Recipe to pass level 1

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level1_dec

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Guys,

by looking at all the posted results , i can conclude that by scoring more than 70% in fsa and ethics any one will pass the exam .
 
the other topics matter too. i think it's a cumulative 70 that will get you over the top but i remember seeing a score that looked like a pass but the ethics score was below 50 and it was a fail. you should try and score as best as you can in all areas.
 
level1_dec Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Guys,
>
> by looking at all the posted results , i can
> conclude that by scoring more than 70% in fsa and
> ethics any one will pass the exam .


Not necessary. I know a guy who scored greater than 70 in 4 topics (including FSA, ethics, FI), but failed in ECON, QUANT, and a couple others.. and failed overall. Feeling very sad.
 
You need to study everything and be able to do well on all sections but its pretty obvious that if you are close and did >70 on ethics you will pass the exam
 
level1_dec Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Guys,
>
> by looking at all the posted results , i can
> conclude that by scoring more than 70% in fsa and
> ethics any one will pass the exam .



I got +70 in FSA and 50-70 in Ethics. I bombed on AI and Quant. I think had I gotten 50-70 in Quant, I would have been ordering LII books right now.

Although I'm not down and out. I wasn't very good at AI and I was so-so with quants. Band range was 10.

I will kill this in December.
 
Meazza,

Both you and I got 10 in the band. As p!ssed as that makes me thinking it could be something like an eraser mark that kept me from L2, it is giving me a ton of confidence to tackle 1 in Dec followed by 2 in June.


You and me both buddy, we got this in Dec.
 
KJH Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Meazza,
>
> Both you and I got 10 in the band. As p!ssed as
> that makes me thinking it could be something like
> an eraser mark that kept me from L2, it is giving
> me a ton of confidence to tackle 1 in Dec followed
> by 2 in June.
>
>
> You and me both buddy, we got this in Dec.


If you got a 10 band you guys should crush the exam in December. I got a 7 band so I'm not feeling as confident. However, I know exactly what sections I need to work on - Quant & Econ. Good luck to you both in December.
 
Is it advisable to use the curriculm at all aside from Ethics? I plan on tearing through Schweser texts again.
 
I will be going through my Schweser texts again and qbank come November. I too fall in band 10...

I will surely use this board more than I have in the past! Good luck to all Dec Candidates!
 
ETHICS IS THE MAKE OR BREAK ON THE EXAM. IF YOU BOMB ETHICS AND ARE BORDERLINE (BAND 10), THEY WILL FAIL YOU.


MEAZZA, I LOVE YOUR ATTITUDE AND GOOD LUCK FOR DEC -- PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I CAN HELP YOU IN ANY WAY
 
I got a band 9, thanks to FI, Derivatives, and CF. My plan is to use the Secret Sauce, cross reference it to the text, and take as many tests as possible (revisiting the weak areas).

We got this.
 
I failed in ethics got above 7O in FSA+CF+Quant+PM+AI i study even harder now.
 
daj224 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ETHICS IS THE MAKE OR BREAK ON THE EXAM. IF YOU
> BOMB ETHICS AND ARE BORDERLINE (BAND 10), THEY
> WILL FAIL YOU.
>
>
> MEAZZA, I LOVE YOUR ATTITUDE AND GOOD LUCK FOR DEC
> -- PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I CAN HELP YOU IN ANY WAY


I've seen this claim bandied about quite often in here, but I've never (ever (ever (ever))) seen it verified. In fact, I've seen many more experienced users claim that the CFAI has flatly stated that this is not true.

Of course, I don't have a single source, but nobody else does either. So I'm a unicorn named Charlie who really isn't all that interested in visiting Candy Mountain. Prove me wrong.
 
I can confirm from an actual CFA that presented the program at my school(he was some head of their education dept, for lack of a better description) that the Ethics section is what will make or break borderline candidates. Do not take it lightly, it will be the difference if you pass or not.

We spent 30 mins talking about that very topic and he made it clear the institute is really harping on Ethics these days. He said if you're on the border, your performance on the Ethics part is the determining factor.

Check out my CFA blog:

http://mycfaadventure.blogspot.com
 
guys,

how did you score on q bank and mock exam before exams .

i have taken few test from q bank

fixed income & derivatives : 63%
alt invest: 63%

portfolio mgmt: 73%
corp finance: 79%
 
I don't understand why people keep telling others to read schweser. Usually the reason is that it is much shorter. Shorter texts and better understanding seems counterintuitive to me. I only read the CFAI texts plus secret sauce and did both schweser and CFAI sample tests. I never once touched the QBank nor Schweser study guides. If you think you can save time by skipping the thick CFAI books, think again... I read(not skim) the CFAI texts and did all the questions in the back. I believe I used as much time as if I did all of QBank and read Schweser.

Seems like some people on this forum passes the exam thru doing all of QBank and reading Schweser only. But for me it was more important to get a strong foundation and understand underlying concepts rather than hammering it through doing questions. The good thing about reading CFAI is that it pieces your knowledge together and so you can link the relationship between each piece and I find I can't do that with the shorter Schweser readings.

I definitely cannot recommend a study strategy based solely on Schweser material even if you are in finance and know the underlying concepts. It's the minor details as spelt out in CFAI texts that easily can tip the tipping point of rather you pass or fail.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 04:18AM by tsttse.
 
I would recommend to study all areas. try to do your best but definitely spend more time on FSA, ethics and Quant. master these three areas. Qbank is important because this is not an essay exam...you have to think fast and know what kind of questions you will see in the exam..Qbank is also helpful for time management.
Also, before the exam definitely take the CFA mock exams!
 
Hey guys, I'm a complete newbie in this CFA gig, and was wondering if you guys can give me a few pointers on how to study. I have a few questions to start off, and if you guys can answer them, it'll give me a solid head start.

First question:

I just registered and ordered the texts at CFAI, and I'm waiting for the books to arrive before I start cracking at them for the December exam. Based on your experiences, do you feel that the CFAI books are sufficient to pass the exam (if I read through them thoroughly), or do you strongly recommend that I purchase study guides such as Schweser or Stalla? (It'll also help if you can emphasize in specifics how useful the Schweser or Stalla guides are.)

Second question:

Will four months of study be enough to pass the exam given that I do not have a finance or econ background? I have taken econ (2 classes) before in college and I didn't have too many problems with those courses. I was a biochem major.

Anyway, thanks for the help guys. I want to make this work!
 
4 months and no finance experience is cutting it short imo. and you won't have enough time to finish the cfai books. get schweser. read it quickly. do lots of questions.

if anything, don't be surprised if you fail. it will still be a good experience and you will pass in june if not december. good luck.
 
Schweser is great for ethics imo. I didnt read the CFAI book on Ethics and got 70%> on the exam. The most helpful thing was probably that I took every ethics question in qbank. That is the best tool for sure
 
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