Study Strategy for Level 1? Feel like I'm spinning my wheels.

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glorysk87

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Does anyone have any advice on the best way to study for the test? All I have currently are the CFAI materials, and preferably I’d like to do this without having to buy any more study materials (though I will if necessary).
What I’m doing right now is basically just straight up reading through the books; not really taking notes, not answering questions, just trying to read all the material. However, it’s a lot of material to read, and it feels like I’m not really absorbing it that well.
So is there a better way to do this? Should I skip reading and just start hammering out questions? Should I buy a condensed study package? Any advice?
 
If you’re not going to buy anything else it doesn’t sound like what you’re doing will work. I read everything but took detailed notes along side. I would then spend few days doing practice problems on what I read. By the end I had my notes from all topics that I would use to review the last 1-1.5 month(s). Also in the final weeks I would do mock exams, if you’re not going to buy any I know CFAI gives you a couple.
 
I’ll certainly buy add’l materials if I need to. I would just prefer not to.
Would you say taking notes is necessary to make progress? I tried taking notes as I read last night and it made the progress significantly slower.
I’m really just trying to find the most optimal/efficient way to study without wasting time.
 
Do the EOCs for those chapters you finished, and you’ll instantly see if you absorbed the material or not.
i’ve also been taking detailed notes and then flashcard type slides when summarizing one topic and it takes A LOT of time really. I just cannot really do without. It depends on your learning style so you might mot need it after all.
 
While notes will slow down the process I feel they definely helped me, giving me something that I felt covered the information well to study the last few weeks. For me there is no other way I would have remembered alot of the material without having notes, but to each their own.
 
Moosey wrote:
Do the EOCs for those chapters you finished, and you’ll instantly see if you absorbed the material or not.
i’ve also been taking detailed notes and then flashcard type slides when summarizing one topic and it takes A LOT of time really. I just cannot really do without. It depends on your learning style so you might mot need it after all.
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Not to derail the thread, but can anyone tell me whether the EOC CFAI questions are indicative of the quality of questions on the actual exam?? I’ve been working through the EOC questions after I finish each topic, and while I understand that it’s a massive advantage to have read the material just prior, I’m finding the questions quite easy; almost preposterously easy at times. Am I missing something, or am I simply underestimating how much harder they become when they cover the entire scope of the material in one go.
 
SHoot85 wrote:Not to derail the thread, but can anyone tell me whether the EOC CFAI questions are indicative of the quality of questions on the actual exam??
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In general, they’re not.
They’re there to help you learn the material, not to simulate the exam.
 
Use the search function here. You’ll find a hundread threads on how to study for the exams.
 
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