How do I start?

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manavecplan

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This is gonna sound a bit nutso but hey…
I took Level 2 in 2009 and cleared it. Haven’t been able to tackle Level 3 since then.
I want to take L3 in 2015.
Anyone got the faintest as to how to start? I don’t think it’d take me more than a couple of months to get back upto speed on L1 and L2 but…
How much should I be bothering about L1 and L2 syllabus spillover?
It’s safe to assume that I’ll be getting an ENTIRE 3 months of study leave prior to the L3 exam.
 
Don’t worry about L1 and 2 stuff. You’ll pick up what you need to know by studying L3 stuff.
 
If you’re really getting an entire three months leave to study, then I wouldn’t worry about starting until then. Even if you study part-time during those three months, you’ll get plenty of exposure to the material.
 
wtf?? entire 3 months to study? you’re a student I assume?

Like someone said above, don’t even bother studying before then. Even 2 months of full-time study would be enough.
 
Start casually and then ramp up close to when you get time off. Studying one subject for too long is tiring so try to get a head start and balance your 3 months off a little more.
 
It is good that you may get entire 3 months of study leave as you may realise, it is not what to study but how to study that may prove more of a concern when you start preparing. From my experience, I can say, once there is a long gap in studies to regain the momentum and revive the study habits to appear in a Level 3 type examination is quite a struggle. Initially for some time difficulty in regaining that ‘student-like’ working and retention capability of what has been studied as well as recalling seemingly well studied past knowledge, wherever necessary, often proves frustrating. The essay portion may specially prove to be an impediment (unless you are in a job where you have to write quite a lot not on PC/laptop but with pen!) as you would require to regain the writing ability for 2.5/3 hours in a stressful condition, requiring stringent time management, that too as per CFAI scoring requirements. So, even if you can get 3 months study leave I would advise you to start tackling the material (even if just a few pages may be just 2/3 pages at a time) as early as you can, like Sept./Oct. in smaller segments so that by February 2015 you are familiar with the contents (though superficially) and motivated and confident enough to tackle the level 3 material thoroughly in 3 months, with more of student-like attributes. Good luck.
 
Greenman72 wrote:
Don’t worry about L1 and 2 stuff. You’ll pick up what you need to know by studying L3 stuff.
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Thanks Greenman72, that’s very reassuring. :-)
I know I sounded terribly noobish but it’s been awhile since I flipped those pages so…
 
vik2000 wrote:
wtf?? entire 3 months to study? you’re a student I assume?

Like someone said above, don’t even bother studying before then. Even 2 months of full-time study would be enough.
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Yeah, like I said…the entire situation is a tad nuts.
Getting the 3 months off cos, well, gardening leave. I just wish I were a student…:-D
 
mygos wrote:
It is good that you may get entire 3 months of study leave as you may realise, it is not what to study but how to study that may prove more of a concern when you start preparing. From my experience, I can say, once there is a long gap in studies to regain the momentum and revive the study habits to appear in a Level 3 type examination is quite a struggle. Initially for some time difficulty in regaining that ‘student-like’ working and retention capability of what has been studied as well as recalling seemingly well studied past knowledge, wherever necessary, often proves frustrating. The essay portion may specially prove to be an impediment (unless you are in a job where you have to write quite a lot not on PC/laptop but with pen!) as you would require to regain the writing ability for 2.5/3 hours in a stressful condition, requiring stringent time management, that too as per CFAI scoring requirements. So, even if you can get 3 months study leave I would advise you to start tackling the material (even if just a few pages may be just 2/3 pages at a time) as early as you can, like Sept./Oct. in smaller segments so that by February 2015 you are familiar with the contents (though superficially) and motivated and confident enough to tackle the level 3 material thoroughly in 3 months, with more of student-like attributes. Good luck.
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Thanks mygos, you’ve nailed a couple of my worries!
I was a different animal 5 years ago when I banged out the FRM/CAIA/L1/L2 on the trot…I was in the zone, y’know? Everything pretty much flows and you’re used to the grind.
My biggest fear is the time it will take to get back there. I think you make one helluva point on the writing part of the exam… :-D
Us excel jockeys never really use a pen except to sign off on something…
While I’ve never done 2-3 pages at a go, I take your point of breaking it down into smaller chunks. It makes sense and seems safer than doing the weekend marathons I used to do.
 
itera wrote:
yes
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Yes, yes…I know, it’s nuts.
But do I need to worry substantially about L1 and L2 spillover i.e. need to cover it again?
 
I would suggest not to assume 3 months of full time leave..things do change at workplace / personal front you know…also once you pay exam fees, you will feel motivated to study again ;-)
 
^ I agree with the above comment. Pay the exam fees and we start to sit in front of the books mostly :) And no you do not need read L1 and L2 again.. Thanks to CFAI the L3 books are self sufficient and may be reading the optional reading sections in L3 could help. Good luck!
 
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