Hi, im in my last semester of and Economics degree and was wondering how diferent Level 1 is to undergrad finance units ie: Portfolio Management, Fin Risk Management ect??? Is the level of difficulty higher or is it just different topics?? Thanks
I took level 1 before I graduated. I was familiar with most if not all of the topics. Maybe 70-80% was stuff I’ve dealt with in college. Do it while you’re still fresh.
Same here. Best do it when it is fresh and also you should have way more free time than with a full time job… enjoy.
I found level 1 kinda easy for me (graduating from finance in December). HOWEVER, I still studied hard because there’s a TON of material and you have to kno all of it. I probably put in about 250 hours. I knew 3 other people in my program who wrote the exam and they all failed mainly because they didn’t study enough not because they weren’t smart enough. If you took a lot of accounting and investments courses you’ll be in great shape and I would do it right when you finish or even now.
i know an undergrad that crushed level i december 2007. he was taking a full load and was busy trying to get laid, so it CAN be done. if i were you, id do it. i wish i knew what the CFA charter was when i was 21.
I am also senior studying for Finance degree, from what I’ve heard that its a matter of dedication and consistency, you need to put in the needed amount of studying hours in order to pass. it would sure give you a competitive edge if you took a couple of Investments courses and/or Advanced Accounting, I would encourage you to go for it, especially when the courses are still fresh in your head. btw when are you undergoing the exam? I’m set for 2009 June. email me at ywibra@gmail.com
The level of difficulty isn’t really the issue but rather the quantity of information that you need to retain. It certainly helps to have just finished school. I found that I had seen probably 85% of the material before but it will still quite tough to remember it all at the same time
jk86 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The level of difficulty isn’t really the issue but > rather the quantity of information that you need > to retain. It certainly helps to have just > finished school. I found that I had seen probably > 85% of the material before but it will still quite > tough to remember it all at the same time i wouldnt know b/c i do level II next june but i heard level II is not about breadth, but about depth.
I was talking about level 1
I took 15 credits last semester, worked 40 hours per week, partied until 4 - 5 am every Friday, went to the Gym M+W+F, and still crushed Level I in June and kept a 3.8 GPA. My secret is my job. I’m a security guard at a place where I don’t really have to do much. I’m forced to sit at a desk for 40 hours with nothing to do except push a button to open a gate about 10-15 times a night. So basically I got PAID to study for LI and do homework. Plus 75% of my time away from class and work was MY time to do whatever I want. So… go get yourself a security guard license (if you need it in your state). That was the best investment I ever made.
darkvont Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I am also senior studying for Finance degree, from > what I’ve heard that its a matter of dedication > and consistency, you need to put in the needed > amount of studying hours in order to pass. it > would sure give you a competitive edge if you took > a couple of Investments courses and/or Advanced > Accounting, I would encourage you to go for it, > especially when the courses are still fresh in > your head. btw when are you undergoing the exam? > I’m set for 2009 June. > > email me at ywibra@gmail.com In general, the Financial Statement Analysis material is covered in intermediate-level (not necessarily Advanced) accounting courses. I’ve seen people with a 3.9 GPA fail and those with a 3.4 GPA pass. If you’re in a decent program, you’ll at least recognize most of the material. But there is a phenomenal amount to be covered (I think there are about 500 individual learning outcome statements). CFAI recommends 250 hours of studying, and it should be spread out (cramming the last couple of weeks before the exam seldom works). It’s hard, but doable if you put in the time.