enough for me personally. I don’t doubt that reading the notes throughly will be enough to make you pass the exam, but I clearly see how Schweser is the weakest at Level 3. For one thing, there are simply not enough practice problems/examples (there were an abudance in the level 1 and 2 notes)! And the concept checker questions aren’t very good. Now I gotta go through the CFAI blue box examples and EOC and I’m afraid I won’t ahev enough time! (I learn best by doing.)
dlukas, don’t get lulled into a false sense of security on L3. The material may not appear to be as hard as level II but the questions they ask are very nuanced, so you have to know the material in far greater detail then you might think.
Overconfidence is the biggest killer at L3; the books and material seem breezy and interesting (since it is a lot more of what I do at work) but the way the material is synthesized is a bit creative to say the least and defies description.
I sweated my way to a pass by peaking at the very end–putting in about 50% of my overall study hours in the last two weeks (with a crazy last week). Despite first cracking the books in December or January, it all came together only at the last minute.
I have been casually reading CFAI books past 1 month now and don’t really seem to get in the mood to start serious studying.
I have been casually reading CFAI books past 1 month now and don’t really seem to get in the mood to start serious studying.
I am primarily using schweser notes for reading and watching videos. I am planning on finishing book 4 this week and book 5 by 1st week of april. then I will be hitting EOC and blue box examples. planning on taking mock starting mid april till the exam day.
seems like there are bunch of over achievers here. or am I behind?
training is nothing.will everything
Still have not done anything worth mentioning. Will do it all in the month before the exam which I will be taking off. My story will either be a motivation for future Level III candidates, or a lesson. Will see…
Same here…keep putting off till next week…every week…it seems that if I have not started on a Monday, I have to wait until the next Monday to start again…
Anyway, I think it can be done in less that 2 months as the contents are not really that difficult…
Just signed up before the deadline. Ordered Qbank III and practice exam book 2. I might study a bit here and there before May 18th, but most study effort has to go toward law finals. I’m going to try to get it all done between the 18th and June 2d. It’s going to be pretty intense, but I think I have a shot.
I took L3 last year, kind of the same thing–only 10 days of prep. I put a half-hearted effort in, and didn’t use Qbank and practice exams as I did for L1 and L2. Came out with a 6, which is what I expected. I’m hoping to build on that base and really hit it hard after the 17th. Wish me luck and enough mental stamina not to burn out!
Good luck to all of you late starters.
i bow to the ppl who find this easy to prepare for…(10 days!)