CFA Retake advise Level 1 - August
Looking for some advice from anyone who passed Level I on their second attempt.
For context, I work full-time and realistically have:
1-2 hours on weekdays
3-5 hours on Saturday and Sunday
Did very poor on FI, poorly on FI and Econ.
Did well on Ethics, Equity, alts, and PM.
I have Mark Meldrum and the Premium Pack QBank.
So far, I’ve rewatched MM videos for:
Fixed Income
FSA
Quant
Derivatives
But honestly, I’m starting to feel like I’m wasting valuable time. I somehow feel *less* confident than I did before my first attempt, even though I’ve already been through the material once.
The biggest issue is that I feel like I’ve lost my “muscle memory.” Topics look familiar, but recall isn’t automatic anymore. I’m struggling with how to structure this retake efficiently.
A few questions:
Did you reread/watch videos again, or mostly hammer questions?
How much time did you spend reviewing notes versus doing practice problems?
When did you start mocks?
Did you do subject-specific questions first or mixed-topic questions?
If you could go back to 80-ish days before your retake, what would your game plan be?
I don’t need motivation—I just need a practical structure from people who have been in this exact position and got over the finish line.
Appreciate any and ALL advice. I’m getting on a time crunch and just think I honestly would do better from my first attempt lol.