3.5 years journey…
L1 - 2013 Dec - Pass
L2 - 2015 June - Pass
L3 - 2016 June - Band 7 Fail
L3 - 2017 June - Passed!!
Poor AM performance tripped me in 2016 Level 3. Went with GoStudy AM course to bolster by AM and also additional Prev AM papers practice helped (did from 2009 to 2016).
5.5 years for me.
L1 December 2012 - Fail Band 10
L1 June 2013 - Pass
L2 June 2014 - Fail Band 6
L2 June 2015 - Pass
L3 June 2016 - Fail Band 9
L3 June 2017 - Pass
After passing L2, I realised that for me it would be a two-year process for each level. Looking back I was really doubting myself after my first crack at L2 as it felt like a huge jump to make from Band 6 to a pass. So glad I stuck with it though.
Mine is similar. 3 for 3 starting 18 months ago. Actual scores quite close to predicted, except Level 3 AM about 10 points below expected. I had a lot of room for underperforming mocks and still passing.
Passed level 1 2013
applied for b school and accepted at Wharton
Failed level 2 in 2014 as I was in party mode and couldnt buckle down and study ahead of bschool
Passed level 2 2016 while graduating, moving cities
Passed level 3 2017 while starting a new job full time, a lot of business traveling and moving cities again.
Level 3 was hardest for me mentally and physically as it was really hard to cope with so many changes in my life. Also couldn’t bear the thought of doing it again so spent time despairing and stressed out.
Passing felt even better than getting accepted to b school! Just the intensity and how miserable I made myself was too much.
Congrats to all who passed and best of luck to thise who didnt.
2013 - Failed Level I (Band 9) - Was in grad school, worked part-time, and actively looking for internships (as I required sponsorship in the U.S. Read the CFAI curriculum in its entirety which left less that a week for practice, so the fail was obvious.
2014 - Passed Level II
2015 - Failed Level II (Band 6) - did not put enough effort at all, had crazy deadlines at work, so I was not even trying
2016 - Passed Level II - took it very seriously and passed with all sections above 70%
2017 - Passed Level III - studied probably as much as for Level II the second time around, but still did not feel as confident after taking it as in 2016. So DO NOT underestimate Level III.
Sep 15 - Started Masters in finance
Dec 15 - Pass L1
June 16 - Pass L2 barely
Sep 16 - Finished Masters in finance GPA 3.5
Started working in an investment traineeship
June 17 - Pass L3 flying colors
Todo:
registered FRM Part 1 nov 2017
planning on FRM Part 2 may 2018
Profit
Level 1 2103 - pass
Level 2 2014 - failed band 8 - first kid
Level 2 2015 - pass
Level 3 2016 - failed band 8 - second kid
Level 3 2017 - pass
Kids = band 8
June 2015 - Passed L1
June 2016 - Passed L2
June 2017 - Passed L3
…so very bummed about my stupid L3 matrix… can not even relate to the scores…my predictions about scores in L1 and L2 were spot on though…anyways what the heck.
I will share my journey here too,
2007 level 1 - failed
2008 did not enrol
2009 level 1 - passed
2010 level 2 - failed
2011 level 2 - passed
2012 level 3 - failed
2013 - 2016 Enrolled every year but could not attend the exam because of chronic disease.
2017 level 3 - passed!!
One and done in 18 months, probably around 800 hours in total. Had a big advantage with work flexibility - could make my own hours and study during the day, especially during the final month of prep.
December 2011: Passed Level I
June 2012: Didn’t’t sit for level II due to work
June 2013: Failed level II Band 10
June 2014: Passed level II
June 2015: Failed level III Band 8
June 2016: Failed level III Band 9
June 2017: Passed level III
Dec 2015 Passed level I
June 2016 Passed level II
June 2017 Passed level III
I think there is no formulae to how to pass the exams. You just have to know certain proportion of the whole material inside out/ know what you are talking about. I never understand how people can spend so much time on certain questions so that they leave a few last questions untouched as the time is up. For these people practising exams maybe good but I personally never did such a thing. I write like a greedy cow in the exam jumping from one question to other, checking the clock every now and then to make sure I have time for writing at least a few words for each and every question. and I still believe cfa is not hard, but it has been one of the greatest mental struggles I have gone through so far (maybe the greatest). It definitely requires determination and the courage to get going despite failure and despite the negative energy of jealous people around you. so I think the best is to say “I am not taking the exam this year” to people around you and get prepared without letting anyone know. less stress will lead to more comfortably earned success and would be a good slap in the face of the haters. this is my biggest advice. don’t let people know about your cfa adventure.
Here is my journey:
Dec 2007 Level 1 = Fail 2008 Did not enroll Jun 2009 Level 1 = Pass Jun 2010 Level 2 = Fail (Band 6) Jun 2011 Level 2 = Fail (Band 5) Jun 2012 Level 2 = Pass Jun 2013 Level 3 = Fail (Band 2) Jun 2014 Level 3 = Fail (Band 10) Jun 2015 Level 3 = Fail (Band 4) Jun 2016 Level 3 = Fail (Band 5) Jun 2017 Level 3 = Pass
Fair to say that it was a LONG and painful journey for me. I took the exam in 2007 just for fun, probably only studied for 3 days. Took it seriously in 2009 and passed. Level 2 was pretty intense and every time I failed, I believe it was due to discipline. Level 3 was particularly difficult for me, especially after the band 10 fail in 2014. I lost all the motivation to pass and had a couple of life events (like getting married and switching jobs) that happened in between. Finally managed to take it a bit more seriously this year and started studying in April.
Very glad that the whole journey is finally over!!
June 2014 Passed level I
June 2015 Passed level II
June 2016 Passed level III
May 2017 Passed FRM Part I
Nov 2017 ?? FRM Part II
mjtwo3 - that’s hilarious! (although not probably how you felt at the time :-))
Kids have a lot to answer for. Concrete proof that kids and CFA do not mix! I really admire your tenacity though. Not sure the little monsters would have got the better of me for so many years in row. I did hear that CFA should be an acronym for Children and Family Abandoned. About right in my book…
hahaha Children and Family Abandoned
June 2009: Failed Level 1
Felt like I didn’t have what it takes…Fast forward to 2014, took major interest in giving it another go.
June 2015: Passed Level 1
June 2016: Passed Level 2
June 2017: Passed Level 3