Is it too late to start studying CFA®?

I plan on taking CFA® level 1 this year but started a new job and didn't get started as early as I'd like. At this point do you consider December to be reasonable or should I wait to sit for it in June?

12 Comments
 

For the lvl 1 I started on September and passed with >70% all on fields except one . Keep in mind though that I didn't work at that time and I put around 4 hours a day with 3 weeks doing only mock tests. Realistically if you have some familiarity with the concepts you need around 300 hours to pass it. Its definitely doable but you have to be dedicated

 

It is definitely doable, depends on your familiarity with some of the topics, but you should be able to get 200 hours in by December. I took L1 in December, started in August, but honestly didn't dive in very deeply until September. Oct/Nov will be the crucial months.

Plus, if you don't pass, you'll be able to take it again in June with an understanding of chunks of the material and a live test run under exam conditions

Array
 

I see it as the cost is mostly time. The test itself is relatively cheap and I come from a non target so my thinking was it could only help me. I plan to take GMAT next year and go for t-20 MBA.

 
Best Response

At the end of the day CFA is credential that is still widely respected and recognized. Is it helpful? Depends on the situation but I agree that it can't hurt.

If your intention is to get an MBA and recruit through there to get into AM, I would suggest that you spend your year boosting your profile in other ways than the CFA. Getting from a T20 to a T10 school would your best way of increasing your odds of getting into an AM as you can recruit at more and better firms.

 

The charter is very valuable. Being able to write 'level 2 candidate' on your resume doesn't carry much impact. Something like 2/3 of people who pass level 1 still never get their charter.

I would agree that a decent portion of the answer depends on your background. I've heard lvl 1 called the "prerequisites" or "entrance exam." Be aware of the difficulty, however. Last I checked, >80% of people who enrolled for level 1 never ended up with their charter. (pass rate for lvl 1 is normally 40-50%)

The designation is also a lot more valuable along with relevant work experience. In the two years after I got my charter, working in the ass-end of retail finance, I saw virtually no benefit. Since I broke in, my salary has basically tripled.

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

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The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.

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