Phreaking Out...

Okay… After reading a lot of your replies to several of the threads going around, I can’t help but notice that most of you have gone through all the CFAI practice exams. Hell, I haven’t even started doing those yet and probably won’t for another 10 days or so… Watching how well you guys know your stuff is doing two things: #1. Making me work extra hard to learn this crap #2. PHREAKING ME OUT!!!

I am in the same boat PJ. I think its a function of different study methods… Or that we are possibly doomed to fail…

I think you might be right though about different study methods… I’m using pretty much the exact same approach I used for L1/L2. However, the fact that there’s a written/short-answer part to the exam is making me extremely nervous. I go through the practice questions where they are written answers and I find myself looking at the answers without really writing an answer. I’ll try to make a few points in my head about the question and then go straight for the solution. Not sure that’s a good thing… I dunno… really hoping for the best because with a 7 year old daughter and a 5 month old son, not sure I can do this again… such a huge time committment.

I have not done a single practice exam yet. I plan to do all of my systematic notetaking and review first, and then spend the last ~2 weeks on practice exams etc.

I go through the practice questions where they are written answers and I find myself looking at the answers without really writing an answer. I’ll try to make a few points in my head about the question and then go straight for the solution. Not sure that’s a good thing… i was in your shoes just 1wk ago :). but almost finished with exams. unfortunately, it doesnt tell anything :). i m just terrified and push at all force. But… i forced myself to write down - have seen some improvement on an amount of same errror over and over…

"However, the fact that there’s a written/short-answer part to the exam is making me extremely nervous. " Written part in level II get out of here? Stop the bull *%#%*!

Exactly, I’m almost done with the CFAI exams but it doesn’t mean I’m prepared to the point where I want to be. I figure I get done with them because theres still the CFA sample and mock exams to do and I’ll probably go over the old exams over again. Besides, I find the exams are only useful for the Individual and Institutional PM stuff, and not so much for the rest. I’m hoping that the sample exams will be good for that and maybe some Schweser q’s too.

hrm… who said anything about L2?

Ok I am in big trouble … I am in the wrong forum… stepping back one… sorry.

PJStyles Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Okay… After reading a lot of your replies to > several of the threads going around, I can’t help > but notice that most of you have gone through all > the CFAI practice exams. Hell, I haven’t even > started doing those yet and probably won’t for > another 10 days or so… > > Watching how well you guys know your stuff is > doing two things: > > #1. Making me work extra hard to learn this crap > > #2. PHREAKING ME > OUT!!! > !!! I hear you totally. Just reading through posts on this board makes me nervous. I haven’t done any exams myself… will do after May 20.

You guys should start doing exams as it is the best way to point out weaknesses IMHO

Here’s my philosophy…if you read something in March (and understood it) and haven’t looked at it since then, it would probably be best to re-review before taking practice exams that show that you need to review it again. You just end up in the same place, but you are freaked out because you couldn’t pull the answer. Take Derivatives / Risk Mgmt…I read and understood most of that material in early April. Doesn’t mean I can pull the mechanics of the calculations without looking at it again (and again) I took one, count it one, practice exam for Level 2 and two for Level 1 mainly because I ran out of time at the end. 2 for 2 on the exams though I plan on finishing my re-review of Schweser and my notes with two weeks to go and do nothing but practice exams and review and Secret Sauce during that time…should be plenty of time to figure out I am unprepared

I haven’t done any exams yet either - still trying to get through CFAI questions. I don’t know how the rest of you felt tackling them for the first time, but it’s been horrifying…

Better to have been horrified than to have never been horrified at all…

PJStyles Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I think you might be right though about different > study methods… I’m using pretty much the exact > same approach I used for L1/L2. However, the fact > that there’s a written/short-answer part to the > exam is making me extremely nervous. > > I go through the practice questions where they are > written answers and I find myself looking at the > answers without really writing an answer. I’ll > try to make a few points in my head about the > question and then go straight for the solution. > Not sure that’s a good thing… > I do the exact same thing… i have to start forcing myself to actually write something down… > I dunno… really hoping for the best because with > a 7 year old daughter and a 5 month old son, not > sure I can do this again… such a huge time > committment.

I think we all do that… It’s so much easier and quicker :slight_smile:

WOW! Its very refreshing to see you all are feeling the same… I read all the CFAI stuff from Sept till The first week of May (I took copious notes on the first few SS but then started to speed read and mark where LOS answers were in the Reading in the margins… Now IM going back through again with the Secret Sauce Book, trying to answer each LOS. I havent taken any tests yet either… GOing to take the 3 written CFAI (2005-2007), the Schweser Onlines, and then the CFAIs onlines. I want to take the last 10-14 days to do this. I’ve accepted the fact that I am not going to get 100% on this… I’ve lowered my aim to … oh maybe… 40%… ;-( PJ - I undertand completely re: the kids… I have a 3 1/2 yo and a 1 yo… I cant do this again… Last night was full of F Bombs trying to work through Reading 23 and I wanted to burn my flippin’ books… Dark - arent these CFAI questions ‘fun’! I swear - I think they make half of their answers up or are pulling from like 40 years in the industry. "HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT??? is a constant responses from me…

I go through the practice questions where they are written answers and I find myself looking at the answers without really writing an answer. I’ll try to make a few points in my head about the question and then go straight for the solution. Not sure that’s a good thing… I do the same thing …I havent done an exam yet …I will attempt the schweser practice exam this weekend

I have 6 kids, 2 to 17, so quit whining. :slight_smile:

Oh yeah I have 17 kids and an 18th on the way…and yes I live in Alabama…