Hi all, I have been casually preparing level two for about 3 weeks, found out I passed level 1 (barely, 4 sections 70%，5 sections 50%-70%， 1 50%). My problem while preparing level 1 and now level 2 is, I spent a lot time, but I found a lot of the topics pretty hard to digest, when I am touching it for the first time or early on, I go through it only later realize I didnt understand it at all. It also has to do with the fact I get very easily distracted when studying, my brain gets dried up quickly after 30 min or an hour and after two hours of studying I need to rest for like an hour or so. Does any one have any advise on how to keep themselves concentrated during the period of studying? How do you make sure you deliever the goal of studying but not just counting time?
My past experience has told me that this CFA test is all about practice drill. IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW MUCH TIME YOU SPEND ON READING. please read this statement 10 times.
You don’t prepare for this test like you are going for a PhD qualification exam. But I think that’s the mentality of most people have in this forum. You can only pass if you answer the questions correctly. Which mean you need to learn the format and style of the question.
There is a reason why the overall pass rate in the world is so low (check this http://www.gfedu.cn/zl/) because you are using the wrong methology to study for the CFA exam. Mind you that English is not even the first language for a lot of these test takers. They even need a step-by-step (with pictures) instruction to show them how to check the score (http://cfa.gfedu.net/news/7389.html).
Go figure
Staying focused is easy: keep asking yourself how much you’ll like having to do this all over next year.
I use coffee and listen to alpha wave music specifically used for concentration. For example…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cp0ypTnu-8
@leocfahelper you’re on a roll today hahaha
wow, thanks for the motivation 
This exactly, although that’s more about motivation than focus. Sometimes focus can wane even with significant motivation.
Maybe try and modify your study environment to see if it helps you maintain focus during your study hours. For example, for both Level I and my first try at Level II, I would study in the evenings, after work and after putting my kids to bed. That worked fairly well, but this time around I found myself having a harder time staying focused after a long work day. So I shifted my study hours to mornings. Now I get up at 3:30am 6 days a week and study until about 7am when it’s time to get ready for work (with an extra hour or two on weekends). Granted I go to bed a lot earlier and getting up that early is not easy, but I’m studying with more focus and getting more done.
I’m not saying you should be a nutball like me and get up in the wee hours of the morning, but my point is, a change to your study routine might help.
I feel m exactly in the same boat as you are in H21. i guess set targets for urself… like u have to finish this much today. And i am watching videos and solving curriculum example questions and then going through the readings from schweser. So i am basically revising and which helps me know if i understood the concepts or not. I am doing FRA and yes i am finidng it difficult to understand n remember the different concepts used but i guess the key here is practice… by practicing more n more problems you ll get confidence and clarity to teh concepts as well. Hope this was useful to u…
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Took Level I last December and turned around to take Level II in June. At a certain point, I started to become burned out and lost focus - ended up scoring a band 8. In hindsight, I would’ve much rather have pushed through the entire thing last spring so that I wouldn’t have to be re-taking the test.
So pretty much, what helps me keep focus - the desire not to spend another year on the same material…and adderall.
hmm… Nice one… I took Dec 2015, and i just registered for June 2016 Level 2. I know it can be challenging, so i started reading since December, and plan on attending classes to augment my chance of passing… Hopefully that will be enough.
If you register for the CFA Level II exam, you automatically have access to the EOC CFA questions, correct?
You are correct. Either in vital sources / apps / printed books.
I am just having problem reading the notesl,IT.IS.SO.DRY.
Do you guyys still read notes after watching the class video?
I find it easiest to watch the videos first and then follow up with reading. I recall the lecturer’s voice while reading, which makes the concepts less daunting.