CFAI Topic Tests & Mocks scoring (where we are?)

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Flashback

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About 30 days left and I ‘d like to hear feedback from other peer colleagues.
My situation.
I had started reading first Schweser book about Christmas but officially started hard studying after L1 results revealing at the end of January.
After finished each session I tested my knowledge via CFAI curriculum vignette EOCs and CFAI portal topic tests.
First results were dissapointed, now I am on 70 % on topic test on average with only under average (below 60 %) still in portfolio management topic test. CFAI EOCs after second round were about 80 % on average again with only PM below 70 %.
First Mock was quite good morning session and PM was a bit difficult, but I screwed this because I was in hurry to take my car from repairment. Thus first Mock was not good on average.
I have decided to follow tactics from some other collegues and will start doing further Mocks each Saturday until exam day. Between two Mocks I am repeating sample chapters from each sessions (for 3-4 time), thus each chapter will be taken into account. Also I plan to pay special attention to once again examine the most difficult areas including Ethics (especially ROS).
I know that some of you have competitve advantage in starting study for L2 several month prior compared to us from “December class”.
I would like to hear your opinion? How are you doing? Where are you stucked? How do you plan to use the last 30 days?
Also would like to hear opinion from some candidates who already took this exam.
 
I am scoring 55 on average but consistenly spending only 2/3 of the allocated time. I just lack the motivation to fight questions, especially those that require too much data picking and calculations, so I am taking many guesses with the intention of thoroughly analyzing answers later.
At this stage my learning curve is flattening slowly and I am happy with the progress. Still working hard every day on little gaps here and there and not getting too complacent about anything. Weak areas are economics and corporate finance. Very annoying chapters. Preparing a two-day invasion on portfolio starting tomorrow!
I must say dymke’s notes are extremely helpful as a revision tool, having the perfect mix of detail vs conciseness.
 
I really apreciated dymke’s effort and good will but I’ve got my hand notes (I call it permanent notes). Also each time when I go through each chapter, make scratch hand notes again and again.
Under term “on average” I mean overall result of taken vignettes from all topics in certain round. Tomorrow will be finish with last taken 26 vignettes round.Prior taken round was larger by double. Constantly I outperform in Econ, Quants, Alts and Corp. finance ad it’s a silly beacuse except Corp. finance those are areas in which I am not an expert in the real life. Underperforming areas are Equity and PM and I am not very happy about this. The rest session results fluctuate between 65 - 70 points.
 
I also found CFAI Mock more understable and thus less time consuming than average topic vignette.
@Kroki
If you’ve already taken more than 1 Mock, is the second Mock different than was 1st? On L1 approx. 50 % questions were repeating so it was capture because I knew correct answers without even thinking about it. With vignette style questionary is harder to remember correct solutions but anyway it wouldn’t be a feature if same vignettes appear in each Mock.
 
I got probably 60% average on topic tests last month. I’ve done 3 Schweser from 2015 average of 73. Doing 2013 mock now and will probably hit a 75 on it. I’m going to cycle through Wiley mocks as well. Then redo Topic Tests in FRA and Derivatives. I also revise frequently from my handwritten notes. Most valuable part of the exam is filling in the gaps. I have a workbook with all of the answers I got wrong. Just need to improve a little bit each test.
 
hi All,
do you think focus on 3 mock (of course the one is from officialy CFAI, 2 maybe from combination between EOC & portal test), and repeat that for 3 times each weekend, meaning 3 x 3 = 9 is better than….
do 3 mock differently each week ?
as we know, we tend to easily forgot…
 
Those CFAI portal Mocks are repeating. Now I’ve got 73% on AM session but the result tends to be biased upward given same questions as at last Mock. I will take Schweser Mock next time. I have 3 of them included in price for L2 package.
 
Flashback wrote:
Those CFAI portal Mocks are repeating. Now I’ve got 73% on AM session but the result tends to be biased upward given same questions as at last Mock. I will take Schweser Mock next time. I have 3 of them included in price for L2 package.
Click to expand...
volume 1 not comprehensive, there are some reading not testing on volume 1.
#blindspot
 
Critical part is the long story reading like Reading 1-8;12;15;26;27;31;32.I need to be patient to read.
But now I have reviewed pretty much all reading.Only practice.
Every topic review as much time as the exam weight (little bite biased with my favorite level):
1. Do again all CFA EOC
2. Review Qbank
3. Go throug forum question (to mitigate my optimism)
4. Do all CFA website questions
Print all and market & put major bullet point on those question which was incorrect (this going to be great for the last 3 days)
Last 14 days do only mock exams (prepare upfront,strickly 6H with timer).Market all error and summarized the performance and pick 2-3 weakest reading (or 1 session).
Little bit optimism declining due to too much information.
 
Where I am:
I was pretty satisfied till last weekend, having scored 80% and 85% respectively on the Schweser practice exams 1 and 2. Found them quite easy.
I just finished CFAI mock and I struggled way much, just getting 65% overall (68% on AM, 62% for PM). What did you guys score on this mock??
 
Today 73 AM and 72 % PM. Hard practice of SWAPS and Equity this week gave the results. I am constant flat 50,XX in Ethics no matter of kind of test. So far solved 4 times all portal vignettes and 2 X CFAI portal Mock. Everything else have been strictly improved except Ethics. Stuck on 50 % each time, no under and no above this score in Ethics.
Next time I’ve decided switch to Schweser Mock.
Beside Ethics I should improve some other concepts and entire PM part.
 
I cannot prove because I haven’t studied PM from other sources but Schweser.
 
Schweser, Volume 1, Mock 1: 60% AM, 63% PM
I was 5/10 in equity in the PM session and 2/7 in econ but killed FRA.
As an aside, in the AM session I was 7/12 in derivatives… I didn’t even read those 12 problems.
 
2015 Schweser Mocks:
1 - 66%
2 - 77%
3 - 79%
CFAI 2013 Mocks:
76%
Average = 74% . These are older mocks so PM and one part of FIxed Income was skipped. (so I did not include those vignettes in my score). I am relying on Topic Tests for those, so probably need to adjust my average down a few points. I like sourcing from a bunch of different mocks at first, then rely solely on CFAI the final few weeks.
 
I’m getting just shy of 60% for schweser mocks. Strangely I always get those I put a question mark next to correctly but those I thought were easy wrong!!! What’s wrong with me.
For those who have done both schweser and cfai mocks, how do they compare with each other? Which one is harder and what are the major differences?
 
You guys seem to be doing well, keep at it. I seem to be lagging a lot. I have started topic tests, done with ethics and quant, scored 70%+ on average. Attempting 1st mock on 5th. Lets see how it goes.
 
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