I tried to stay away, but think I’ve hit the breaking point and you know what they say, misery loves company… I just feel like no matter how hard I’m trying, it’s just not enough. I started early and covered the material multiple times, have taken a few mocks, and done the BB/EOC once, but my mock scores are terrible. On top of that, work situation has just gotten so bad that pretty sure I’m going to get fired in the near-term and need to focus on the job search starting the day after the test (transitioned to a new manager last year and he’s just miserable…personally and professionally, and no matter how many projects I successfully complete, it’s still not good enough, b/c unlike him, I don’t believe in facetime and leave after my work is done (uh b/c I need to study so I can get the charter and find something better (vs. he sits there for ~12 hrs and bitches about how hardworking he is…when everyone else in the office has also gone home to live something called a well balanced LIFE)…but for now, just not sure how to improve my scores w/less than 1 month. Plus I’m a retaker so I keep thinking what if I can’t make it this year either…another year wasted…and I really just want to put this behind me so I can get on to my other goals. I know lack of sleep and stress in general probably makes this sound worse than it really is (or could be), but really low mock scores don’t really help a guy’s confidence, ya know, and I’ve taken ~4.
Any suggestions how to improve scores? How are you all surviving, esp. my retakers (I feel so much pressure knowing that this is my second time and still may not be enough - do you?!)
Ok done…going to go eat…last meal was breakfast w/mom…yes, Mother’s day in the states and I can’t even spend the day w/ her so sitting here alone in this f** library w/20 yr olds complaining about finals. OVER THIS CRAP.
I agree quit the job. I hate anything that could disturb me from my personality needs including studying. for your low score you need to focus only, we all understand well and we pass level 1 and 2 and we can do it for level 3. I usually score the worst the last two or three item sera because I lose my power and feel bored at the end and just read and answer without focus. You need to work your brain little not just oh I remember this it should be b. No tricks are like cancer spreading fast and everywhere. Good luck
Firstly, quitting your job is not an option. How can anyone quit their job without another one to go too?.. CFAfatso still needs to pay the bills etc…
CFAfatso. You are not alone!! I am a fellow retaker and I feel like crap!! This exam is killing me…I failed band 5 last year after doing 250hrs of studying, and i even came out of the exam thinking I had passed!
This year I have put in a lot more work probably 300hrs, and even though I have done so much more, I am still bombing in the mock exams. My AM scores have been 65, 63 and on sunday I got 58% in the 2012 am (devestating!). I am seriously depressed by it. I feel like it doesn’t matter how much I study, I will not be able to pass the morning session…the only thing that i can do from now until the exam is complete all other remaining mocks, do the EOCs and BB again and again…focusing on areas that I got wrong.
The PM exams have been slightly better, I have got 65 68 and 73%. I am in better shape with those. I plan on getting my hands on the FINQUIZ mocks and drilling those next week, in the hope that I keep learning something new and cementing all the concepts that I already know and the different ways the CFA can ask the same quesiton!
I feel for you CFAfasto. I am in a similar position as you! I feel so much pressures to pass this exam as I want my life back. I want to enjoy myself, take up a hobby, read a different book. But I also really want to pass this exam and get my charter…
You are not alone! There are so many other people out there in the same positon as you! Just keep studying. Keep learning! Do as many mocks and EOCs as you can, update your notes and learn your notes!!
Agree with Pokhim, quitting your job is not the answer! Firing someone is very hard to do, so that won’t happen if you do your job, whatever your manager feels about you (I totally agree with get your work done and get out. Loads of people stay just to be seem to be working hard but are useless). Stress will die down in less than a month and you can sort things out then.
Remember you’re not aiming for 70% in AM mocks. A person with no clue will average 33.3% in PM but 0% in AM. My co-worker passed despite leaving 2 whole questions last year. Also, bear in mind when marking yourself that the few answers given in AM mocks will not be the only ones accepted. The CFA details their marking process on their website and it says they will consider any reasonable answers.
I get my scores up by examining in depth where I went wrong. Reviewing the exam and researching areas where you’re weak should take longer than taking the exam.
Hang on in there buddy, don’t be afraid to take a day off to try and de-stress.
Thanks everyone - appreciate the support. Just want to pass and get this over with so I can move on - everything’s been on hold last few years and I ain’t getting any younger.
For the few posts regarding quitting - believe me I’d LOVE to, but I can’t let one idiot ruin my career. I know I work my ass off and I’m ambitious and want to make it ‘big’ and God Willing I will, but I’ve thought alot about this and quitting just isn’t the answer. For one, I’m very risk averse and like having a stable income, two, I’d have to give a two weeks notice and already getting a few days off (fingers crossed) closer to the exam so not worth quitting for like an extra few days (esp. since I feel like that would add more pressure…oh you quit, you better pass now…and what would I do with all that free time after June 7th and how the heck would I explain it to future employers?) so unfortunately, the rational me says I gotta just wait it out.
I guess I’ll just continue to do the bb/eocs and mocks, but this test…if I try to take a mental break w/a nap or one 30-min tv show or sleep in 7-8 hours, I feel guilty, but after a while, it’s like I’m just staring at these books…good to know I’m not alone, but still sucks…less than a month just gotta hang on. Good luck all.
over the years, i have soaked up some wise advice from elder CFA Charterholders in tackling this beast. one piece of advice i learned in a 6-month-long CFA LEVEL 1 live class - make sure you peak at the right time. you don’t want to get burnt out 2 weeks before the exam, or feel “ready” for test day a week before the test
this advice has helped me stay calm, take breaks etc. during the 7month long journey in studying for a level. if i have to take 2 days off in a row to catch up on sleep, rest, play with my kids who miss their daddy, or just get my eyes away from the material, i do it. if you take the exam at my test center, i am the guy who sits outside the exam room with headphones on playing Tiger Woods on his iphone while everyone around him paces and flips through notes one last time before you’re allowed to enter.
having your mind and your brain calm and rested is just as important as learning the material. the smartest guy in the room will not pass if his mind is scattered and his brain shuts down from stress trying to remember the Taylor Rule.
long story short… take a few days off this week. go for a jog, go to bed a little early, just relax for a day or two. don’t think about the exam or even flip through note cards. RELAX. we will always wish we “had more time to study” but at the end of the day, WE HAVE TO PEAK AT THE RIGHT TIME.
Those aren’t depressing scores. Go look at the results threads from past years and do some 40/60/80 estimates on those that passed the exam. The 58% isn’t too hot, but I think the 2012 AM was the most difficult of the 2011-2014 AM’s. I think you can get by if you’re in the mid 60’s in the AM as long as you take care of business in the PM (>70%).
As others pointed out, quitting job is probably a bad idea. Not being able to eat and having your electricity shut off is not going to help the studying.
I think we’re all going through the same thing to some extent (with regard to L3, not in regard to your job situation) and it’s just part of it. L3, like L2 and L1 before it, is not easy. It’s grueling and it’s not the type of thing where you’re going to get 90% correct (unless your some sort of finance genius and test-taking master). It’s frustrating seeing crappy mock results but the goal is to realize what you did wrong and not make the same mistakes again.
It’s designed to be difficult so the charter means something. I doubt there are many candidates that are killing the mock exams, I know I am not. They’re difficult but that’s what helps prepare us. I say do the best you can at work and keep in mind that once you nail L3 and get the Charter, your resume will look better when you are in a position to leave your current employer.
You are not alone. Scoring 60~65% AM, 70-75% PM consistently no matter how much time I spend on those books. It’s frustrating but at the same time liberating to some extend as I know that I already have a good foundation and all I need is that extra 5% and I will pass.
see where you can squeeze out another 5% of the mocks, then you are golden. =)
That’s the way i see it! Squeeze out another 5% in each and we’re on the way to victory!! That’s only 3 marks in the PM!! 3 marks!!! I can surely get 3 extra marks in the next 3 weeks!!!1
I’m bombing the AM’s as well. I like to grade myself in a range of worst to best case senario, I assume the average is where I’ll score. I’ve got 52-72 on the first Schweser AM and 48-62 on 2012 AM… Not exactly building confidence, although I did get 78 on the Schweser PM.
When you are going through the AM session grading yourself, I think it is very important to be mindful of WHY you got the answer wrong. If the question asks about the advantages of the Black Litterman model, and you don’t recall much about it and sort of BS the answer, then doing 500 mock exams will not TEACH you the material, and you will do no better on test day. If you got the question wrong because you didn’t really “justify” when it asked, or you missed a minor point, etc, or because you ran out of time, then you just need more practice.
I honestly think the key with L3 prep is finding the right mix of doing mock exams and actually studying/reviewing the material as a whole (via flashcards, BBs, EOCs, etc). I think it’s a misconception that if you do 100 mock exams the month of May you will pass. the key with doing mock exams is to practice writing out answers and working on your timing. if you are comfortable with that, you need to spend time learning the material.
I did 2 mock exams last yr (I am a retaker) and scored a Band 9. I scored a Band 9 because I did not know the material enough to pass, not because i didnt do enough mock exams. Looking back at 2014’s AM session, there was a FI question i did not answer because i did not know the answer, and the Equity section I suffered on because i did not know the answers.
Again, I wouldnt be concerned with your score by itself - the key is WHY… if you are scoring low because you messed up on timing, etc., then keep practicing. if you are scoring low because you honestly did not know the answers, then STOP DOING MOCK EXAMS and review the material in the book.
every time I come across such kind of topic can’t help myself laughing, realizing that I am not alone on this planet, bothered with more or less the same concerns, fears and thoughts. almost no one around me can really understand what’s going on inside of me for the last three years, and I am not of that type to complain even to my closests. by here, when I realize I am not alone, that helps a lot.
Just think about two things: its the last 20 days of the long journey that taught you so much. and you/we need to throw every last energy and effort to get the best of ourselves. no time for useless thoughts and doubts. they only hinder you. all the focus on trainings.
I am very sorry to hear your story, I have a few suggestions and hopefully you will feel better soon.
First of all, IT IS OKAY to retake an exam and nothing is wasted, if it takes you 3 years to complete level 3, it is fine, do not let other people tell you otherwise.
Second, you need to know that these problems are all solveable. You can get a better job. You can improve your scores. You can live a more balanced life. You need to believe you have the ability to change your circumstance.
Finally, take a break, one night off just to go do something you enjoy, sleep early, get a massage, bubble bath, movie, good food… you still have some time and if you are TRULY unprepared and you haven’t understood most of the material at this point, you will likely not pass, but you can still use this as a practice and do the best you can. Next year you will be able to leverage this, so don’t stress out!
I can’t really tell you to quit because people have families and mortgage and other obligations, but there are other jobs out there for sure, and eventhough you probably don’t want to find a job now in the middle of studying, you can just find one after the exam. And getting fired isn’t a bad thing, at least you get PAID to leave… right?
Listen man, I was a re-taker and took the BSAS mock 3 weeks prior to the exam and bombed it big time. I used it as a learning tool of what I didn’t know and things turned out well for me on actual exam. And don’t let a.m. scores get you down. I got destroyed in a.m. (2012) but afternoon saved my bacon.
Keep going. The mocks you struggle with are ways to teach.
