AuthorTopic: shortest study time?
wpulman57
@2016-08-24 17:04:30
As a general guideline, what is the shortest amount of time that you could prepare for the test? Has anyone here prepared and passed level 1 in 60 days?
mordja
@2016-09-03 13:59:47
I dont reckon you can give it much less than 90-120 days, but it will depend on your speed of reading and absorbtion.

I just passed level 2 and I have given both levels about 400 hours study (over about 4-5 months), I have used Analyst Notes (level 1 ) and Schweser (level 2), i pretty much dont use the CFA notes any more unless i need context to the summaries provided by the notes, once you get a feel for how it is assessed it is much easier to study for thus faster.
Ojomz
@2016-09-29 15:56:19
if its full time, maybe. 10hrs daily will do the magic
otavio
@2016-10-02 15:59:29
Some of the material is stuff others have already learned. For example, there are plenty of NPV, bond yield, IRR, WACC courses in college, plus econ and GDP stuff. Ethics is straight forward. Others who have worked in industry may know other info such as derivatives as well. And obviously statistics is essentially just 1-2 college-level courses.

Theoretically someone who already has background could really pass this within a few weeks of studying.

However most people are doing this because they want to get ahead (I assume), which means they'd need to actually learn and read, practice.

I know of 11 people who studied for "adequate" amounts of time and failed. And also know some people who studied for 2-3 months and passed "with ease." They probably did study 8-10 hours/day.
tnilk
@2016-10-26 00:21:34
@Siavosh,

It seems like I have a similar background to yours. I knew quantitatives, fixed income, and derivatives from my education and work experience.

I started in early april this year, and will make my first attempt at level 1 this december.

The financial statement analysis (fsa) has by far been the toughest for me. I had absolutely no knowledge or experience in that section.

I also had to struggle a bit with the ethics, sometimes the questions are tricky. The same goes for the equity valuation.

I can only speak for myself, but if I was to work through fsa and the other sections in just 4 weeks, I would have had to take significant time off work.

If you decide to go for the december exam, my advice would be to prioritize financial statement analysis, ethics, and equity valuation, in that order. A bit of corporate finance and portfolio management would not hurt, but I found those sections to be relatively easy compared to the fsa section. And remember to do as many exercises and mock exams as you can manage.
swt326
@2020-03-08 21:55:46
I passed level 1 after studying 10-12 hrs for about a month. However, this was right after I graduated college with accounting & finance degree and a good amount of quant/regression analysis coursework. I think this also depends on if you're a good test taker.

Level 2 can't be attacked the same way and needs adequate study time even if you have a good background.

CFA Discussion Topic: shortest study time?

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I am happy to say that I passed! Your study notes certainly helped prepare me for what was the most difficult exam I had ever taken.
Andrea Schildbach

Andrea Schildbach