No Studying on the Last Day

During Level 2 last year, I noticed that there was no economics in the morning session. So I ate lunch in my car while reviewing some of the softer economics concepts. Turned out to be a very good decision. During Level 1 (Dec 06), I think there was a GIPS question in the morning and I didn’t feel great about it and so I looked over GIPS in my car at lunch. Turned out to be a very good decision. So I’m thinking I’ll be reviewing either ethics or derivatives when I eat lunch in my car on June 7, and I hope it turns out to be a good decision. My problem is getting sleep the night before the test. I’m just too anxious. I seriously did not sleep a wink before Level 1 and maybe I dozed 30 mins for Level 2. Thanks to coffee and Red Bull, I got through them, but it’s a really awful, desperate feeling to head into such a big exam, something you’ve worked very hard to prepare for, knowing that your body just might crash on you. Any suggestions?

frisian Wrote: > feel great about it and so I looked over GIPS in > my car at lunch. Turned out to be a very good > decision. I remember that GIPS question, it had to do with Real Estate. I was pissed because I reviewed Ethics the night before but didn’t have time to do GIPS. So I guess I’ll be reviewing something the night before and at lunch. By the way, is it a violation to walk in the exam with study notes. I’m usually folding up my formula sheet as I’m walking into the exam and stuffing it into my back pocket.

UAECFA Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > frisian Wrote: > > > feel great about it and so I looked over GIPS > in > > my car at lunch. Turned out to be a very good > > decision. > > I remember that GIPS question, it had to do with > Real Estate. I was pissed because I reviewed > Ethics the night before but didn’t have time to do > GIPS. So I guess I’ll be reviewing something the > night before and at lunch. > > By the way, is it a violation to walk in the exam > with study notes. I’m usually folding up my > formula sheet as I’m walking into the exam and > stuffing it into my back pocket. i believe so, I believe you cant bring any materials into exam room

opps, I suppose you’re right. Pretty tough to enforce though since these things are not visible.

everyone is different but my routine is. . . study secret sauce 2 days before exam. day before (which i take off from work) read ethics and gips (particurally the obscure stuff at the end),. hit the gym and then take an exam i haven’t take that i believe to be fairly representiive and easier (hard to do i know but i don’t take schweser exams becuase the later ones can kill your confidence). I try to be done by 5 or 6. I take the night off, don’t drink (so i don’t wake up fuzzy), and go to bed early. The morning of I briefly review the schweser quicksheet in my car. During lunch i don’t study anything and just walk around and eat greasy food.

UAECFA Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > opps, I suppose you’re right. Pretty tough to > enforce though since these things are not visible. Dont bet on it - when i was writing level 1 Am , about 1/2 way into the exam i reached into my pocket to pull out kleenex to blow my nose and a piece of paper fell out of my pocket , i didnt even know and continued with the exam …about 3 seconds later theres a proctor reaching for the piece of paper that was by my foot …it turned out that it was just an old movie ticket stub so the proctor just took it and threw it in the garbage but I bet if there was ANYTHING written on it they wd have not let me continue with the exam …

you also run into the problem that the majority of the proctors are a) retired or b) in high school. it’s not a group with a lot of common sense. i wouldn’t screw around with it. go back to your car if you really need to study during the break.

Rudeboi Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > UAECFA Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > opps, I suppose you’re right. Pretty tough to > > enforce though since these things are not > visible. > > Dont bet on it - when i was writing level 1 Am , > about 1/2 way into the exam i reached into my > pocket to pull out kleenex to blow my nose and a > piece of paper fell out of my pocket , i didnt > even know and continued with the exam …about 3 > seconds later theres a proctor reaching for the > piece of paper that was by my foot …it turned out > that it was just an old movie ticket stub so the > proctor just took it and threw it in the garbage > but I bet if there was ANYTHING written on it they > wd have not let me continue with the exam … Thats hilarious, I’ll bet there will be people blowing their noses with formula sheets now

BugEyedEarl has got it right—two hours, maybe three at most on Friday. I typically spent the night before CFA exams flipping through notecards until about 7-8PM, then I shut it down. Go in well-rested. Thinking clearly and not panicking is a key objective on exam day as all you L3ers well know. Good luck—I can’t tell you how nice it is once you get your Springs back–go get’em!

you people drinking…honestly, there are several reasons why you shouldn’t. even one beer affects your sleep and memory. save it for after. every little bit counts. all i would do on the friday before is write out my formula sheets a couple of times and then go see a movie. something to totally take my mind of the exam, cause otherwise it just drove me nuts with anticipation.

I drank for I & II, I’m drinking for III. Representativeness

i’ll put in a good 12+ hours friday, but try to get to bed at a decent hour (7+ hours of sleep). i’m also the guy that will be studying in the car at 8:30am and during the break. if i can study for 12 hours a day on the weekends, then i shouldn’t have to baby myself for a 6 hour exam.

Same here MGG

Have always studied a lot on day before exam and barely gotten any sleep, usually because I’m so far behind study schedule that I’m still taking a practice exam that day. This year, as I’m already on Study Session 17 with two whole weeks left…and GIPS and Ethics too(that’s early for me), EX ANTE expectation will try to hopefully at least get proper sleep as probably lost points on trick questions from being tired in the past. Hopefully that will also help my recall on essay questions. Also sleep should help me to be more succinct as I tend to write more wordy sentences when I’m tired (such as now).

Spend 4 to 5 hours reviewing quick sheet and formulae. Accept good luck from few well wishers. Have a badminton game and a good night sleep. This keeps you fresh for the 6 hours of foucssed thinking for the next day. This is what I did in I and II, kept me nervous onlyfor the first 5 minutes or so in the morning sessions, but cool therafter.

frisian, I also cannot sleep the night before the exam. When I go to bed before exam day, I am so anxious that my brain activity increases exponentially and then during the exam day I am like a zombie. I do the same things you guys do the day before. I stop studying around 7pm, have dinner, go for a walk, watch some TV and go to bed. Last year, in my second attempt to L2, I even tried a light sleeping pill but it did nothing. Going to the exam wihtout sleeping puts me in such a disadvantage, but I guess I will have to accept it as fact this year as well.