What next after CFA?

H

hhcave

New member
Joined
Jun 18, 2026
Messages
0
Reaction score
0
I’ve just taken the level 3 exam and quietly confident that it I have done enough for a pass this year. I’m 25 and work as an investment analyst at a real estate private equity firm. I plan to go for an MBA at a top US school in a couple of years but have a bit of time until then (will have to focus on GMAT sometime soon). For now, I’m wondering if there are any other certifications/charters that I could pursue that may benefit my career path. Thoughts on the value of CAIA/FRM/others?
Thanks
 
I wouldn’t worry about setting aside a bunch of time to study for the GMAT. I study for it for a couple of weeks and did fine.
 
Even though there isn’t technical content in the GMAT you can still practice for it an improve your score by doing so. For some reason a lot of people say you can’t study for it.
 
I plan on spending a good amount of time preparing for the gmat after the CFA
 
Yeah I plan to spend at least 3-6 months on GMAT, targeting 740+
 
dont need that long for GMAT, 1 month is sufficient ( do 1-2 hours of questions a day, brush up your grammer),
take it again in the next month if you dont like your score with some mild studying just to keep the touch
for anyone with the iq to pass cfa(assuming your english isnt too poor), your baseline should easily be 700 with some minimum review
 
Depends, never under prepare if you have the time. You don’t really need a high IQ to pass the CFA as indicated by the passing rates but you do need a higher than average intelligence to score better than 90% of your peers on the GMAT but can be improved with enough prep to a good extend, unless you are targetting sub 700 which is just hacksaw.
 
financenoob wrote:
dont need that long for GMAT, 1 month is sufficient ( do 1-2 hours of questions a day, brush up your grammer),
take it again in the next month if you dont like your score with some mild studying just to keep the touch
for anyone with the iq to pass cfa(assuming your english isnt too poor), your baseline should easily be 700 with some minimum review
Click to expand...
**** i must be big time under performer in the world of AF. Logically, it does not make sense to me that “anyone with the iq to pass cfa, your baseline should easily be 700.”
The pass rates of CFA = 45% which means just finish between 40th and 50th place out of 100 people and you pass.
GMAT 700 score = 90th Percentile which means you must finish in the top 10 percent or top10 out of 100 people.
Okay both GMAT and CFA candidates have some really smart people and some clowns so we cannot therefore say, “GMAT test takers are dumber than CFA candidates” crap.
Now tell me how getting a 700 is “easy” or should be the baseline for anyone who passed the CFA exams. Trust me, I want to believe that what you said is a fact because I am studying for GMAT myself and it ain’t easy.
 
Trust me when I say if you have the ability to get through and understand the CFA curriculum, the GMAT will be no sweat whatsoever.
That said, it may be a little hard for non-native speakers as a lot of the English questions require familiarity with grammatical rules and some of the logic questions rely on understanding the difference between literal expressions and colloquial ones. Also, while the readings are not particularly difficult, they do take time to get through within the time constraints (you need the ability to get through five or six paragraphs in a couple of minutes or so). However, the math is a breeze compared to the CFA. You need to know algebra and a touch of geometry (e.g., 3-4-5 triangles, similar angles, area and circumference formulas, etc.), but beyond that, it’s nothing.
Also, one big difference that I notice between the CFA and the GMAT is that the CFA has a huge body of knowledge to draw from, so it could write new tests for fifty years without repeating a question. The GMAT is not like that. There are finite grammer rules and algebra/geometry/arithmetic concepts for them to use, so they have to repeat the same tricks time after time.
All I did was did was one or two practice tests a day for a couple weeks ahead of time. By the fifth or sixth, you start to see their patterns and the sneaky stuff they use to try to trip you up. By Test #12, you will know exactly what to expect and will immediately be able to know which method to use to solve each problem.
 
JSD - NYC wrote:
Trust me when I say if you have the ability to get through and understand the CFA curriculum, the GMAT will be no sweat whatsoever.
That said, it may be a little hard for non-native speakers as a lot of the English questions require familiarity with grammatical rules and some of the logic questions rely on understanding the difference between literal expressions and colloquial ones. Also, while the readings are not particularly difficult, they do take time to get through within the time constraints (you need the ability to get through five or six paragraphs in a couple of minutes or so). However, the math is a breeze compared to the CFA. You need to know algebra and a touch of geometry (e.g., 3-4-5 triangles, similar angles, area and circumference formulas, etc.), but beyond that, it’s nothing.
Also, one big difference that I notice between the CFA and the GMAT is that the CFA has a huge body of knowledge to draw from, so it could write new tests for fifty years without repeating a question. The GMAT is not like that. There are finite grammer rules and algebra/geometry/arithmetic concepts for them to use, so they have to repeat the same tricks time after time.
All I did was did was one or two practice tests a day for a couple weeks ahead of time. By the fifth or sixth, you start to see their patterns and the sneaky stuff they use to try to trip you up. By Test #12, you will know exactly what to expect and will immediately be able to know which method to use to solve each problem.
Click to expand...
You know that GMAT is not an absolute-score exam right (meaning if you get 9 out of 10 right, it does not mean you get 90%). As you have said, if the problems are easy then well…..most people will get it right and your 9 out of 10 correct will be much lower than 90%. Sure, it’s “easy” to get 550 on GMAT but over 700? i don’t think so……
My reasoning above still stands. CFA = just finish in the middle of the pack and you pass. GMAT = finish top10 to have a score above 700.
 
If I remember right (it’s been 14 years), it was adaptive computer scoring (the more questions you get right the harder the questions get and vice versa). You are also correct that the percentile is what matters, not the raw score. So, difficulty will be vis-a-vis the other test-takers.
My point is that CFA candidates are going to be way better prepared for the GMAT than non-candidates. If you can figure out deferred tax credits, similar triangles are going to be really simple. You may also note that the population of CFA candidates are folks who are in the industry, many with business education, and most every one has studied intensively for the last six months. With the GMAT, there is really no particular course of education that will advantage one candidate over anyone else. The math is high school level and the grammar and reading are much easier than anything you would have had to deal with in undergrad. So, the game is really just who can familarize themselves with the format and tricks of the test. That is why I advocate taking a bunch of practice tests.
Also, just so I’m clear (and I stupidly fell into this pit a couple months ago), I am not denigrating at all the efforts you are taking in studying for the GMAT and applaud you for putting in all the effort. I just note that it is a very different test requiring a very different course of study. For what it’s worth, I found myself often overwhelmed by the CFA Level I curriculum despite having an MBA, and found the GMAT relatively easy compared to Level I.
In any case, good luck.
 
Do you think Kaplan classes would be beneficial? I understand that the GMAT is testing one’s test taking ability over actual intelligence/knowledge so my thinking is that classes may help to prepare for the BS tricks to exploit the exam structure?
 
I would advise you not to take any classes. All the tips and tricks they teach you in the class are available on the internet for free and the practice material can be bought independently.
 
Thanks Gigaloo. Atush - no CPA for me, I don’t have the work experience so wouldn’t be able to get qualified. Also have no desire to go into accounting. Currently based in Hong Kong where CPA is only really relevant for Audit people - not seen in high regard, not helpful for high finance
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top