Practice test performance

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abab1990

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Hi guys..
I just wanted to review my standing of the practice tests of KAPLAN.
I have given 4 tests till date adn scored 70 , 67, 74, 74 out of 120.. (these are the scores and NOT PERCENTAGE).
Sectional scores have been like this (5-6 sections, above 70) ( 2-3 between 50-70) and (2-3 below 50).
If any of u guys have written these tests, can you pls share ur score?? Pls it would be of grt help.. thanks
and to the people who have cleared LEVEL 1, can you pls tell me if these scores are enough ..??
pls reply asap
 
I have done the same amount of tests and raw scores have been 91,85,87,91, my sectional breakdown was 3 sections in the 51-70 range and 70+ in all the rest, based on a friend who passed level 1 ur scores would be close but not pass Level I. I think best way to gain points is to brush up on the biggest sections and be sure to be able to get 70+ in those.
 
I am finishing my 5th test, When I first started these i was scoring (percentage terms) 65-70, now I am up to 75% approximately, I am hoping to get it to the high 70s to feel more confident on exam day
 
Thanks for your reply guys…
I have to buckle up.. Ur scores are way above mine..
I have noticed that, in the tests i have given, around 10 questions have always been the case of “silly mistakes” / mistakes occuring due to lack of concentration.. This is inculcating a fear in me..
Any other specific strategy, you would prefer to me?? pls guys share ur best possible comments bcause I desperately want to clear this level this june.
pls reply asap
 
My suggestion would be to work on endurance. I also make some silly mistakes, but I generally miss questions not because I make a foolish mistake or get caught by a distractor, but because I dont know the subject well enough. I have never encountered a question that looked foreign to me, in fact, I am able to consult exact readings in the books for questions that seem to escape me. As for my suggestion, try taking full exams (6 hours, 240 questions, with a short break halfway through), if you’ve already started doing this, then make them longer. I can’t think of any other way to guard against waning concentration. Build up the endurance so that a 120 question test (x 2) is normal. You’re studying with Schweser, so you have the resources in addition to a CFAI mock.
A secondary suggestion might be to just concentrate harder!
 
I was doing really bad a week ago (60% overall on practice test 1 and 64% overall on practice test 2). On Sunday I started reviewing every single answer and taking notes. Tonight I took ethics, econ and quant (on a new test) and scored an 80% overall. I definitely suggest just reading the answers on Scheweser practice test–especially ethics and econ because it helps you understand the concepts further. Maybe this test is easy but I’m starting to feel that there is some hope that I can pass this test……
 
I was doing really bad a week ago (60% overall on practice test 1 and 64% overall on practice test 2). On Sunday I started reviewing every single answer and taking notes. Tonight I took ethics, econ and quant (on a new test) and scored an 80% overall. I definitely suggest just reading the answers on Scheweser practice test–especially ethics and econ because it helps you understand the concepts further. Maybe this test is easy but I’m starting to feel that there is some hope that I can pass this test……
 
Ya I agree to u guys.!! Concentration is the word… my mind gets drifted after answering around 70-80 questions.. So i need to concentrate much much more..
I will give another test this saturday and keep u posted.. lets hope I get some gud score..
Apart from this, guys, i would like to know abt ur strategy during the test.. I mean, “How do u decide on which section to start with first and the order to be followed??”
I start and end in chronological manner.. Is it the right way?? Do u suggest any other way??
 
I’m personally going to start with my strongest section, fixed income, as I haven’t scored lower than 90 on any practice test in fixed income so far (100% on the CFAI mock). I’m going to do this in an attempt to build confidence and settle the inevitable nerves I’ll (we’ll) feel on exam day. Then I’ll move into corporate finance, equity, fra and quant. From there it’ll be a toss up, but I can promise you I will save econ until the end - I can’t put my finger on it, but I hate everything about it.
 
I am going to do the same as cgottuso..that is start with your strongest section…2 good reason for that , 1st as mentioned by cgo..so, that you build up confidence ,2nd is that you can save some time and use that for either ethics or your weak section . I am planning to start with corp fin which has 10 question and allocated 15mins….which as per my practice test experience I can do in 7-8 mins…and use the saved time (7-8 mins) elseewhere.
I am also not scoring above 70 in any of my 4 test (120 q)…so trying hard and reviewing notes again. Kawells ,post really motivated me and hoping I will also do better in my next test (this saturday).
 
I’m going to go through section by section, as it is in the exam. Ethics always gets me off to a good start in terms of time management, allowing me to chill a bit, and I usually score pretty highly on it anyway. Also, after doing enough practice exams I’m now very used to this format and just roll through it… I know what’s coming and know when I’m getting behind the schedule etc.
On exams, I’m getting anything between 90 and 100 on these now but three weeks ago I was getting 80s (raw score). I have spent about 6 hours reviewing each exam. The advice above is good I think - go through the answers you got wrong and understand why. Use the Ebook for quick lookups while you’re reviewing and read relevant material, especially for those tricky FSA ones as you go. I’ve done that so many times now that it’s just hammered into my brain. I have only read the books once but have revisited while checking exams… you find the formulas and concepts just stick after enough repetition and answering questions.
Dumb mistakes are diminishing and partly owing to covering up the answers with my calculator. In the past, if I saw an answer before I had really thought about it, I’d jump in and choose it… dumb mistake! Now I read it carefully, read it again, think about it, come up with an answer and then look for it.
Hope that helps?
 
abab1990 wrote:
Thanks for your reply guys…
I have to buckle up.. Ur scores are way above mine..
I have noticed that, in the tests i have given, around 10 questions have always been the case of “silly mistakes” / mistakes occuring due to lack of concentration.. This is inculcating a fear in me..
Any other specific strategy, you would prefer to me?? pls guys share ur best possible comments bcause I desperately want to clear this level this june.
pls reply asap
Click to expand...
I think we’ve all made the same silly mistakes. What I’m doing is making a point to underline the key words in the question when I read them. For example, for every question, I always now underling “most likely” or “least likely” because I always screwed this up. Also, I always underline the “pays quarterly” type stuff which always trips me up. I’m hoping that by knowing your key mistakes, and making sure I note them as I’m reading the question, that I can avoid these and not miss out on the 4-5 points I would otherwise miss.
Econ is also proving to my weakest subject, mostly because I understimated the subject (read it once in the beginning, had done it in college, didn’t review it again unlike FRA which I’ve done 3 times). Am losing big points on this section and can’t bring myself to re-read this whole subject and digest all those supply demand dead weight loss, short term, long term, IS LM graphs.
 
All your words are like “words of wisdom” days before the exam.. thanks for ur replies..
Ya I am doing what u guys are suggesting me… “Reviewing my tests!! Concentrating on weak sections..”
As per my order of answering the questions, “Even I work in the chronological order. i.e. 1 to 120.. No changes”
I will be writing my test tomo and ll keep the scores posted here.
I request you all to POST UR SCORES here too (whenever u write it).. Pls guys.. The scores u post helps to know our standing..
 
Gave one more test this morning… And no improvements yet….
Total score- 71 out of 120
<50% - 1 section
50%-70% - 7 sections
>70% - 2 sections
I tried my best.. but its all landing me in the range of 70’s…
Guys post your comments and your recent test scores ASAP. and i still need ur help regarding “the possibility of clearing CFA with this total score and these sectional percentages.”.. pls reply
 
hi there, which one you guys recomend for practice exams -Kaplan practice exams or question banks? Do they vary in level of difficulty? i was doing kaplan q bank , I’m getting 70%. How much more i need to improve to pass the exam?
 
suggestion.. you need a better guessing strategy.. it seems you are systematically falling for the gotcha answer many times and could raise your points 5% if you got more efficient at guessing..
i suggest you leave blank all the one .. you clearly dont know/arent sure.. dont narrow it down between 1 or 2.. because the one you exclude might actually be correct but tricked you..
at the end of the test with about 5 minutes remaining do a histogram of answer frequency and fill in the blanks by randomizing your guesses.. just go down the line and alternate between abc.. or pick a letter that had the lowest frequency/ or the highest frequency *..
its crazy, but i helped me
 
irs312 wrote:
hi there, which one you guys recomend for practice exams -Kaplan practice exams or question banks? Do they vary in level of difficulty? i was doing kaplan q bank , I’m getting 70%. How much more i need to improve to pass the exam?
Click to expand...
a “qbank” exam (120) is much easier than a Kaplan practice.. the actuall mock is the hardest
 
i’m in the same boat as you abab1990. i am getting basically the same exact scores and just can’t seem to score higher i’ve done almost all of practice exams book 1 and not improving at all.
 
i’m in the same boat as you abab1990. i am getting basically the same exact scores and just can’t seem to score higher i’ve done almost all of practice exams book 1 and not improving at all.
 
Scored 75% on Elan 1 and 73% on Elan 2
Scored 80% on Schweser Mock 1 and 2
Going to take the CFA mock tomorrow.
 
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