Keep on going, never give up!
Be confidence of yourself. 
I will 
And best of luckk for everyone’s study plans too! 
All the best everyone!
Hey Savak,
Now really is the time to keep that chin up. As they say, adversity is the true test of one’s character.
As countless AF members have already indicated, the one and only tested and successful way to tame this beast is practice, practice and even more practice with continuous refresher sessions i.e. you finish up on an LOS, then revise the same immediately (formulae particlularly and even steps to solve problems like in swaps and Forward Rate Agreements, which I found particularly challenging). Prepare a listing of all formulae - I think that is the best way to retain and recount the same as you are writing it yourself.
As a precursor, I must mention that no substitiute for the CFAI material exists and ever will. I would recommend you commence at the earliest since all would still be realtively fresh in memory with the latest CFAI material and supplement the same with a third-party prep provider (I used Schweser and found it to be adequate).
You could finish up the chapter concerned in the true sense of the word (including the blue boxes and EoC questions) and then immediately cover up the same in Scheweser. Any doubts must be clarified immediately otherwise it tends to prey on your mind or worse, you may overlook the same subsequently. You must provide yourself at least 2 reviews to really master the course content and more if you encounter really toublesome concepts/LOSs.
Though the online Schweser QBank is not structured in the form of vignettes, it certainly evaluates your knowledge of the LOS concerned. The trick is to synthesize the knowledge gained with the CFAI mock and sample exams and Scheweser Practice exams. I would advise you to reach this stage at least 1 month prior to the actual exam day and continue practicing till the final week prior to exam day. In the final week leading to the exam, I would stronlgy advise that you get good sleep every night and keep all anxiety at bay (which would be the case anyway since you would have finished up all your reviews and practoice exams but still is easier said than done). I experienced a burnout during the latter part of the AM session and the whole of the PM session due to lack of sleep and was disoriented.
Anyway, I would wish to conclude by saying that preparation and faith in God is all you need to come out trumps in 2013. Good luck and godbless, my friend.
Cheers,
Unni
Hey Sruthi,
I woulde advise you to treat this outcome as an abberation which should just strengthen your resolve to bag this level in 2013.
First off, you just need to overcome the despondency you are in the throes of currently and look ahead. I know it is easier said than done but honestly, the only solution is to get on with it ASAP.
I would request you to read through my post above and I really hope that the same if some help. Remeber, the 3Ps which always guarantee success are Preparation, Practice & Perseverance. So, just go ahead, head held high and nothing can prevent your destiny.
Cheers,
Unni
Hard luck Sruthi… but things like this should not get you down. I had a friend of mine… you failed Level 2 with a band 3… but then walked out the the exam the next year knowing that he passed… and is currently waiting for his Level 3 Results. Pretty much everything on studying has been covered in the previous but the one thing that cant be stressed on enough is the PRACTICE. CFA EOC questions… the examples in the CFA readings seem to be important and even the Q-bank is good practice when you select only Advanced difficulty and the number of questions are in multiples of 6 (this mostly spits out vignette type questions). PRACTICE is the key and the one thing that I would say helped me get through is Practice exams. I did about 7-8 in the 2 weeks before the exam and that really helped.
I am sure you will kill the exam the next time… Good Luck!
Regards,
Shahan
It takes a day or 2 to get over the dissapointment, depression. Even though this is an important exam but it is only an exam at the end of the day. Life goes on. Plus the fact that a person failed badly twice clearly indicates he needs to reevaluate his strategy, methodology and how he studied. On the plus point even though i failed badly twice, exam and study experience is invaluable and i still remember the topics i studied so i will be more than mentally prepared for my next time.
I wish i had found this website a lot earlier. Its a real eye opener to hear and listen to common strategies, tips for e.g. i relied exclusively on Schwazer, Elan Guides, Qbank and didnt actually reliaze that there were far better/comprehensive alternatives to these notes. Plus the fact this exam is not just about reading alone but also practice.
I know my prep was completely flawed but i wont make the same mistake next time. This exam also deserves the respect it warrants. I need to properly give it 7-9 months of proper studying unlike 3-4 months i have been giving it like my last 2 attempts. 2013 is not a possible target for me because il be busy taking 15 very tough courses at university and making efforts to find a job in Canada or for that matter integrating in Canada where i have just recently immigrated. The exam prep takes so much out of you where you literally cut yourself from the entire world. For now i have to prioritize other important things for now but will target Level 2 again in the summer of 2014 and while start preping for it from July 2013 in the proper manner i.e. CFA Institute books, EOC’s, timely revision, online videos, as much practice as possible from good sources, mocks. This exam can be cleared, its not impossible.