r/CFA

Absolutely hate this topic, can’t seem to get it right on any question - is it 100% coming up or would just skipping it be worthwhile to be more efficient with time?

AM session was notably more difficult from PM session. No specifics please. I have mixed emotions about it.

Edit: exam wasn’t that difficult, EOCQ level

Started my Level 3 prep recently, finished performance measurement which was cake walk. Struggling with derivatives. Any tips? Struggling with the swaps reading in particular

After months of grinding on LES, ended up averaging around 75% - 80% on the mocks but I did not feel satisfied leaving the exam room today lol. AM session was straightforward but the PM definitely caught me a bunch.

I know for a fact that I messed up 3 questions that I should’ve got while commuting back home and that’s just killing me right now. Not saying I didn’t flag a bunch of questions but knowing I should’ve got some things right with certainty is definitely annoying down to the core of my existence. This shit is honestly such a grind and it’s been a pretty lonely road so I honestly hope it’s worth it in the end. Knowing I could fail by a few questions I would’ve got on any other day is making me anxious.

Anyone ever feel like this leaving the exam? Would love to hear ways to stay positive throughout this journey

Also tips for whoever hasn’t taken it yet:
Make sure you are well rested - can’t stress this enough. Exam was straightforward for the most part but I would say slightly harder than the mocks but manageable overall. If you are still practicing, the EOC questions are where I’d personally try to hit my weaknesses if I had time. There’s a bunch of twists and curveballs you have to be ready to catch. Be alert and read carefully.

Good luck!

Are there any online live crash courses that are really good to prep for cfa level 1? Really stressed out on how to prepare for my august exam and honestly watching the ift videos is not helping anymore. Please if anyone could provide guidance in this matter.

Feeling defeated , exam is on the 23rd , my mock scores were 55,64,66,57,75,51. I got a 51 on my mock today , I genuinely can’t believe this level of crumbling so close to the exam , I lost the will to study any further fuck this exam

For one of the example, the following solution was provided

The investor anticipates a flattening curve and can exploit this possibility by positioning
himself short (buying protection) in the two-year CDS while going long in the four-year
CDS (selling protection).

I feel the terms are wrong as with flattening curve,
you would by short term CDS(buying protection) hence Long in short term CDS, right?

Please correct me if my understanding is wrong

Hi guys. I’m signed up for February 2027, and I keep hearing awful things about the new LES. I used the CFA premium packages for Level 1 and 2, and I really liked having questions from the “official source”. However, the new LES is making me reconsider if I want to go that route for Level 3. Do you guys have any opinions on what prep providers/which combos I should use for Level 3? Thanks.

Do i need to study the recommended amount or can i get away with less studying than suggested

https://preview.redd.it/p48hh9ewgf2h1.png?width=437&format=png&auto=webp&s=ad948b075074eb8681dbbbd1a346281896970e62

Hi everyone,

I’m sitting for CFA Level II on 23 May, and these are my mock scores so far.

My revision is almost complete now. I’m currently going through the CFAI Practice/Premium Pack questions, and I’m consistently scoring around 88–90% there. However, I feel many of those questions are relatively easier than the End-of-Chapter questions, especially because they are mostly standalone MCQs and not always vignette-style.

At the same time, the official mocks felt closer in difficulty/style to the Practice Pack than to some of the harder EOCQs.

For those who have already taken or passed Level II:

In the last 2–3 days, should I continue focusing mainly on the Practice Pack and mocks-style review, or should I still drill harder EOCQ-type questions as well?

My current plan is to focus on weak areas, formulas, ethics, and reviewing mistakes, but I’m unsure whether spending time on harder questions at this stage is useful or just unnecessary stress.

Would appreciate any guidance from recent candidates/passers.

Exam was fine, found AM tougher than PM but the questions apart from a couple of vignettes were straightforward

Prepared for 2.5 months with a full time job (12 hours/5 days a week), very exhausted and just glad it’s over

There’s just the feeling of regret - if I had started prep a few weeks earlier, would have aced this exam but it is what it is.

Also glad that we have the free re attempt, next time would be better

Hello, I signed up for level 1 without really knowing what this exam is all about, and I was wondering if you guys think it's important to study the exam in the order of the subjects.
I have absolutely no finance background and am beyond terrible at maths (just to give you an idea, I got B~C in all maths classes since middle school, failed a bunch in college even though I actually tried). I was hoping to skip quantitative methods for now and maybe start with economics, corporate finance, financial statement analysis, or equities.

If anyone has any advice regarding my question or any study tips for someone who is scared of numbers, please leave a comment.

Thank you and I hope you all ace whichever level you are taking next :)

Hey boys n girls!

Just got done with exam. I found it difficult to expert level.
Few questions were quite tricky and some were quite straight forward. And majority were mix-match.

Overall I’m expecting to clear it.

If I go for CFA, are there any jobs where I don't have to deal with or involved with interest at all or should I not pursue it if I dont want to work in banking or a job involving interest at all ?

Anyone else feel sad after taking the test? I keep thinking I need to study today but realize there’s nothing to prepare for. I didn’t enjoy it at the time but now I really miss it. Is it weird to be nostalgic for studying??

Just sat my L2 exam. So tough. Had an average of 76% on mocks and was feeling confident going in but found that much harder than any mocks I sat from CFAI. Felt a lot of the questions were testing the most niche areas and lots of types of questions I hadn't seen in practice beforehand.

Does anyone feel the same (pls say yes haha)

So I took my level 2 today and something happened.

I accidentally took my phone into the exam but didn’t start my second test so it was before the exam had actually started. As soon as I realised I notified the invigilator and showed all of my recent call history, photos etc. Do you think I’ll be okay? The person told me she’s confident this isn’t an issue as I haven’t started my test so I was still technically in my break. I didn’t even look at it on my desk and as soon as I saw I notified them. Has this ever happened to someone else ?

Really anxious so a reply would be really helpful.