I think my downfall was doing the wrong type of mock exams.
Does anyone else agree with me that the Schweser mocks were not an accurate reflection of the AM session? They really test your knowledge with afternoon questions as I found them way more difficult then the actual exam.
Obviously more old CFA exams are the key (I only did 3)
I think Schweser mocks had great answers/explanations to questions. It certainly helped me get in the mindset of capturing all possible points. CFAI just gives a longwinded explanation but didn’t elaborate on how points would be awarded.
I found the answers to the questions helpful, I just found the constructed response questions a little off compared to the institute structure.
Could just be me…probably why I failed HA
Agreed, just imagine how hard it is to write an AM mock though? Best bet is to probably start off early (April) with Schwerser mocks, get in the groove of answering using their steps to capture as many points per question as possible then work over to CFAI actual past exams.
Exam answers should be nowhere near the answers that CFA AM mocks give you. You won’t be able to finish on time. They should be short and to the point, similar to schweser mock exam answers.
Even the Schweser answers are too long at times.
Did the AM section in 2016 tested areas usually tested in PM and vice versa
There’s no one or the other, both are great preparation and you should be using both in your preparation. Schweser mocks as people have already said give fantastic explanations to answers and also a scoring guide so you know what to award yourself marks for. They helped me so much. The best of all was the schweser online mock which provided a video lecture explanation for every single question - a weekend of work but well worth it.
I utilized both Schweser mocks and past year (did only 3 as well) and pass on first attempt. I even have got 20mins to spare for my AM and went back to corrected some of my silly/careless mistakes. The key here is to write in point form and give only what is being asked! If it is a 2mins question the most i would write is 2 sentences and 3 sentences max for 3 pointers and so on. I’m sure you will do much better going into 2017, best of luck!
In my opinion, Schweser mock is a little bit easier and the CFA mock is harder than the actual one. I did Schweser mock first and then fisnish the CFA mock right before the exam to get myself familiar with the speed of the actual test.