Do I take CFA as undergrad?

Hi everyone, I’m a junior at a non-target university studying finance, aiming to break into sell-side equity research. Last summer, I interned in a research role at a small asset manager. This coming summer, I’ll be interning in a middle-office role at a large bank (higher pay and additional experience). I’m debating whether I should take the CFA Level 1 exam in August before my senior year to stand out during recruiting while also networking, or if I should focus entirely on networking and forgo the CFA to maximize my chances of breaking into equity research. What would you recommend?

5 Comments
 

Hey. Similar background, non target top 50 school with good work experience. Taking level 1 in undergrad was super helpful for me. Couldn’t recommend more. Probably only differentiation from other good students at noon targets. Hope that helps

 

common Wall Street wisdom is that networking yields higher returns (c.f. blogs from BIWS). but if you could pass and get the charter before graduation, that won’t hurt. lvl 1 probably won’t mean much (I’ve one myself) so you might as well do all three levels while in school — kids in Asia colleges these days seem to finish lvl 3 / I’ve seen similar counterparts in America as well.

 
Most Helpful

Vero vel non cum odio sit. Nihil voluptates quibusdam molestiae rerum. Sunt labore rem rerum voluptatibus corrupti alias.

Consequatur in dolores totam repellendus mollitia saepe libero. Eos aperiam voluptatum minus pariatur nihil et. Accusamus numquam sapiente magnam velit. Porro laboriosam dolorem repudiandae incidunt facere voluptatum amet. Ea non natus molestiae autem qui.

Quaerat nesciunt quos optio in incidunt. Quam ipsum sed amet deserunt non aut et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”