I cannot get something. The program is suppose to be 250 hrs study time atleast. 18 study sessions are suppose to be finished in 18 weeks. One reading is suppose to be done in one sitting. There is hardly been anytime for me when I finished a reading in a day. Firstly because the damn practice question at the end of a reading/chapter take up a lot of time. So doing practice question/problems along the way, are you guys still able to finish 1 Study session in a week? Also if this 18 weeks includes doing mock exams and other practices in the end? thanks in advance
Relax nobody else does either. I don’t really know about the second question though. Probably not.
Joey has a point. I spent something like 300 hours, and that was on the second attempt… hmpf… I used the Schweser material and was just about able to finish one reading per week… not all that many practice questions… I did the questions during the final month before the exam. To answer your question in my case the 18 weeks were without all that many practice questions, those came later together with a pile of mock exams. During my first attempt… I tried to study on CFAI material but it took up too much time, I fell behind and so had to start all over again the next year. Edited: Oh yes, I forgot to mention. I have a MSc in Business Administration and Finance so most of the material wasn’t exactly new to me when I opened those books. To the contrary: I thought it would be easier as I already “knew it” (haha). I also took the exam in a foreign language which did actually slow things down a bit, particularly in ethics.
Preparing for Level 1 made me feel really dumb. It’s a natural feeling so don’t worry. In any event it encourages you to work that much harder. If the CFA Exam were easy, everyone would sign up and pass it.
Looking at MEHDIOCHRE(Bsc,Msc) i feel, since I (B.S in Fin)am far behind on schedule, I should give up for Dec2008 exam? cause at a given rate, which is the most i can stretch, I am getting behind. Also is there anyone out there who has finished 1 reading in 2 hours with practice questions (exclude Ethics)? Because that is the rule of thumb, studying 2 hours every day rite?
surveyinn, try to think of the most amount of time you might need to spend on studying…now…try to do about 10% - 20% more… lots of very smart/dedicated people have trouble with these exams and have to put way more than the 250 hours, so don’t feel too bad…that 250 hours assumes a lot, and may not take into account such things as: previous work experience, academic courses, and even studying for the levels in previous times (LOL) if you fail in december, NO BIG DEAL…just work harder and try again next June if you fail Level 1 2-3 times, then maybe consider your plan and goals since Level 2 and Level 3 are much much harder
MehdiOchre Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I also took the exam in a foreign language which did > actually slow things down a bit, particularly in ethics. MehdiOchre, I can’t imagine doing CFA in a foreign, second, or non-daily-used language… Much respect!
Surveyinn, you should absolutely not give up. Not just yet, not before the Schweser/Stalla programs have even started… What you might want to do, however, is to consider hooking up with them or with some other dedicated study group, and then concentrate on “this week’s” study effort. They sort of drill down on the bare essentials, leaving out a lot of things that indeed you might need to know or even want to know but perhaps not in time for the Level I exam. Bostonkev, it’s not so difficult as one might think. The trick lies in forgetting that it’s a foreign language.
KJH Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > If the CFA Exam were easy, everyone would sign up > and pass it. Most definitely
I had hard time studying in the begining … and then it became easy … most of the topics I covered in last 2 months … it looks like a lot intially … but hardwork I think it doable … keep your horses running …
Ethics was ridiculously boring. I figure I am going to have to review it again in Nov.
That is recommended not required. Most of us put more than 250 hours to beat this biatch.
I found that the amount of time I spend varies greatly depending on the topic. I glance at the number of pages for a giving reading and find that it varies somewhat too. Ethics went pretty quick for the first read. I was able to do a reading a night for the most part. Quant was another story. Many of the sections were new to me, with my education being in chemistry, not finance. The Study Session on probability contained a lot of new material (or at least stuff I had not used in years) and I spent an insane amount of time on it. I started economics recently and have found it to be quite refreshing. I took a macroeconomics course in college (10 years ago) and enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised to find how much I still remembered. Also, nearly all of the economics readings have only 3 easy “practice problems” at the end of them. I have been able to complete 2, or sometimes 3 readings in a single day with economics. Keep plugging away. I’m sure everyone has certain sections they struggle with and others that they find easier.