Bullet points?

J

JourneyToAnywhere

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Hi,
I was wondering if anyone who passed this year could advise me on whether they used bullet points to answer the essays?
Is it generally agreed upon that bullet points are the way to go?
I failed level 3 for the first time this year and need to review my whole AM strategy. A lot if it was down to poor time management in addition to finding that I was unable to structure my answers coherently under exam conditions even though I felt I knew the material.
Any suggestions appreciated…
 
I passed last year and only used bullet points. There is no reason to do it any other way.
 
Yes. Way too much time could be wasted writing “essays”. They only look for certain phrases anyways. During a Schweser seminar, I was given this advice:
“For every point in the question, write that many sentences. ” So if its a 2 point question, write two sentences. In general, that is a great method to follow.
 
And i’d advise you to use a pencil for the template questions, makes it easier to change your answer.
 
I was fortunate to pass, and I used bullet points extensively. I think you still want to have coherent grammar and writing, but straight-to-the-point is the way to go.
 
I used bullet points and like everyone else here believe it’s the way to go.
Pratically speaking, there isn’t much of a difference between a concise sentence response and bullet points. There is zero room for fluff on these exams and only points on the grading sheets are awarded points (look at sample AM exams and the written responses…schweser is even more concise for guidance) - it’s scary to hang yourself out to dry with short responses, but concise and confident responses are usually effective. Look at your responses/practice tests objectively, or get someone else to look at them to improve your responses.
I think time management may be a separate issue entirely. When i write the exams i bounce around frequently, especially at the start. I like building positive momentum by knocking off questions i can answer right away and return to things that are more challenging later- i’m not sure what strategies others employ. I’d rather run out of time trying to answer questions i don’t know the answer to, than the ones i do.
 
Is the grammar considered to grade the answers of the essay? Although I m writing in englsh on a daily basis I fear I do not possess a poetic style (like I guess most of French speaker) that could help…
 
Pauluss Wrote:
——————————————————-
> Is the grammar considered to grade the answers of
> the essay? Although I m writing in englsh on a
> daily basis I fear I do not possess a poetic style
> (like I guess most of French speaker) that could
> help…
No that does not matter. Also the graders do not grade the fluff. they are grading on key words. If they say list 3 things then bullet point 3 things. Do not write a sentance on 3 things and why. No need.
 
Sorry, by “coherent grammar” I just meant the language in the bullet statement should be sufficiently clear to communicate the idea - that’s all.
 
Thanks All for some very valuable tips.
I think a lot of it is having the confidence like dandandan84 mentioned by putting youself on the line and putting down a small but accurate answer. Despite reading in several places to keep my answers in a concise form I kept writing thinking that my short answer wouldn’t be enough to get the mark.
Seems I learnt the hard way! I shall remember the Schweser rule mentioned above.
amjf008, I read your ‘story’ on another thread, could you let me know how u changed your approach from last year? Schweser vs CFAI etc
Thanks all, I genuinely appreciate and value your responses.
J2Anywhere
 
The bullet point question keeps popping out all the time. I think candidates are afraid they won’t receive full marks because the answer is too short.
On the contrary, here are some tips from the CFA website:
- Use short phrases and bullet points to
 
drs Wrote:
——————————————————-
> Yes. Way too much time could be wasted writing
> “essays”. They only look for certain phrases
> anyways. During a Schweser seminar, I was given
> this advice:
>
> “For every point in the question, write that many
> sentences. ” So if its a 2 point question, write
> two sentences. In general, that is a great method
> to follow.
I agree with others that you should use short bullets, that’s what they want. I don’t think a sentence per point makes sense, some of the big questions were like 25-35 points, 25-35 sentences would be ridiculous. I think a better approach is to simply write as little as you need to in order to address all the facets of a given question.
 
Aargh.. my post keeps getting cut off.
Here’s the link from the CFA website:
https://www.cfainstitute.org/cfaprogram/exams/format/Pages/cfa_exam_ques...
Under the essay format, here are some tips:
- Use short phrases and bullet point
s to save time, but be sure your meaning is clear.
- Points are awarded for direct answers to a question.
- Do not spend too much time writing an answer.
I am telling you guys now it will be very difficult for anyone to finish the AM if they don’t use bullet points.
 
The whole notion of communicating in the business world is to be simple, clear, and precise. Bullet points are perfect for business writing. I can understand why they would want to fail you if you give them a whole English literature essay.
 
a preamble: failed last year (b10) passed this year. however i don’t see that much difference in results, except that i did change my morning strategy and received over 70 on first two questions. some thoughts:
1. use pencil, not pen. i used pencil only. pencil will be graded, don’t let the proctors scare you into using the pen.
2. use bullets - it’s also easier to edit when you need to.
3. if you missed writing into template, do not copy your answer and waste time. as long as you wrote your answer into lined sheet and marked it , it will be graded regardless whether you used the provided template or not (it’s an official CFAI position)
4. it’s ok to miss questions-you can still pass. I missed a total of 2 questions on am (left 1.5 completely blank because ran out of time).
5. use CFA examples on IPS. write out an IPS for each type of client. if you want, i can share my IPS templates, just shoot me an email. this will help you ride out the first two questions with confidence.
Good luck!
 
lenchik101 Wrote:
——————————————————-
> a preamble: failed last year (b10) passed this
> year. however i don’t see that much difference in
> results, except that i did change my morning
> strategy and received over 70 on first two
> questions. some thoughts:
>
> 1. use pencil, not pen. i used pencil only. pencil
> will be graded, don’t let the proctors scare you
> into using the pen.
> 2. use bullets - it’s also easier to edit when you
> need to.
> 3. if you missed writing into template, do not
> copy your answer and waste time. as long as you
> wrote your answer into lined sheet and marked it ,
> it will be graded regardless whether you used the
> provided template or not (it’s an official CFAI
> position)
> 4. it’s ok to miss questions-you can still pass. I
> missed a total of 2 questions on am (left 1.5
> completely blank because ran out of time).
> 5. use CFA examples on IPS. write out an IPS for
> each type of client. if you want, i can share my
> IPS templates, just shoot me an email. this will
> help you ride out the first two questions with
> confidence.
>
> Good luck!
Hi lenchik101
Could you please send me the templates you mentioned to [email protected]
Thnx
 
* bullet sentences as much as possible
* shorten sentences wherever you can
* AM session is very hard to time as all the sections are of different length
* Do as many past years’ tests as possible
* time yourself and bullets will become automatic
* If you use complete sentences, you may simply get sucked into writing (u won’t even notice) and will run out of time.
* Practice, practice, practice.
@lenchik101 I’m very curious to look at your IPS templates, as well,
especially institutional investors.
Could you please send me your templates too at jobdone(at)financier.com
Many thanks.
 
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