Can a Non finance background pursue CFA ? What are the odds and challenges ? Being average in Math a trouble for CFA?

CFA General
#1

Hi Folks!

Need a little help here.

I am interested in pursuing CFA and aiming at giving the exam in Aug 2021. However, I don’t come from a finance background. I had accounts & economics in my 11th and 12th and my bachelor’s in STEM and Masters in HR where we did have accounts and stats as part of the curriculum.

So what challenges am I likely to face while preparing for CFA? Also to note my Math is just avg and not great at it. Will this be trouble for me going forward in the CFA curriculum???
I have started the prep with Kaplan Schwesar along with IFT videos. So what other materials should I refer to consider?

Please help, open for suggestions, recommendations, and tips

Thank you!

#2

What is STEM ? You don’t have background in Accounts or Maths. The program does not assume automatically to have any particular background.

Depending upon how you cope up you may require some tutoring

#3

STEM is Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. I have a degree in Computer science.
I had maths and stats in my bachelors and accounts statistics in my masters and in my 11th and 12th grade

#4

MV_S:

If you can count to 11 without taking off your shoes, you won’t have any problem with the math that’s on the various levels of the CFA exam.

Good luck!

WDM

2 Likes
#5

Listen to him. The man means business

#6

There’s an 80% chance you won’t complete it. Still down?

#7

This is outrageous. Don’t believe.

#8


ur welcome.

#9

With all due respect , it’s a cliche and needs a relook. High time. The Chinese Gaokao and the Indian IIT and Indian CAT has an acceptance rate of less than 0.5%. CFA just dropped out of the list of world’s top 10 toughest exams in 2021. With the sea of changes the Institute is bringing in it remains to be seen where is it headed.

#10

aint the gaokao like sats. kind of like a placement test. not really a pass or fail. more like an assessment on what percentile you fall in society.

#11

I’ve seen documentaries about Chinese students insanely prepping for the Gaokao!!! :exploding_head: :confounded:.

#12

Thank you … This is motivating.

#13

Look perhaps it is wrong to compare absolutely two different things. Because the perspective differs. But labelling something that only 1 in 5 pass that too after repeated attempts and that only having a Finance or Accounts background will help crack the exam- I raise objection to that. For whatever it is worth I was an Engineering sciences major with Maths minor in my undergrad. Even my post grad business degree was far from Finance.

If I could do it. Anybody can do it.

#14

Thank you. This gives me a little confidence for me to strive more and at least give an attempt.

#15

I mean I just want to keep it real. Imagine dropping several years on it then giving up. I just want to make sure that the people that do go for it are aware of their odds and the difficulty.

1 Like
#16

Totally appreciate the honesty… I do want to challenge myself and give it a shot… When considering going for CFA I knew it’s not gonna be easy looking at the syllabus and pass %. But let us see how things go as moving forward. :crossed_fingers: