Exam strategy

CFA Level I
#1

Anyone planning on going to the sections they like the most first? or do most candidates start with ethics and work their way through?

#2

I encourage my candidates to start with their strength and leave the tough stuff for the end. All points are equal: get as many as you can.

(If you follow this advice, take half-a-second before you answer, say, question 47 and make sure that you’re marking the answer in row 47 on the answer sheet.)

#3

Thanks, I think it will be helpful. I wish I would have practiced this strategy during my mocks…oh well!

Reviewing FRA a bit tonight, light review of everything tomorrow and going in like a boss on saturday! lets do this!

#4

Even though I know that you should start with the easier stuff first, this is why I won’t. I shall be going in order of the exam. Marking the wrong bubble is my biggest fear when taking a scantron, multiple choice test. Really hard to keep track when the sheet is like this 0_0

#5

Yea, I’m going to go in order of the exam as well. I don’t want to psyche myself out, plus it’s much easier to keep track of how you’re doing with time (counting how many problems you solve) if you just go in order.

I would say do what you’re best at first too… if it won’t freak you out.

#6

Yea, this works for me. I usually start with Fixed Income, and then jump to Ethics. This helps because it builds confidence and by doing Ethics later the mind gets tuned into exam mode. Times when I started with Ethics, it being so wordy I end up reading it 2-3 times before finding out exactly what is asked for. This creates more anxiety that I have wasted so much time.

But in my last exam, doing Ethics later really worked for me, so I believe I am going to go with it.

#7

yup, doing the exact same. FI has always been a strong suit, so i’m starting with that, and maybe finishing up derivatves and alternate investments before doing everything else in ascending order. imo, questions 97-120 take the least time, again that could be because of my strength in fi, but i feel that in general these are smaller questions to read and are either you know it or you don’t type of questions…

#8

I second rayankh’s view, by jumping around I’m prone to psyching myself out and it’s also harder to judge my pace. Similar topic but what is this about arriving to each session an hour early like it says on my ticket but the doors not closing until 30 minutes before? Is that just their suggestion to arrive early or do they hold you to it?

#9

  1. Ethics

  2. Fixed Income

  3. Equity

the rest is how I feel during the exam

#10

I always went front-to-back in order for all three levels. Deal with each topic and question and then move on. Plus I tended to to fairly well in Ethics so it was a nice way to ease into each test.

I was also paranoid about somehow forgetting to go back to a session.