Will be retaking the exam next year. Please help my understand what I'm doing wrong

rednraven wrote:
two mock exam 2015
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for me that was the problem. Not Schweser.
You should do at least 5 mocks
Training for the time pressure is crucial
You know the concepts. You just need to practice how to put this in writing. And fast.
 
negra wrote:
rednraven wrote:
two mock exam 2015
Click to expand...
for me that was the problem. Not Schweser.
You should do at least 5 mocks
Training for the time pressure is crucial
You know the concepts. You just need to practice how to put this in writing. And fast.
Click to expand...
bingo .. that’s the problem. Although i did pretty much zero mock exam first time around (never was really into mock exams) .. i did two this time and i passed. You need to focus on mock exams - perhaps use 4-5 set, and do them twice. Most importantly, have another person review what you’re writing - to get a differnt prespective, in case you’re missing something obvious.
 
I was the same situation with you frd
what i have done is after reading one time , solve lots of questions
mostly past exams
 
I think your prep was overall pretty solid.
Go to bed early and take an Ambien the night before to make sure that you’re well-rested… then load up on caffeine to be energized and focused for the exam.
 
3 band 2s is rough man. This reminds me of the story of the fly who wants to get outside so he keeps banging against a window trying to break through and get outside, the fly works so hard and long it dies, and the entire time a door was right next to it. Moral of the story is work smarter not harder.
learn how to take the test, I don’t see any evidence that you took a step back and planned on how to answer the questions. Spend 2 hours on YouTube and look up people that talk about it (I know NYSSA and I think schweser have something) if instead of spending the second to last week reviewing the notes again you spent it at the beach and watched one of these videos during dinner you probably would have done better.
overall that’s what it looks like your biggest problem is, so depending on how much time you want to spend on your next try you should (imo)
50 hours: just focus on how to take the test, get your hands on as many mocks as you can and maybe watch a few videos (or even a video course) about like writing for the am section (again look at YouTube first, if I had failed I would have signed up for the NYSSA for 2016 if your looking for an example of one, but I think that’s like 60 hours so it’s a bit over this time limit)
150 hours: do that plus read the CFAI curriculum, probably don’t need to do all the end of chapter questions (I didn’t) . Really spend time on the mocks (I really like schweser mocks and I did there super test (or whatever they call it) where it’s $100 but they give you commentary on each question-so worth it)
300 hours: CFAI reading and end of chapter questions plus mocks plus a video course that focuses on how to answer questions, also I did an audio tapes which was nice but really your problem is not that you haven’t reviewed the overview stuff enough. Don’t bother with notes.
600 hours: do everything above twice
1000 hours: fine, now you can do schweser notes.
I realize from your post your not gonna only spend 50 hours, but I wrote it out to make a point, it could be so much easier than your making it, no joke you could pass with 50 hours of studying (assuming you retain enough from the last 3 years).
3 times at a low band is brutal, I don’t know how your ready to get back out there, but clearly you are. Don’t be the fly, play the game a little and learn how to take the test, not just learn the materials
 
  • Use CFAI Books 80% & Schweser 20%
  • Work on your exam taking skills (bullet points, damage control, & time management)
  • Write in the right places (it puzzles me how your score is so consistently poor in AM…did you write on the dotted line?)
If you can score 55%~60% in AM, you might have a chance.
 
I passed the exam. Sounds like your revision technique was vastly different to mine as you have mentioned Schweiser a lot in your synopsis. I didn’t even look at Schweiser and read everything from the CFAI materals. I did every past paper from 2007 to 2014 and went over them several times to the point where I almost knew them off by heart. I also went through all the end EOC Qs from the curriculum several times as well as all the PM style CFAI exams from 2010 onwards… I probably spent far less time going through material than I did at level I and II… That’s the thing I would change… less focus on material, more focus on exams…
 
Guys,
Thank you so much for your feedback. In the next couple of months, there will be a lots soul searching and rethinking of my approach. I’m most definitely have to change things up – will be doing all exams that I can get my hands on (CFAI and third party providers), read the CFAI books (strangely enough, I did very well on the CFAI questions posted on their website only by reading Schweser notes), researching how to approach the exam etc. The exam is the same for everybody. It will be my fault if I don’t figure out how to pass it. Thanks in advance for your future feedback. I will most definitely need your support again.
 
Hi rednraven, on top of what others said, I would like to add the following points
  • When you correct your answer of AM mock/past exam, analyse the answers, you will start to find the pattern and recognize the keywords that CFAI wants you to have in the answer.
  • Read the questions and answers of Schweser AM practice exams (I did not do their exams but just read 3-4 of them) which they also indicate how they grade and allocate points to the answers. They give some good hints or direction of how CFAI expects us to structure the answer (and save time).
  • Try to read the “topic” before going to each question, sometimes a question seems to have multiple answers with resembling formulas or concepts, but once you recognize what the “topic” is, you realise there is only one applicable formula or concept.
 
it sounds obvious to say, but I think you know the material you just aren’t executing properly on exam day in AM session. You may be writing a lot down but not answering the question correctly. I would do a few old exams and then look at the answers and grade them or have a Kaplan tutor for example grade them and offer advice. You need an expert to help you - weekly review course, etc. to give you some hand holding on AM session.
I thought the 3 day Kaplan review with the Q and A was good also along with old exams.
 
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