Formulas for quantitative methods

CFA Level I
#1

Hi All how many of the formulas for quantitative methods do we have to remember by heart? Or can we use the calculator to calculate those? Seems to be like a ton of formulas…any ideas on how to retain them in memory to save time on the exam? thanks WG

#2

lol… freshmen…

#3

lol…def is a FROSH…my advice to you…see the 1st page of every SS/Reading and find “LOS” - then look for words like “Calculate” “Interpret” “Define” all in one sentence and then commit the related formulas and interpretations to memory!

#4

Wow nick…that’s very helpful. you’re so lame

#5

wiseguy- I didn’t mean any disrespect, I’m sorry. But c’mon dude, a question like that is pretty crazy. You’re going to have to remember hundreds of formulas and not just the formulas but how changing the variables in the formulas effect the outcome. It would be pretty silly for someone to list all the formulas you need to know. In fact, I didn’t “memorize” any formulas. I read all the material and worked on thousands of questions. After you do that, you won’t have to sit down and “memorize”, you’ll just know.

#6

Many of the calculations can be done on the calculator. It’s important to know where they are appropriate and where you need to do the calculations by hand. For example: If college expenses increase at 5% a year and you can get a return of 6% on your investments, you’ll need to discount each year of college back by the 6% investment to determine the present value. You will also need to know when it is appropriate to use formulas such as permutation/combination. Certain formulas aren’t possible on the calculator. The first one that comes to mind is the success for Bernoulli Trials. Best bet is to search the forums for some of the calculator posts. There are a number of formulas on the calculator that people miss out on. In a large part because neither the CFAI nor the study services discuss them. Hope that helps. BTW, if any of you know of FT financial jobs in your firms, send me a message! With level one past, it’s time to get back into the working world. Regards, Peter

#7

I remember Elan Guides having formula sheets as ‘freebies’ on their website…

#8

wiseguy- Go here. It’s the best you’ll find from any test provider…and best of all, it’s free http://www.elanguides.com/samples.php

#9

Thanks everybody.

#10

See the FAQ on the CFA site; most queries like this are answered there.