Attn: retakers

[JuniorCk8]

Fellow retakers, how are you all feeling? What have you done differently this time around? Have you out in more effort this yr vs last?
For me, I am feeling good, but super nervous and scared. I’m scoring 10-20% higher on practice tests, have motored through the material and EOCs 3-4 times. I am WAY more prepared and know this stuff much much better and deeper than I did last yr (failed band 9), BUT I’m nervous about the unknowns: will I blank on major stuff I know inside and out, wonderin what minutae will inevitably be tested, or will I wake up Saturday with a headache etc.
this is my last attempt at getting the Charter - I’ve told myself and committed to my wife. I have passed 2 levels (and failed L2 and 3 each once), while raising a 2yr old and newborn over the last 4yrs, and have another child on the way, so…this is it. My family and I have given everything we have, and for that reason alone I am scared shitless for next Saturday.

 

[sachin_patel]

In same boat as you in terms of being scared. I am not a retaker but I know what you have given up.
As an example,
Today I went to pick up my son at his preschool and I drove on way back and he asked my wife if I learned how to drive.
Hopefully this is our last and successful attempt.

 

[Miamia]

You seem to do fine, Sachin!
@JuniorCK8, 3-4 times? you set a high bar!

 

[AFusername1234]

Get your mind right, you got this. If you don’t mind me asking - how were your scores going in last year vs this year?

 

[Glue85]

I am so nervous too. I know the material well but I keep forgetting stuff such as GIPS and alternative investment. I hate Both and my retention always Zero.

 

[JJ1337]

Everything will be fine, right? We learned a lot for work and life. But remember: the most important thing is that our families and we are healthy.

 

[Chuckrox8]

This is my 3rd time…
2013 - Band 10. Did a 50 day beast mode study plan using only Schweser videos and notes. I did horribly on the AM and dominated the PM. The lesson here is that you can memorize the material and you’ll do well on the PM, but it’s hard to do the same in the AM. The 2013 exam was a nightmare for me. There were two high value questions that tested my weakest areas. I didn’t have a good exam strategy either. I wasn’t writing in bullet points and wrote more than I needed to many times. Luck plays a much larger role on L3. Had they CFAI swapped out just one of the AM questions with a different topic I probably would have passed.
2014 - Band 9. Life got in the way and the CFA took a backseat. I think I might have studied for 100 hours. I missed almost all of the little curveballs in the AM and thought the exam wasn’t too bad. If you leave L3 thinking “oh, that wasn’t that hard” there’s a 99% chance you failed.
2015 - So here I am again. I’ve had one foot across the finish line two times only to be told to head back to the starting line. This time around I feel like I genuinely know the curriculum and that I haven’t just memorized a library of concepts that I hope to see on exam day.

 

[MGR250]

“Daddy study” is in my 2 year old’s limited vocabulary
Praying this is the one and only time i have to go through L3. On that note, i dont feel like i know the material as solid as i should by now. Maybe 6 more days of study will help out…..or dull the pain even more. Guess ill find out soon enough

 

[Greenman72]

JuniorCk8 wrote:
this is my last attempt at getting the Charter - I’ve told myself and committed to my wife. I have passed 2 levels (and failed L2 and 3 each once), while raising a 2yr old and newborn over the last 4yrs, and have another child on the way, so…this is it. My family and I have given everything we have, and for that reason alone I am scared shitless for next Saturday.

Good luck. You’re gonna need it.
I think you’re doing the right thing. I was in a similar situation a couple of years ago. (One kid and another on the way.) I promised myself that I was going to overstudy as much as possible (500 hours), and if I couldn’t pass it then, then I couldn’t ever pass it.
I passed it. And it felt good.
So take this week off and study your brains out. Then it will feel good on September 8 (or whenever it is this year).

 

[Cric12]

JuniorCk8 wrote:
Fellow retakers, how are you all feeling? What have you done differently this time around? Have you out in more effort this yr vs last?
For me, I am feeling good, but super nervous and scared. I’m scoring 10-20% higher on practice tests, have motored through the material and EOCs 3-4 times. I am WAY more prepared and know this stuff much much better and deeper than I did last yr (failed band 9), BUT I’m nervous about the unknowns: will I blank on major stuff I know inside and out, wonderin what minutae will inevitably be tested, or will I wake up Saturday with a headache etc.
this is my last attempt at getting the Charter - I’ve told myself and committed to my wife. I have passed 2 levels (and failed L2 and 3 each once), while raising a 2yr old and newborn over the last 4yrs, and have another child on the way, so…this is it. My family and I have given everything we have, and for that reason alone I am scared shitless for next Saturday.

Hold your nerves man! You know a lot and don’t worry about single blank question. Even if it happens, you will more than cover it in other areas.
Almost everybody here has a kid (including me) and have sacrificed a lot not to be with them. One more week and hopefully we will emerge victorious!

 

[hashtag]

#goodluckJuniorck8
#ipassedL3with2toddlers (you can do it, too)