I just realized how much of each CFA book is optional reading. Do you guys read the whole thing? No wonder there are 38,628 pages of materials.
I’ve never even glanced at it. Some of it may be helpful as background, but I’ve done fine without reading it. I figure there is enough required stuff to keep you plenty busy.
For Level I, I ignored all the optional readings and I passed fine. I plan to do the same for Level II. If I feel I am having issues understanding some concepts when I am solving Q-bank around February - March, I might refer back to the optional sections for clarification. As crazy as it might sound, one weekend I took the time to go through each book manually and discovered that if you leave out the diagrams / charts / blue sections and the optional portions (with a bar on the side), there is a total of approximately 1250 - 1300 FULL pages worth of reading materials in the six volumes of CFAI books combined (by the way, it took me 2 hours to do the count). Of course, one cannot estimate performance or level of preparation based on how many pages one has read or has left to read, but it helps me in allocating my reading time over the week and also acts as a relief to know that I really don’t have to read those 3000+ pages!! However, if you have ample free time, nothing bad can come out of reading some extra/optional materials! -ron-
ronyusa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > However, if you have ample free time, nothing bad > can come out of reading some extra/optional > materials! > > -ron- Or spending 2 hours figuring out how much extra/optional materials there really are!
Yup, trust me, totally worth it! ymichael12 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > ronyusa Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > However, if you have ample free time, nothing > bad > > can come out of reading some extra/optional > > materials! > > > > -ron- > > Or spending 2 hours figuring out how much > extra/optional materials there really are!
It’s optional!!! It doesn’t clarify ideas either. It usually goes into a different topic associated with whatever is required. Don’t waste your time. The CFA Institute takes great pride in the curriculum and it’s a great reference source afterwards. That’s when the optional material becomes important. Know what is required, and only what is required. CJ