I think it is possible that some individuals could do minimal studying and still pass. The exam material is not so much difficult (each LOS) as it is that there is just a lot of material. If someone already knows a lot of the material from their work or school experience and/or if they are able to understand and retain highly summarized information such as Secret Sauce, then I’m sure there are examples of this. Whether the OP is one of those people is unknown but I’m sure it happens.
people bragging about how little they studied has stopped bothering me. there is one guy where i work who passed L1 studying for a month full-time. i studied for probably seven but had a job and other responsibilities. while initially it made me feel silly for wasting so much time, i now take comfort in the fact that i actually know the material like the back of my hand. sure i might’ve forgotten what the criteria is for writing down inventory but i will put money on the fact that i have a better understanding of the major themes. i’m surprised at the number of people who treat this like some test to get over, but them bang on about how they want to get into ER and PM. i understand if you are already in the profession and need the charter to move up, but if you are trying to break in at interviews i’m sure you have to demonstrate some degree of proficiency with this stuff. the more you cram instead of study the faster you’ll forget, and need to cram again before the interviews. just my two cents…
Hey kmm - Your 2 cents have a lot of TVM! I originally started this program mainly to increase my own financial intelligence (but also to gain job opportunities as a secondary reason). I’ve been studying and taking these tests for 3.5 years now and just recently found out I will have to take level three a second time. I was really crushed when I found that out. I was really hoping to be done with this process. But then I thought about why I started this process to begin with (it seems so long ago now!) I thought of what I knew when I started, and about what I know now; I realized how far I’ve come and the knowledge I’ve gained in this process is much more valuable to me at this point than three letters at the end of my name. However, I still want them of course! I will be taking this test again in June, and I will be studying my ass off for it between now and then. I may pass; I may not. It doesn’t really matter to me, and it shouldn’t. Looking back to why I started this process I can see that I’ve achieved that goal. Just because I may not write out my answer to an essay question succinctly enough, or make some erroneous marks in the afternoon because of some vagueness in the question doesn’t mean I don’t know the material. To me, knowledge was the real goal - The designation is just the reward.
@ FinNinja - totally agree man. i’ve been on interviews where i have been able to impress the interviewer with knowledge i got from studying for the tests. same goes with my personal investment account - maybe there isn’t a statistically significant difference in the return i’ve earned but i think i make better decisions and actually analyze stuff rather than invest based on headline news, etc.
.
I beleive kitty. here’s what i did to pass Level III: I read schweser study notes 2 weeks AFTER passing the exam. didnt do any exercice or past exam. I invited Hull, Faboozi and Chance to spend a week at home but didnt even talk to them. I bought all the possible available books on finance but didnt even read them. Also, I registered to a marathon but didnt even run it. Finally I got the complete friends series but didnt even touch them. On a more serious note, we all know that the only shortcut to passing Level III is… Ctrl Shift Alt L3.
CFALEB Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > On a more serious note, we all know that the only > shortcut to passing Level III is… Ctrl Shift Alt > L3. Actually, I believe it is: Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Select Start
I’m at L3 and didn’t show up to the exam (started new job - too much stuff at once) I think learning about finance through the CFA is awesome, but if I didn’t get a good job at the end in AM or ER, I wouldn’t be totally satisfied.
Mr-Z Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > CFALEB Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > On a more serious note, we all know that the > only > > shortcut to passing Level III is… Ctrl Shift > Alt > > L3. > > Actually, I believe it is: > > Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Select > Start select start was only if you had someone else to play with, otherwise no select…love the Contra reference, but here is a true test…what was the code for Mike Tyson’s Punch Out???
There is a secret passage in Lv 2 that allows you to go directly to lv 5, so why bother spending 2 weeks to study lv 3?
MORTAL KOMBAT!!!
Has anyone passed L3 just by reading the secret sauce?
^ I bet just secret sauce plus enough practice exams and questions would work.
That’s nothing op, I know a guy who didn’t even open the box the books were shipped in. He just used it as a pillow for a few days before the exam and passed >70% in all categories.
Posts like that from Pierre is why I was wishing that he passed level II this year
LOL.
I liked how on the L2 forum on results day a L1 passer opened a thread to ask for tips for L2 and Pierre piped up with ‘dont skip any sections’
Hold on, there was a post recently that made it sound like Pierre has passed L2 - did I miss something?
yeah, he passed. I don’t think he’s shared his matrix though. probably >70 in all