So I'm sitting for the level one exam in December and I feel exhausted. I've only put in about 70 hours or so and I already feel like crap and don't feel like doing this anymore. I have corporate finance and the fixed income book left to do and still have to do ethics.
I'm just curious to know what my fellow aspiring CFA®monkeys are doing to keep up. I come home from work and I just want to turn the TV on and EAT then relax. I feel like I've lost my motivation. I need to regain it.
Are you guys loading up on the coffee (I can't do more of that, I already have enough coffee at work) ? What are you suggestions and what motivates you sit there for multiple hours after a long ass day at work to study such mindless shit?
I'm usually a very motivated individual, but today is just one of those shitty days.
Depending on how tough your work schedule is, I would suggest getting home and working out (clears your head), eat, brief TV/relax, then pick it up and study til bed. That was my method and worked great with an easier work schedule. I never drink coffee either. Make sure you take periodic breaks from studying too.
Hey pac, I've been there and can relate. I passed 3/3 in 18 with no prior background and it was brutal. I used to call it "birthing the elephant" -- probably the worst 18 months of my life, but I made it. A couple things that worked for me:
If you think it's too much, honestly, it's probably not the end of the world. I'd be lying if I said the CFA didn't help me move from the sell side to a hedge fund, but I rarely use any of the CFA material in my job as a l/s value analyst. People like the designation because it shows intelligence and drive, but honestly, it's not that relevant to most finance jobs.
Good luck buddy!
You read pretty fast there, pacman :D. It took me on average of 3-4 wks to finish a CFAI book (read 3 of those). When I tried Schwezer, I cut down to about 2.5-3 wks per note. Personally, I found it's easier to wake up early and study before going to work, say from 6-8. I wasn't a morning person at all, but got used to the schedule after about a month. I also tried to study some in the evening, but not a whole lot, and did exercise problems only (it's also my style of studying, because I read slowly and my retention rate is not that good either, so I have to do problems to remember stuff). For this, Schwerzer has a great software to generate loads of problems. Really, their notes & problems are highly recommended if you haven't got them.
Thanks guys.
I exercise plenty during my lunch break, play basketball and hit the weights occasionally. I like the idea of coming home and doing a few sets before relaxing then hitting the books, I'll try it tomorrow. I definitely look forward to passing this shit, I will work my ass off, there's no doubt in my mind about that, but sometimes shit is just so boring.
@Ravenous - CFA surely worked for you so that's added motivation for me. Thanks man.
@komodoinc - I didn't read fast I just started early as hell. I've been studying slowly since June. I gotta step up my game and finish this off with a bang!
I'm not using any supplements (because I'm too cheap, honestly... lol). I probably should be. But I try to get in at least 8 hours of study a day (including weekends). Keep in mind that I have a low workload for college right now.
Eat, sleep, exercise, discipline.
8 hours a day!?
too much man.
duno what ur style of studying is but I can guarantee reading everything isn't the way to go.
my approach... read the reviews, do questions, find out your weaknesses and work from there
whats ur UG in?
Finance. I don't read everything, most of it I already have a good idea of how to do. But I am thorough as possible.
Find a friend who has an adderall prescription
Are you using the CFA text or third party material? I don't think I would have passed level 1 if I had to read the CFA text because that shit is too much. Audio and/or video might help. Definitely pace yourself though. You want to leave around a month to review and drill questions/mocks into your skull so you're kinda ahead right now. I just started reading some old Schweser notes for level 2 since I needed to review some accounting stuff and I'm not really looking forward to getting back into study mode...
http://www.wimp.com/wantsuccess/
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I watch this video every day. It never gets old.
Good video... There's something beautiful about that sort of dedication and discipline.
Burnout happens to everyone who is studying hard for the CFA, thats why I reccomend starting studying a little earlier and easing your way in to it so that if you need to take a weekend or two off from studying you wont fall behind.
you have to balance your study load with relaxation. Burnout will definitely not gonna help you. try to relax once in a moment. give yourself a reward after finishing one case. this is much effective. that's how I do this.
I exercise about 2-3 times a week and then I hit the weights casually all throughout the week, I'm not trying to become Hulk or anything. I just gotta start focusing on the problems more. But after a few days, I'm feeling much better and more motivated than ever. I guess I was just in a funk. Thanks guys.
Very interesting approach, just curious if you've actually sat for Levels 1-3, or is this just a general study plan
No offense, but this sort of approach should be fairly obvious to people. The 7-8 hours of sleep is somewhat unrealistic for me. I work better on 5 anyway, waking up after 8 hours of sleep I just want to be lazy all day.
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