Dec Level 1 exam. Too late to start?

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dc2la

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Newbie here. Is the there enough time to study for the Dec Level 1 exam if i have not even bought books? Or should I wait for August 08?

CFAI says min 250hrs which sounds doable. But realistic??

I want to avoid buying 07 books and then having to buy 08 books. Or is that a way CFAI to charge folks each year?

Thanks
 
I think Schweser still have made available their "kick off" seminar from 12 December (for the June 2007 exam). You might want to log on to their site, view the seminar, and then decide.
 
Thanks for the input. I'd like to cram for the 1st exam then, well, cram for the 2nd exam to get closer. 3 years sounds like such a long time. Esp since they say it takes 4 attempts.!
 
I spent about 2 hours every evening except Friday, and then at least one full day during the week-end, and followed an on-line seminar series to stay on track. I took 17 practice exams before the real one. Whether I passed or not remains to be seen. It is not my first attempt at studying the material, but the most dedicated, and the only one where I've actually made it through from start to finish.

If you decide to cram for the December exam, then expect to really "cram" and add on some additional material (like on-line exams, question bank, audio) so you make sure you'll have the best odds possible. The estimate of 250 hours is probably in the lower range from what I gather from reading these boards, people are talking about something like 300 hours and have taken 2000 questions etc. In my case: 17 practice exams make up 2040 questions, so maybe I've taken something like 2500 questions in total.

Don't underestimate the effort.
 
still have time.. but you must stay disciplined. I started in Feb for my June exam and passed. So it's the same if you start now..
 
if you can devote 2- 2.5 hours everyday, then it isn't that late
 
You have plenty of time.

250 hours is way too low in my opinion.

Some people think that you should only study enough to pass (maybe 250 hours). I think you should study enough so that when December rolls around you can literally laugh at everyone else in the hall sweating it out while you crank out a stunning score and celebrate the holidays confident that you have passed (at least 400 hours, in my opinion).
 
Hi,

I am really curious how do u guys evaluate the number of study hrs..considering time left for Dec exam...Thanks.
 
wawa, what online seminar did you take?? I think i might need something like that to keep me on track. Was it Stella or Schweser.
 
IMO it's not late, i am finishing up my Accounting degree currently via summer school and will start studying in September.
 
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