Hrs are not the answer.
You’d be surprised how many candidates don’t have the discipline. Just look at the General Board. It’s filled with topics about people losing motivation and asking for a solution. You don’t need a high IQ to pass these exams. Put in the time and you’ll be fine.
Read my reply above.
Do you mean 300/400/500 hours of studying at 100% efficiency or just 60-85% efficiency (where we get distracted andor lose focus while studying?)
I passed L1 on my Nth attempt with about 200 hours of solid studying and L2 on my 1st try with 300 hours of solid study. By solid study, i mean i wind up an alarm for 25 minutes and stay laser focused on studying until it rings and take a 5 minute break before setting another alarm for another 25 min of laser focused study (read more about this, aka Pomodoro technique.) Hopefully, 300-400 hours shall suffice for L3 if done with such focus and efficiency.
^ That’s hardcore with the alarm!
For most people, the 300 hour mantra is complete bullsh*t. I’d say 300 hours to get through the CFAI material, and another month to do practice exams, etc.
There are exceptions - this is simply from my experience. I work with three people who have MBA’s from top 10 schools. All three are on their THIRD attempt at level 2. To each his own, but you need to master the material. For some it may take 300 hours, others it may be 500.
I loathe the whole “300 hours” crap. Back in the early 00’s that may have applied - i’ve seen the L3 exams - but today the exam is much more difficult.
For most people, the 300 hour mantra is complete bullsh*t. I’d say 300 hours to get through the CFAI material, and another month to do practice exams, etc.
There are exceptions - this is simply from my experience. I work with three people who have MBA’s from top 10 schools. All three are on their THIRD attempt at level 2. To each his own, but you need to master the material. For some it may take 300 hours, others it may be 500.
I loathe the whole “300 hours” crap. Back in the early 00’s that may have applied - i’ve seen the L3 exams - but today the exam is much more difficult.
I agree with blackomen that the Pomodoro Technique is highly effective (and by the way, there’s an excellent 5-min Pomodoro video available on YouTube). After a couple of weeks, I found that the 25 + 5 minute blocks quickly became pretty much automatic, and I no longer needed an alarm.
I also agree bizval about 300 hrs being inadequate for most candidates. By adding in a bunch of practice tests and past exams, we’re probably looking at about 3000 pages of material per level. Anyone who can adequately absorb this much stuff in 300 hours is some kind of memory genius. 500-600 hrs is much more realistic, even if third-party-provider materials are used to accelerate the process. But it _ is _ possible to (painfully) spread these 600 hours per level over several years and eventually obtain a pass - and this seems to be the method of choice for many candidates.
So, the most efficient route is probably to spend 600 hrs studying each level, perhaps using the Pomodoro Technique.