CAIA L2 March - how do you spent the last 4 weeks?

CAIA
#1

Hi guys,

i sitting for level 2 end of march, and this is my second try. So there are roughly four weeks to go and I was wondering how you manage the last weeks learning. I have two weeks off before the exam.

So right now I am scoring in ethics a 65-70%, on CIT a 60% and on the multiple choice sections 68-78%. All in uppermark q bank. My weak areas are mostly ethics, cit and real assets. So my questions are mostly

  • Do you guys have the time and energy to learn every evening, also during week days? I find it very tiring and inefficient to learning during week from 8-9pm …
  • I spent like 6 hours per day on weekend. Do thing this is sufficient?
  • I know its almost impossible to say, but is there something like a secret sauce for ethics and cit? those which you have to learn by heart? it takes so much time for me to memorize …

Thanks in advance.

#2

I guess it’s worth comparing yourself to the last time you sat the exam. What scores were you getting on your last sitting using Uppermark and where were your weak areas on the report from CAIA after the exam?

I wouldn’t worry about your time and energy as your scores look decent - just need to tighten up your weak areas prior to the sitting. My plan is to read the Schewser Secret Sauce and do lots of Uppermark Practice Exams.

Thanks, Dan

#3

thanks dan,

so mainly reading and practicing exams on these topics …

#4

No problem - how are you feeling? I feel no where near as prepared for level 2 as level 1…

#5

Mhmm, i understand what you mean.

Generally I feel ok, but I am still worried about the constructed response questions and the same with ethics. in these sections i still only score around 62% which definitly won´t be enough to pass.

Anybody else here to share his/her secret sauce? seems to be very few traffice in this forum …

#6

I wrote a guide on this; No nonsense guide to passing CAIA L2

The forum is quite quiet as there are few CAIA Candidates/Charterholders vs CFA.

Is there anything specific you aren’t good at? Where are you faltering?

#7

Thanks eddyble,

I knew your guide and find it very helpful.

But for me, e.g. the current topics it is hard to get 100%, I am more in 65 to 75% range. And with the 3rd part in cit, i fully agree: how are we meant to learn for that?

I mostly struggleling with compliance and cit. i can improve there but the amount of time i would need to invest is imense …

#8

CIT’s are a function of time and effort to approach 100. I’m fully cognisant that this is the same as every other topic, but CIT’s are truly the low hanging fruit of CAIA. You either a) know it or b) don’t. There’s no interpretation, analysis or ambiguity - it’s akin to using a formula to derive an answer, you just need to spend time learning the formula. In that sense, there’s no difference here - just learn the texts, test yourself and there’s no reason you can’t approach 100.

Ethics is more complicated - i get it (luckily), but know others don’t - just gotta practice i guess. And yes, the 3rd part is completely stupid, you can’t prepare for it because it could theoretically be anything.

Regarding the time investment, assuming you’ve adequately covered the other topics and have some degree of mastery (scoring in the 70’s), additional study time offers increasingly diminishing returns - so you may as well spend the time getting marks where you know you can get them.

Best of luck!

#9

Hey guys. I need an advice: I’ve just finished Topic 3 and starting Topic 4 today. The exam is on 26 March. Any tips for going faster with the curriculum? I am trying to do 8h/day of studying, but it seems quite hard to focus. And I’m not sure if it’s doable to study the 5 topics in 2 and a half weeks.

#10

if you score around 65% in the topics you went through you should try. if less i would sit for september …

any faster way, i don´t know … i mean you can read the notes, this is faster. but i don´t know i you will score sufficiently then …