Hey all, I’ve never posted here, but I’ve been lurking for a bit. Here’s my comprehensive study plan, let me know what you think. Phase 1: Initial Absorption of Material - Jan 1 through March 1, 2015: View ALL Schweser videos and complete ALL Q Bank Questions. Phase 1 is COMPLETE. I hate Dave Hetherington, and all things related to Dave Hetherington. Phase 2: Obtaining Deeper Understanding of Material - March 1, 2015 through May 9, 2015: Progress through Schweser Notes, doing the following: a. Read Schweser end of chapter summaries b. Complete all end-of-chapter problems c. Complete all short-answer questions from Schweser.com e. Write up my own notes on important chapter topics f. Record notes into phone for listening to and from work every day (1 hour total time each day of reinforcing) g. At the completion of each Schweser book, take a 100-question Q-Bank quiz to cement all topics. Phase 3: Read Schweser Secret Sauce - May 9th, 2015 through May 10th, 2015. a. Highlight/sticky notes for any topics you’re not comfortable with. Phase 4: Piecemeal practice exams - May 10th-May 17th a. Work through 3 Schweser practice exams, one item set at a time, checking answers after completion of each item set. Mark incorrect/difficult problems for review in Phase 5. Phase 5: Review of piecemeal practice exams: May 18-May 22 a. Review all questions that I answered incorrectly/struggled with Phase 6: Re-read Secret Sauce - May 22-25 a. I’m going to be at the beach over memorial day weekend, so I figured my best bet for time usage here is going to be secret sauce-- can be read on the beach. Phase 7: Go back through any material I’m uncomfortable with, and master it. - May 26-May 29 Phase 8: TIMED PRACTICE EXAMS - May 30-May 31. Take two timed practice exams: One CFAI Mock, One Schweser Mock. Review Phase 9: Final prep. I have off this whole week, so I will be reviewing any weak areas, working through random Q-bank questions, working through my last Schweser mock one item set at a time.
its great!
i will spend my last 2 months for doing mock exams.
Wrong way to answer a question:
Scratch everything after 4/1/15 and spend 2 months taking mocks and most importantly , the essay portion of past exams.
I have 7 am essays and 9 pm mocks to do and I wish I had more.
You wont be tested on your reading skills but how well you construct a concise and correct answer in a short period of time.
Time management is the key so I really encourage you to take more timed mocks.
Answering like a level 3 candidate:
- Scratch everything after 4/1/15
- Do 6+ timed mocks
- Do all CFAI EOCs (twice if possible)
- Know how to distinguish between strategies (advantages/disadvantages) and when to apply which
- Use the curriculum for Ethics and GIPS
- Do not go to the beach
- DO 6 MOCKS - in case you missed it
And you will be celebrating in August.
Good luck
^^cgy is most likely going to pass LIII in 2015.
(This 36 y/o has his marbles in the right bag.)
Lol… Good Luck!
how can you not like David Hetherington? Dude is a beast
That was my thought as well! He’s been great. I like when he prefaces stuff with a, “Look, no excuses if you don’t know this. Just pack your bags. GTFO and I’ll see you next year.”
He can’t even hold a candle to Andy Holmes. He makes so many linguistical errors, and I can’t stand how he starts things with “No excuses, know this by exam day”… Like dude, I didn’t pay 5 million dollars to get a dad-style lecture from you. Present the material to me like I’m an adult, and let me make my own damn decisions.
4 of 5 stars
Hey all, I made an individual post but nobody has replied yet so thought I would put it in here and get some advice.
Appreciate your advice, cheers.
"Hi guys and girls,
I just wanted to get some advice around how to proceed from now until the exam. I know it isn’t an original question however still would appreciate guidance. Below are the details of what I have done up to this point.
*Read all the Schweser books (besides Ethics and GIPS).
*Concept Checkers
*Added notes on the Schweser Video On Demand Slides as there are large gaps in my opinion
*Made some large post it notes so I have those definitions in front of me, my wall is starting to look like something from the movie Beautiful Mind….
My general plan is now: -
*2 - 3 weeks -> Go through the BB and EOC questions from the source. Some of you may wonder why I didn’t do this earlier. I was saving them so to speak for closer to the exam like I did for LVL 1 and 2 however during both of those I practiced with the QBANK throughout but this time around I was told by previous CFA Charterholders not to use it for LVL 3.
*7 - 8 weeks -> Work through 2 Schweser exams or 1 past CFA Source exam and cover any further gaps in understanding.
Also has anyone found that the Schweser slides summarise to much or say something totally different than what is in the book which is quite odd considering it is the same company. Then you either have to write out the key points of the LOS yourself or add to the sldie which essentially feels like Schweser haven’t done their job properly.
Thanks."
- "
^^Hey mate- Trust you me when I lend this advice.
Between now and May 1st, my recommendation is to complete as many BB and EOC questions as you can and refer back to your notes when necessary. Make flash cards to make certain points stick.
But after May 1st, you should only be doing practice/prior exams ; at first you can do a couple of vignettes or 3-4 AM questions in one sitting, but get used to writing entire sessions in a timed environment after the first week or so. In the last month, though, you should only utilize your notes when reviewing your answers. There are tons of exams out there, both practice and priors. Obviously the latter is better, but I recommend doing **at least 6 different full exams**, and re-writing the same exam *is encouraged* to make sure you have it down. And don’t just read the answers – write them out on paper. This is the best way to prepare yourself for game day.
But then again, what do I know…
Hi Tozzert, I just wanted to say thanks for the advice.
I imagine I will be able to complete the EOC’s and BB from the source within 2 weeks and will make flashcards at the same time.
In terms of practice exams I assume your referring to the 6 from Schweser and then using the 3 sample exams provided by the institute?
Cheers!
@Syd-
Schweser practice exams are OK – but not great. FinQuiz also makes sample tests available at a reasonable cost – I think they’re about “as good” as the Schweser ones. Some other ones are floating around there…I think you should get your hands on as many as you can before exam day.
But (a friend of a friend told me) you can probably get past CFA AM Session exams prior to the last 3 years if you google them. I can neither deny nor confirm if this is true.
Good luck!
NOTE: you’ve probably read this elsewhere, but your strategy should be to “minimize damage” in the AM Session and do very well in the PM Session. That’s how most people pass Level III. And in order to “md” in the morning, you need to get lots and lots of practice writing AM exams by hand with a focus on mastering Individual and Institutional IPS questions. The PM Session isn’t quite as stressful as the AM, but keep an eye out for “googlies” (cricket term, as you know) because there are plenty of them.
(Read some of the threads from previous years, right after the exam – immediate feedback from those who just wrote should give you a general idea re: how “tricky” some Qs can be, even though they cannot discuss any specifics.)
Thanks Tozzert! I actually don’t play cricket more of a basketball fan however will keep an eye for them googlies 
Also I think I will read the source at least once for the Individual and Institutional investors as they relate to the IPS and hence the AM section. However outside of that and Ethics, I will stick to Schweser.
By the way do you work as an analyst or are you more of a Sales guy?
^Financial Analyst with a passion for doing Technical Analysis.
Read through your posts, found them very useful.
PS Its the Doosra I am more worried about then Googlies
Read through your posts, found them very useful.
PS Its the Doosra I am more worried about than Googlies
^I appreciate the kind words.
No Excuse…Damn Easy…I like Dave Hetherington!
Study plan: 5 stars. Sounds pretty solid.