Has anyone taken Level II CAIA and Level I CFA within three months of each other? If so, how did you find it?
I can tell you that I have studied for 1.5 months for CFA I back in December as I completed both Series 7 & 66 in October. It was more than enough.
If you schedule CAIA II in early Sept you are going to have plenty of time
It largely depends on your background, if most of the matertial is new to you - I don’t see how you can prepare for CFA in couple of months.
duplicate post
C’mon, 2 months for CFA I are plenty! Obviously if it is the first time he reads about stocks & bonds, it is not enough, but he already passed CAIA I, even though it is a joke compared to the CFA, I guess he has an idea anout what’s going to be covered
I am going by what it takes for average person to master the material, of course it will be less of effort if one is extremely bright and has excellent memory.
Well, in any case, if he takes the CAIA II in early Sept he is going to have 3 full months to prepare.
Thanks guys… have a masters in finance so have a good foundation, but work fairly long hours so biggest challenge is finding the time outside of work.
Tip for you: I work very long hours as well and I was getting desperate giving that I am preparing the CFA II in 2.5 months having taken CAIA I in March and I was way too tired after work. It is 2 weeks that I am going to sleep around 8.30-9PM and wake up at 4AM. This gives me 3 full hours of VERY high quality study. This has been my Egg of Colombus.
Disclosure: I have a wife but no kids
I second the suggestion about getting up earlier. Morning hours are the best for study, your mind is fresh and rested and is very efficient in memorizing.
I used to get up at 5 am and study for 2 hrs. I tried 4 am as well, but it didn’t work for me to study at such early hour. Plus I studied during my morning commute (1 hr). That’s 3 hrs before you even start your work day.
+1 on the morning routine. If you keep that up for a couple of months without missing a day, I think you are ready for anything and just need to work on questions thereafter.
I have done this last year in 2014 while working full-time
Passed CAIA 1 and then took CMT level 1 and passed, but failed CFA level 1 by band 10. I started studying in July.
Main reason why I think I failed CFA - got too cocky after passing other 2.
One thing to keep in mind - CAIA is a joke compared to difficulty of CFA. CAIA questions are more straight-forward. CFA is often not.
So after passing the CAIA level 1, don’t be too cocky and solve a lot of questions. In one mock exam you might score 80% in one section but in another mock you might score 50% in the same section because of the breadth of material.
I would aim for about 2000 pratice questions (one thing I wish I had done) and really understand the materials.
Let me know if you have questions
I also plan on CFA Level I (Dec) and CAIA Level II (Sept). Currently studying for both side by side.
The key to passing these exams is largely a function of amount of time one spends preparing. If you can find enough time - you will pass.