Can we talk candidly about MPS and Schweser mocks vs real exam

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Tommyjohn

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I’ve heard everything from: “you need to make sure you’re getting low 70s on schweser mocks to ensure a pass”…..to: “the MPS year over year is in the high 50s, and the schweser mocks are harder so if you’re getting a 60 you’ll be ok.
both of those cannot be true. What have you guys felt?
i am stagnant in the low 60s which is why I ask. and as far as the real exam being easier than schweser mocks….is that really the case? I know they’re easier than the CFAI topic tests (they have to be, those things are brutal)
 
Also worth NOTING: I feel the pool of candidates that post on this website bias the sentiment as to what it takes to pass the exam upward. Why do I feel it’s biased upward? Well because if you’re not a serious candidate chances are you don’t care enough to post/creep constantly on a forum like this. I feel that the population here really cares and really put a lot of hours in, and therefore is on average a better performer than a non-AF reader.
 
Man stop worrying so much. You’ll do fine. I got a band 10 last year, felt like I didn’t know anything going into the exam..but the moment I started reading the questions there was just a flood of information that came out of the flood gates.
The real exam is very clear and precise of what they want. In case you were wondering about the wording.
My biggest advice and I don’t stress this enough is make sure you get your sleep schedule right…I really felt this killed me in the afternoon exam. Also, memorize those formulas because once you’re tired…you’re mind sometimes plays games with you…and if you know those formulas cold that wont happen. And trust me there are plenty of oh here are the facts just plug and chug questions on the level 2 exam.
Just to clarify this.
The Schewser mocks are wierd because they like to put the information all over the place. For example if you need a certain part to answer a question like the ROE to get growth for question 1 Schweser will do something tricky and literally at the end of the vignette go oh yah the ROE was 13 percent.
Most of the Mock exams and the the topic tests are more straight forward as in the first paragraph usually goes with the first question. Also, if you used a third party provider you will most likely be struggling with the mock and topic tests just because you aren’t used to how the CFA is wording its questions.
Also, if you are absolutely getting killed in mocks and topic tests now that’s good! That means you won’t get killed on similar types of questions on exam day. Pay the price now and get the points when it matters.
It’s hard to compare and say oh this guy got 50 percent on the mocks but he passed the exam. But then this other guy got 80 percent on the mocks and failed…Every individual is different don’t look at those comparisons. Just make sure if you do miss questions that you know what you did wrong and you know how to prevent yourself from getting that question wrong again.
I completely understand how many of you feel right now since you guys haven’t taken the level 2 exam before. I was totally in panic mode too last year. But honestly most of you guys spent the time. Don’t worry and doubt yourself so much. Just keep chugging away. It’s a grind no doubt.
While I’m still kind of scared of failing again and getting another band 10 or maybe worst….The only thing we can do is stay positive and keep pushing the last 17 days.
Get sleep and be sharp exam day!
Know those formulas!
I hope this helps
Good luck!
 
Amen brother @Jlion.
I just tried the afternoon paper of Schweser mock number ONE. and I have no idea whats going on, I am finding it very hard to answer the questions even though I know i’ve put in the hours and have many of the concepts on lock down. I think its to do with the erratic way they ask questions and display information
 
Thanks for the advice jlion1786. Always great to hear from those who have taken the exam before!
Tommyjohn wrote:
Also worth NOTING: I feel the pool of candidates that post on this website bias the sentiment as to what it takes to pass the exam upward.
Click to expand...
It certainly does and for all the reasons you posted. I used to work with a guy that failed lvl II a few times but he would NEVER study. He thought he could just take off work the week before and cram for it and be fine. I know others do this as well. I also know people who passed lvl I and thought “well that was easy - no need to study that hard for lvl II if they are going to be that easy”. I think there is a lot of people who don’t put in the time and effort it takes to actually learn the material and they get to exam day and crap the bed. Many of us (me included) have put in 400-500 hours thus far. I just have a hard time believing all this work will not pay dividends on June 4th.
You have to remember that the average person fails the exam because the pass rates are in the low 40% range. I also think the average person doesn’t put in the time and effort that many of us do. Believe in your preparation and finish strong.
 
…and when we pass pussies in the sky with diamonds are just waiting for us.
It is worth all the sacrifices during preparation.
 
Just wanted to share my favaroute quote:
Always believe that good things are possible, and remember that mistakes can be lessons that lead to discoveries. Take your fear and transform it into trust; learn to rise above anxiety and doubt. Turn your “worry hours” into “productive hours”. Take the energy that you have wasted and direct it toward every worthwhile effort that you can be involved in. You will see beautiful things happen when you allow yourself to experience the joys of life. You will find happiness whe you adopt positive thinking into your daily routine and make it an important part of your world.
Good luck to us all!
 
I like this whole attitude of ignore MPS speculation, what will be will be, stay in what you can control: efficiency and intensity of final prep, quality of sleep.
College football player I know said, in his very folksy way, “Give good things a chance to happen.”
Your job is to prepare. Execution will be automatic.
 
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