Third time was the charm for me as well, after back-to-back band 10. Relied on mostly Schweser last two times. My study plan this time was… - Read CFA texts in entirety (tried to only skim history/background, non-test material) - Did as many EOC Qs as possible. Definitely Ethics, IPS, Equity, FI, Derivatives - Did all CFA mock and sample exams - Re-took AM sections of 2007, 2008, 2009 exams as simulated 3-hour exams - Reviewed Schweser summaries and CFAI summaries at end of sections - Supplemented some areas with Schweser - Last, but certainly not least, read over and over a few of the good threads on AF
Band 10 last year, barely passed this year 1. CFA texts first, supplement w/ quick Schweser reads if necessary (do not waste $$ on new notes). 2. do most of end-chapter CFA questions, sometimes, if qualitative, just check the answer, but make time for them. 3. Do IPS (individual and institutional) at the very end of you study. Follow CFA examples closely, do not rely on Schweser for this. 4. Do ethics/gips at the end of your study. 5. it’s better to spend a lot of time on IPS and get it right on the morning exam, then to rush through it just to get all the questions done, imho. 6. do a Schweser mock exam at one of the locations. 7. do all CFA sample exams. 8. save some time for review. 9. concentrate on main ideas behind concepts/formulas and their relationship to each other and pm overall, not just memorizing concepts/formulas themselves.
I failed in 2009 and passed this year. I think the big difference was the confidence. By confidence I mean not having exam nerves. I actually knew more in 2009 than this year but the difference was that I wasn’t as nervous (there’s always some nerves). If you can do a mock exam through your local society, *DO IT*. It made my exam experience much much easier. Oh and since there’s so much memorization, using flashcards and mnemonics was VERY helpful. Some people are against flashcards and memorizing lists but if you can memorize all of them then you will have excellent familiarity with the entire curriculum. Just knowing what was being referred to was huge.
Band 6 last year, passed this year with some luck 1. CFA texts first, supplement w/ quick Schweser reads if necessary 2. do all of end-chapter CFA questions and repeat on if required 3. do EOC questions on Schweser 4. Do ethics/gips at the end of your study. 5. Do all the past CFAI exam from 2000 6. do as much as mock exams 7. do SchweserPro Level 3 2010 (even though some of the Qs are a bit easy) 8. Time is key, if not sure, skip, do not miss easy marks
2009 - band 2 [used mostly schweser] 2010 - Pass [CFAI texts+EOC (2 runs), CFA sample exams, CFA past papers from 2006]
Last year Band 7, passed this year: Strategy 1. Didn’t memorize any formulas, understood concepts as they last longer and LIII is about understanding and application rather plug and chug 2. Made my own notes, revised them numerous times as exams approached 3. Visited AF regularly, participated in the discussions, even reading posts can be helpful to understand concepts (for eg. backwardation, contango discussed on AF in a much better way than explained in CFA text) 4. In addition to preparation for acing PM, prepared myself to score decent marks on AM with practice to write succinctly with bullets 5. Timed myself for AM tests and attempted to finish within 3 hours 6. Started with studying late night and evening nap but shifted to early morning and day time study 2 week before exam to get used to full day exam timing Time 1. Started early in January, covered every LOS, didn’t leave anything assuming will not be tested 2. Took two week off from work (all the more helpful as I lost one full week three weeks before the exam due to sickness) Course Material / Problem Solving 1. CFAI texts exclusively for the readings, examples and EOCQs 2. Schweser for EOCQs 3. Schweser practice tests (timed Vol 1 and some tests from Vol 2) 4. Questions from Q-Bank only with high difficulty level 5. Timed all past AM exams, Sample exams available on CFAI website