If 2 months are enough for CS major student for CFA Part 1?

Hi,

I am a recent PhD in machine learning. I am good in quantitative methods however, I know (literally) nothing abt financial concepts. I want to pass CFA1 as soon as possible, as I want to go to finance industry. I am currently working full time.

Do you guys recommend me to go for CFA1 exam in DEC 2012?

Furthermore, how CFA exam works, is it online or there are some physical center one have to appear?

Thanks a lot for your support guys cheer,

3 Comments
 

Will be incredibly tough to go from knowing "literally nothing" about finance to passing L1 in 2-3 months - but isn't nearly as complicated as PhD level CS, or impossible.

I would say if you were willing to devote 40-50 hours a week of productive studying, including a class, you wouldn't have a problem. Your probable knowledge of math won't really give you an edge, CFA finance math isn't much more than arithmetic.

 

How ever you want schedule your time, divide 300 hours by the amount of days you have left. And see if you can swallow it. You should be fine. It's a physical test (scan-tron), which you will be packed into like cattle. Worst test set up imaginable. Your quant back ground will help (12% of it is quant), Go to the CFA website http://www.cfainstitute.org/cfaprogram/courseofstudy/pages/topic_area_w… . Ask around for best study material. I used schweser, but not sure if something else is better.

Fear is the greatest motivator. Motivation is what it takes to find profit.
 

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