The improvement from band 3 to band 9 in a few months is significant. Most of my level 1 candidate colleagues only see a one, two, maybe three band change between their exams. The largest jump I ever saw for level 1 was band 6 in Dec to a pass in the following June. It is doable.
You are definitely within striking distance at band 9 and given your previous level of improvement I think there is more evidence to suggest you are capable of passing than not. Now that you know where you need work I suggest you focus on throes areas.
You need to hit quants hard. It is a heavy weight for level one and there is some overlap between quants and portfolio management. It is not surprising you did poorly on both these areas. I would say if you can graduate quants and pm to the 50-70 range and ethics and equity to the 70+ range you are passing in June.
After you have gone through qaunts and PM with a fine tooth comb hit as many mocks as you can. Answer the best you can, do not use a cheat sheet, and time yourself as if it were exam day. Review each question after each mock at your own pace. Make sure you understand and can explain to yourself why one answer is correct AND why the other two answers are incorrect. Being able to eliminate wrong answers on exam day is critical to passing the level 1 exam.
If you encounter a question or concept on a mock that you got wrong or do not understand… write it down on a piece of paper and carry it everywhere you go and review it. Waiting for the bus, standing in line, eating lunch, while taking a $#!+, I don’t care…
Good luck!
