sgarg.cfa, Very interesting and motivating posts. Which class from IIT are you from and where are you located? I am 2005 IIT Delhi.
fordprefect Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > sgarg.cfa, Very interesting and motivating posts. > Which class from IIT are you from and where are > you located? I am 2005 IIT Delhi. I didnt make it to IIT’s. I am from 2007 class of IIITA.I am located in Gurgaon
hellboy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- >>> > There’s another option - accepting an entry level > position (typically associate level) in core > research, doing well on the job, and pursuing CFA > alongside. I have also seen some extremely smart > plain-vanilla undergrads succeed at this route > even without the CFA or any post-grad education of > any sort (but they usually earn salaries 10-20% > lower than their more educated counterparts). > Hi hellboy I also planned to take up an entry level position in research but the problem that I faced was that while looking for a job( only on job portals) I rarely found a job being offered by an mnc or a company with a good brand name. In such circumstances its really difficult to shift from your decent mnc to a small company. Do you have any information about the positions in research? If possible can you please inform me of any opportunities that are in this domain. Regards Sameer
sgarg.cfa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > varundarji Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Why wouldnt it possible to get a job even after > > you pass level 3… > > Cos even Im frm the same background as you > > are…s/w Engineer, working in an Ibank and > want > > to switch to the financial world asap… > > > > I am new to all this…pls excuse me if Im > being > > kidish…! > > > > Thanks!! > > Hi Varun > > It wont be possible because of the lack of my ( > and probably any s/w engineer’s) experience in the > field of finance. To tell you the truth I have > searched for some jobs related to finance after > level 2 and at best I can get an entry level job > in those. These jobs dont pay me as much as my > current job and therefore its quite hard to change > my domain.Level 3 itself wont change much as I > still wont be fulfilling the critical condition of > having a work-ex. One of my aim of doing a cfa > was to improve my profile so that I can have a > little edge while applying for MBA colleges. The B > schools definitely value cfa course and the people > who are enrolled in it( as I read in an article by > a Harvard prof.). > > My judgement is that if you want to change your > domain right after level 2 then it is possible but > the oppurtunities are not that sumptuous. Better > go for an mba and then change your domain. Also an > mba will enable you to look into the bigger > picture while you already have in depth knowledge > of certain sections a-la cfa. All in all a potent > combination in my opinion > > Regards Hi Sammer, Would you mind telling the average salaries of jobs and which firm you were offered after clearing level 2. I am in the same boat IT work ex , CFA L2 candidate, dreaming of getting into a Top B School.
> > Hi Sammer, > > Would you mind telling the average salaries of > jobs and which firm you were offered after > clearing level 2. > > I am in the same boat IT work ex , CFA L2 > candidate, dreaming of getting into a Top B > School. Hi Abhi Well I only searched for a few jobs on naukri.com. The offers were mainly from some local coaching institutes(in mumbai) and the average salary was around 5lpa. Wasnt offered any salary etc because I didnt apply for a job anywhere. What about you? what does your profile look like and have you applied for jobs elsewhere?
sgarg.cfa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > > > Hi Sammer, > > > > Would you mind telling the average salaries of > > jobs and which firm you were offered after > > clearing level 2. > > > > I am in the same boat IT work ex , CFA L2 > > candidate, dreaming of getting into a Top B > > School. > > > > Hi Abhi > > Well I only searched for a few jobs on naukri.com. > The offers were mainly from some local coaching > institutes(in mumbai) and the average salary was > around 5lpa. Wasnt offered any salary etc because > I didnt apply for a job anywhere. > > What about you? what does your profile look like > and have you applied for jobs elsewhere? I am getting more and more convinced that India is not receptive to engg + CFA in ER/IM finance role. At max one can get on the derivatives/quantitative side. Not bad actually but thats not what CFA is all about.They would rather hire a 3 rd tier MBA for core finance roles. Regarding jobs I haven’t got any offers as of now but I have only recently floated my resume. Other than having 2 years of IT work ex , I have a bachelors degree from IIT. Sameer were you not contacted by financial KPOs etc. One technique of Naukri is to keep uploading your same CV after 2 weeks as consultants search for the one uploaded most recently.
> > > I am getting more and more convinced that India is > not receptive to engg + CFA in ER/IM finance role. > At max one can get on the derivatives/quantitative > side. Not bad actually but thats not what CFA is > all about.They would rather hire a 3 rd tier MBA > for core finance roles. > > Regarding jobs I haven’t got any offers as of now > but I have only recently floated my resume. > > Other than having 2 years of IT work ex , I have a > bachelors degree from IIT. > > Sameer were you not contacted by financial KPOs > etc. > > One technique of Naukri is to keep uploading your > same CV after 2 weeks as consultants search for > the one uploaded most recently. Nops I wasnt contacted by any KPO’s though I did update my resume only last month. Suprisingly there were many offers from other IT companies for the same role that I have in my current company. Did you try companies like morg stan. ,gold sachs , etc I am also looking for a Business analyst role if possible. Let me know if you have any pointers.
sgarg.cfa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > > > > > I am getting more and more convinced that India > is > > not receptive to engg + CFA in ER/IM finance > role. > > At max one can get on the > derivatives/quantitative > > side. Not bad actually but thats not what CFA > is > > all about.They would rather hire a 3 rd tier > MBA > > for core finance roles. > > > > Regarding jobs I haven’t got any offers as of > now > > but I have only recently floated my resume. > > > > Other than having 2 years of IT work ex , I have > a > > bachelors degree from IIT. > > > > Sameer were you not contacted by financial KPOs > > etc. > > > > One technique of Naukri is to keep uploading > your > > same CV after 2 weeks as consultants search for > > the one uploaded most recently. > > > Nops I wasnt contacted by any KPO’s though I did > update my resume only last month. Suprisingly > there were many offers from other IT companies for > the same role that I have in my current company. > > Did you try companies like morg stan. ,gold sachs > , etc > > I am also looking for a Business analyst role if > possible. Let me know if you have any pointers. I Banks hire through contacts/consultants. Contacts work the best as there is a chance that your CV may not deserve the attention due to the ignorant attitude of consultants. Plus if you are applying for US MBA programs, it helps to attend their info sessions.
Friends, Can u please share the level 2 notes with me?
sgarg.cfa: Thanks for sharing your experience. I am preparing for Level 2 exam, just started to go thru’ CFA books. Greatly appreciate it if you could share your notes with us. Can I bother you to mail your notes to my mail id: srideviraviraj@yahoo.com
this is #1
Auro Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > sgarg.cfa: > > Thanks for sharing your experience. > > I am preparing for Level 2 exam, just started to > go thru’ CFA books. Greatly appreciate it if you > could share your notes with us. > > Can I bother you to mail your notes to my mail id: > srideviraviraj@yahoo.com Hi mate I have a hard copy of my notes. I will need to scan them and then send you. There are around 300-400 pages and its going to take a long time to do that. If you are located out of NCR then we can meet up and I can give you some of my notes else it will be difficult for me to mail them to you as i dont have a scanner. Regards
sgarg.cfa worte ------------------------------------- I have a hard copy of my notes. I will need to scan them and then send you. There are around 300-400 pages and its going to take a long time to do that. If you are located out of NCR then we can meet up and I can give you some of my notes else it will be difficult for me to mail them to you as i dont have a scanner. ----------------------------------- Just to clarify, what is NCR? I am staying in Singapore, so we can’t meet. Any way thanks for your reponse to share your notes. Hopefully, I will take down my own notes. cheers:-)
Hi - I read your thread and it was quite useful. Since you have gone through the CFA Texts and Schweser, would you say that one could rely on Schweser alone and pass? I’m thinking about Level 2 for June 10 but the CFA Texts seem very time consuming. Thanks
Corinthia Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi - I read your thread and it was quite useful. > Since you have gone through the CFA Texts and > Schweser, would you say that one could rely on > Schweser alone and pass? I’m thinking about Level > 2 for June 10 but the CFA Texts seem very time > consuming. > Thanks Hi Corinthia Whether or not to use Schweser as the only source depends on your background and your capabilities to grasp the material from a concise source. In my own experience I think CFAI notes cover all the subject very aptly for a person like me ( no finance experience) and it kinda gave me confidence ( as in all the CFAI people can do is ask questions from this stuff only) .I didnt have to be paranoid about missing anything that hasnt been covered/overlooked/not given enough attention by Schweser. Also with Schweser you will need to revise the stuff thrice to get a good grasp of it. In case of CFAI even if you complete the books just one time thoroughly and make your notes , then you dont need to go to the books again and again. If you ask me then I think if you spend a decent amount of time with either Schweser or CFAI texts you will be well prepared. For eg even if you study around 20 pages everyday ( arnd 2 hrs with notes)and 40 pages on weekends ( around 5 hrs) then you will be finishing around 180 pages in a week . Well 16-20 good weeks will then get you through and guess what you would have studied around 360-400 hours which I think is kind of the least number of hours a student will need to spend to master the topics. Lastly, follow what you think suits you best. 
All the best for your preparations Regards Sameer
Auro Wrote: > Just to clarify, what is NCR? > > I am staying in Singapore, so we can’t meet. Any > way thanks for your reponse to share your notes. > Hopefully, I will take down my own notes. > > cheers:-) NCR - National Capital Region ( Places near New Delhi)
Thanks again for the encouraging words. I also have a non-financial background (legal)but I’ve been working in financial institutions for past 4 years. The CFA is a personal ambition kind of thing for me. What kind of practice exams did you find helped you the most? I see you used Schweser but I’ve heard that their practice exams are a bit easier than the real thing.
Corinthia Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Thanks again for the encouraging words. I also > have a non-financial background (legal)but I’ve > been working in financial institutions for past 4 > years. The CFA is a personal ambition kind of > thing for me. > What kind of practice exams did you find helped > you the most? I see you used Schweser but I’ve > heard that their practice exams are a bit easier > than the real thing. Well the CFA Level 2 exam ( a.m session) was as rude a shock as one can get from an exam. My head was belching out smoke while trying to attempt the Quants question , I spent around 30 mins on the same and most of my answers were flukes ( dont know how i got 5 or 6 of them correct)Also ethics was tricky ( which it always is). And when I read the question asking for calculation of goodwill i assumed its going to be tough exam. But to my surprise the P.M session was a cakewalk. I couldnt help smiling at the paper while solving questions and thinking that well finally there is a glimmer of hope that I may actually pass the thing. I can sense the same trend going forward . ( At least one session A.M / P.M will be difficult ).The same thing happened in December 08 L-1 exam. A.M was a tad bit difficult than the P.M one. I think nothing and nothing could have prepared me for the A.M session and this is my true judgement. All the questions had a certain bent to them that made them different from Schweser or CFAI EOC questions. I think most people will agree that no mock exams or practise questions will be on the simillar lines as are asked by the CFAI in the exam. However we can prepare ourselves well by rigrously attempting Volume-1 of schweser and the CFAI mocks ( free one). No matter what happens never ever skip CFAI EOC questions. There was a question about the blume method in the exam. Now the blume method has been explained in a page or so ( & well its not much anyhow , just a tweak to calculate the beta of the stock) but in the exam that single page of info was worth 3 golder marks. Its easy to miss this kind of information if one doesnt do the EOC questions. Also if i think as a CFAI person then at the end of the chapter I will like to test their knowledge on what I think is important. Ditto for CFAI book examples. They might be simple but provide very good insight in the text . Whats more they take real life examples and show application of the concept. Only real life experience can be an alternative to the above. Also I had got my hands on the additional CFAI papers and did them but they were of not much use ( if no use). The questions were very easy and the level of questions was way different than the actual exams.So I wont waste my money and time on CFAI additional mocks. However if you can loan these papers from someone else than just skim them once. Also mocks will help you simulate exam conditions ( atleast time-boundedness & the rigour of the exam ) so they are a must. Regards Sameer
Hi Sameer Thanks once again. I hope you don’t mind if I ask another Q. I just went through a few chapters in the CFA Texts. I’m highlighting the bits that I think are relevant to the Learning Outcomes. But I found that the Learning Outcomes don’t cover all the topics in the chapters. So there are some pages which I’m not even reading through because they don’t appear to be relevant. Was this your experience too? PS - being an engineer you must be good with the maths side of things…that is my weakness…my mental arithmetic is terrible…although I’m ok when I practice a lot.
Thanks for the Info Sameer Nice insights. thanks for reiterating the importance of the EOCs from CFAI text.