Only got 50% in Level I mock

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Sitting December exam. So I’ve been studying since June on weekends and 2 weeks I took off work as vacation to study for the exam effectively having now used up my holidays (yippee). I was told to spend November only doing mock exams. This weekend that passed I did the first Schweser mock exam and scored 50% (c.50% in all areas so no weak areas). I felt like killing myself. Given that I only have 3 weekends left and work around 16 hours a day, this leaves me only 6 non-business days to study till exam. This means 3 days mocks and 3 days reviewing those mocks (if I reallllly push then 4).
I know the obvious - to go through answers in detail. My question is given my limited time for study I’ve just explained and my sh*tty score… I really have no chance do I?
And I’m from a finance background too and have given up my life and weekends for the past 6 months - honestly the most useless person. This has to be up there as one of the unhappiest moments of my life.
 
frankly i think you know the answer, continue to do question and mock as much as possible, during lunch, before sleeping, the weekends etc. no chance for you to dedicate 1h per week day to CFA until the end ?
and please stop being pessimist try your best you dedicated 6 months, everything can happen during the exam day
 
Don’t get discouraged! Trust your process. Use this healthy fear to ramp up even more in the final weeks. Here are a few thoughts:
1. The final weeks matter hugely. Short term memory plays a key role. You have to live, breath, dream CFA for the next 3 weeks.
2. Don’t get cute; go for the kill. If there is an esoteric concept you don’t get, forget it. Focus on those concepts and formulas that pop up over and over again. You don’t get points for style: a right answer is a right answer, whether it was easy or hard.
3. Do a boatload of practice tests. Actual ones (CFA archives or Kaplan), not the Q Bank. The learning curve there is often “J-shaped”: at first you feel overwhelmed and clueless (I know I did) then things start to click and fall into place. Ideally you want to complete 8-10 practice tests before D Day. Don’t wait until you have the perfect 6 hour stretch of free time. Do a couple of practice tests in bite size chunks - 20 questions on your lunch break, 10 questions on the train - do what you can, when you can, to maximize exposure.
4. Use practice tests to learn, not to score. The only score that matters is your performance on Dec 3. Everything else needs to serve that goal. Doing many practice tests only has value if you learn from your mistakes. Unless you need to improve your time management (something I’ve occasionally struggled with), don’t hesitate to break every 20-30 questions to check your answers if you learn better that way. Sometimes the brain retains better when the effort is still fresh. But irrespectively make sure you take at least 1-2 practice tests in one sitting so you know you have the stamina and focus to see this thing through.
5. Get enough sleep. Eat well. Don’t beat yourself up. Enjoy the challenge and learning. Keep some perspective. Sorry if I sound like your Mom, but Moms are often right!
You absolutely can do this. Throw yourself into this with a vengeance and give it your most. The worst that can happen is that you retake it in June. Not great, but not the end of the world either. No matter the outcome, you’ll know more in 3 weeks than you do today - about the curriculum, about exam day and about yourself. And that’s a good thing. Chin up and one foot in front of the other :-)
 
Thanks ‘Gottasay’ - love you and your words.
I am only doing Kaplan mocks and will also do CFAI mock. On the second Kaplan mock I got 55% so ever-so-slight improvement but still VERY long way to go. My plan is also to do as many mocks as possible but my problem is it takes me 1.5x-2x the exam time to review answers and my time is very limited given working hours - but as others have said this is the most crucial learning part so I only move on to the next mock once well reviewed.
Also a very silly question - but I have a weak bladder and also like to sip water regularly. Is it true you can’t drink water in exam or use bathroom unless emergency? I don’t want to go pee anyway as it wastes valuable exam time - oh well, looks like adult diaper for me :(
 
Compared to Schweser mocks, CFAI mocks are easier and they reflect the real exam more realistically. So dont let the score you got from Schweser mock overwhelm you. Try to solve the CFAI mock and review the questions you had trouble after that.
Best luck
 
I scored poorly on all my mocks and hated myself many times. You actually still have time. Keep doing mocks. Even after my exam I was convinced that I would fail.
Going into Level 2 and Level 3 exams, never having passed a mock was sad. You have enough time.
One exam I even decided that I would not write, but thought it would be good practice for the following year.
Keep doing questions. Good luck.
 
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