CFA Level 1 Weights, Date, Pass Rates + All You Need to Know

While the CFA Institute (CFAI) recommends a typical study schedule that involves 300 hours per exam level, many candidates wonder when to start studying. Candidates often ask if 6 months are sufficient to prepare for level 1 CFA exam. Especially if you apply the ‘Safety-First Rule for CFA Exam Prep’. This studying strategy factors in more than 300 study hours and assumes a regular review of study content.

The cutoff for different subjects can vary and here is a table enlisting the various subjects of the level 1, general marking scheme as well as the included topics. The best way to get familiar with the calculator is to read up on it online, watch videos about it, and, above all, use it. To begin with, it’s essential to be good to yourself in general–is a CFA really worth it if it makes you miserable for the year leading up to it? More practically, you simply won’t study as well or do as well on the exam if you’re not taking care of yourself during your CFA prep time. Since CFA is a globally-recognized designation, the exams are conducted in multiple countries.

Regular Review: Who Does It?

Along with the guidance and appropriate study materials, self-study plays a vital role in successfully clearing all the CFA exams. The CFA institute recommends 285 hours of study for each level; however, each candidate has a different learning pace and must study accordingly. No matter whether you need more or less than 300 hours of preparation, it’s important to be committed to the study plan. Knowledge of quantitative methods is essential to financial analysis and investment management. These concepts have their application in the field of investments, project valuation, and financial risk management. With a weightage of 12%, you can expect 28 or 29 questions on quantitative methods.

Because I strongly believe that frequent revision is the key to success and the topics review or the pre-exam revision, while important, are simply insufficient. The option of Proper Review-ON SystemTM is available in the paid version of the planner. In the free version, Topics Review and Final Review are scheduled, as you’ll see below. One of the most important ways to prepare for the CFA Level I exam is to give yourself enough time to study.

Level I CFA Exam Structure

Capital planning, cost of capital, leverage, and working capital management are all important concerns. A great technique to tell if a candidate is prepared to take the CFA examination is to pay close attention to the outcomes of mock practice exams. The curriculum for the Level I CFA® Program seems to include a daunting amount of information.

The rest includes corporate finance, equity, fixed income, derivatives and portfolio management, most of which will be repeated in Levels 2 and 3 with more emphasis. The Level I exam solely covers the fundamentals of portfolio management. The Modern Portfolio Theory and the Capital Asset Pricing Model are vital principles.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Yes, it’s possible to be clear if you follow these simple principles that I will be suggesting. Candidates can avail of important information like course curriculum, study materials, exam dates, etc. from the official CFA website. However, this may not suffice for the diligent guidance required for clearing the CFA exams. As a result, many aspirants enroll in a CFA online course to prepare well.

A good prep course makes sure that you don’t have to go at it alone, keeps you up-to-date with topics that are important for the exams, and helps you more efficiently manage your time. Learn more about how The Princeton Review’s well-designed self-paced program can help. The CFA has set up an exam that is as difficult as it can be for passing candidates and demands a lot of study.

Tips to Passing the CFA Level 1 Exam on Your First Try!

CFA exams are lengthy (6 hours for each level), so time management is crucial. The CFA Institute will provide you with a lot of mock exams and practice questions in their cfa level 1 prep time books, so start there. Then, find the topics you are weakest in and focus on reviewing those. From there, start doing the mock exams at least two months before the exam.

• Starting with exam papers helped him to have a general idea of what sections he needed to study further and what topics he could skip.
• You should get very comfortable with financial ratios and how to interpret them.
• The CFA Curriculum is intended to enhance the investment professional’s financial education and investment experience.

The longer you plan on spending preparing for CFA Level 1, the more you’ll be able to check your progress. And if you study with a CFA preparation program that has reporting features (ours does! ), you’ll be able to identify your strengths and weaknesses. It’s important to have an accurate way to measure your performance. With this performance monitoring software, you will know where to focus your efforts.