I was about to apply for the CFA level I exam in June, but i have a query. I am frm an engg background and am currently working. But can easily put in about 20+ hours per week until June. This is becoz i'll b continuing my prep for CAT frm June onwards. Would it be suggeted that i take up the exam in June or Dec?
If its in Dec i won't be able to spend enough time preparing for CFA jst before the exam n may jst end up messing up CAT or CFA or both.
I'm in a dilemma here, plz help me out.
CFA is additional degree which will help u in understanding intricacies of investment...But MBA is wat will lend u good job...So if u serious of dng MBA frm good college den u can continue wid CAT etc along wid CFA...and den instead give CFA L1 in jun 2011...So u wud hav ample time den to prepare for both CFA and MBA...(most reputed colleges strts in July)...And by the time u cmplete ur MBA u wud hav had cmplted CFA all 3 levels..
First about myself...I had appeared for CFA Level 1 in 2009. Had cleared with the highest percentiles in all 10 papers. Will appear for Level 2 in 2010
(((- For L1 what is the total material required to be studied say whether cfa official material plus schweser notes is sufficient whether stella notes is also required. Total pages & books for each of these study materials. What r question banks and frm where to get previous papers. any other relevant material. In short, please provide the complete list of study material for L1)))
I had given thorough reading (4 to 5) to the schweser notes only ( Volumes 1 to 5 AND the 2 books on practice papers). I am not sure if you can study both the cirriculum (which u called cfa official material) & schweser. According to me the cirriculum is massive (read, atleast 5-7 times the schweser notes, conservatively). I guess if one can focus on understanding the concepts (rather than mugging up).. and practice a wide range of questions (schweser practice papers & the ones in cirriculum) ... he stands in a good stead to pass the exams.
((((-Thru some post I understand that material provided by cfa institute covers study material for all the three levels If so, how much is relevant for Level 1))))
When one enrols, he gets separate sets of books for each level. If u have registered for the june level 1 exam and have received a set of books, then they are meant for level one only. U'll get the ones for level 2 after u clear level one and register for the 2nd level.
((((whether cfa registration and examination cost cover the cost for official study material or we have to shell out extra bucks for same))))
No extra charges for the cirriculum.
((((-minimum time period required to pass all the three levels if one starts frm June 2010 L1 Besides how much study time is required to clear L1 (though site mentions 250 hrs, I request for ur experience) Please clarify If some one clears L1 in june then he can take L2 only next year In June at the earliest))))
If you appear for your exam this june and keep clearing them at one shot each you would complete by june 2012. Regarding the hours for study.. for level 1, I must have invested 300-350 hours although I am MS(Finance) from ICFAI and would like to believe I had strong foundation of the concepts before I began preparing. Though the "hours of study" requirement would vary from person to person greatly. Depends on one's comprehension skills + educational background.
I hope this would help. In case you have any other querries, you are most welcome.:)
It is really amazing to see all the good posts here , I am working as S/W with an experience of around 5years , I am planning to appear for the CFA Level 1 June-2010 , I had browsed through the CFA site and got a bit of the glimpse of the syllabus and the course content. Is any one planning to take the CFA from Hyderabad , We can make a group and share the material and plan the preparation.
Guys Please let me know where can i get the schweser material in Hyderabad
Cheers
I am giving CFA in JUNE 2010. But wanted to for a local Group. So any body from Hyderabad please let me know. We will form a group. We can share Info.
This is vishwanth. I am planning to register for the Level-1 CFA exam that is held in june 2010. Do you ppl think 4 months is enough for the preparation of CFA Level-1? Please present your views on that .Thanks in advance.
regarding the test centre.. last year when i had registered for June Level 1 exams...i could not see mumbai as a test centre. hence i registered for kathmandu..only 2 months before the exam..i received the mail from the cfa guys to change my test centre to mumbai and i had followed the suit...it mite well be the case this year.. u can also mail to the cfa and ask them ur query...they are very prompt in replying..max 2 working days... after clearing the exam..i immediately registered for level 2..and again had to resiter outside India..this time dhaka..lets hope we are given the option to change the test centre to mumbai weeks before the exam like last time...and the possibilities are pretty high given recently SEBI has approved the course...
vishwa...regardless of your back ground... 4 months seems OK for your preps...however if u are new to finance concepts...be hard on heels..i would advise...start off immediately with an avg of 4 hrs a day..later if u feel comfortable with the course and exam level ques..slow down the pace to suit your schedule...CFA level 1 isnt an easy exam...especially when we know 45-48% students pass each exam...and a huge percent of the exam takers are from india.
I am giving CFA in JUNE 2010. But wanted to for a local Group. So any body from Hyderabad please let me know. We will form a group. We can share Info. My email is and number is
I am giving CFA in JUNE 2010. But wanted to for a local Group. So any body from Hyderabad please let me know. We will form a group. We can share Info. My email is and number is
Dude It is against the forum rules to post your email id or phone number.. Plz PM to the person whom you wanna give your id/number to...
I think SriLanka is the nearest test-center from chennai, so I am planning to book flight tickets in the 2nd week of february. In case if anyone is planning to book flight tickets to Srilanka for writing CFA Level-1 2010 exam, we can do the booking together and go as a gumble. Please let me know if any one planning to go together. By the way this is Vishwanath
I am planning to write CFA level 1 in june 2010...... I haven't started of the preps yet......but will start from now on and can give 3-4 hrs daily..... I have a few queries and will be thankful if they can be answered -
1)I am from a non-financial background with no prior fin. knowledge.....do u think 4 mnths are sufficient ... if from april i wld be able to increase my study hrs to 5-6 /day.
2) Should i join any coaching for the preparation?
3) If yes, can you please suggest a good coaching in NCR region.
1)I am from a non-financial background with no prior fin. knowledge.....do u think 4 mnths are sufficient ... if from april i wld be able to increase my study hrs to 5-6 /day.
2) Should i join any coaching for the preparation?
3) If yes, can you please suggest a good coaching in NCR region.
Thanks !!!
welcome to club madamji
1) more than enough .. it is possible if u prepare for 200 - 250 hours sincerely ..
2) subjective .. but according to me , notes are more than enough ..
regarding the test centre.. last year when i had registered for June Level 1 exams...i could not see mumbai as a test centre. hence i registered for kathmandu..only 2 months before the exam..i received the mail from the cfa guys to change my test centre to mumbai and i had followed the suit...it mite well be the case this year.. u can also mail to the cfa and ask them ur query...they are very prompt in replying..max 2 working days... after clearing the exam..i immediately registered for level 2..and again had to resiter outside India..this time dhaka..lets hope we are given the option to change the test centre to mumbai weeks before the exam like last time...and the possibilities are pretty high given recently SEBI has approved the course...
vishwa...regardless of your back ground... 4 months seems OK for your preps...however if u are new to finance concepts...be hard on heels..i would advise...start off immediately with an avg of 4 hrs a day..later if u feel comfortable with the course and exam level ques..slow down the pace to suit your schedule...CFA level 1 isnt an easy exam...especially when we know 45-48% students pass each exam...and a huge percent of the exam takers are from india.
take care
Hi Thanks for the info... It would be really nice if Mumbai is allowed as a test-center. I think most of the candidates will agree that Mumbai being a test-center it would be more comfortable and will even save time and money.
BTW puys...how s the progress...? I finished Quantitative methods but am again re-doing it to get the basics right...
Lately I met a few fellas who have done their CFA-AIMR. Most of these had cleared Level-2 and a few had even done MBA. They mentioned that CFA has not helped them much on the career front.:shock: It s just that it shows ur interested in an IB career but the weightage is not so much as we see mentioned on the CFA websites or surveys.
Please if anyone had any such interactions with existing CFA L1/2/3 cleared guys mention it here....
Lately I met a few fellas who have done their CFA-AIMR. Most of these had cleared Level-2 and a few had even done MBA. They mentioned that CFA has not helped them much on the career front.:shock: It s just that it shows ur interested in an IB career but the weightage is not so much as we see mentioned on the CFA websites or surveys.
Please if anyone had any such interactions with existing CFA L1/2/3 cleared guys mention it here....
I know many seniors who had CFA Level 1 and got Ibank offers my close friend was working in a small bank and he gave CFA L1 and now he is working as an analyst in Goldman Sachs He isnt either IIT/IIM graduate The cases i have seen so far confirm the weightage and value added by CFA to your CV be it till level 1 or 2
Lately I met a few fellas who have done their CFA-AIMR. Most of these had cleared Level-2 and a few had even done MBA. They mentioned that CFA has not helped them much on the career front.:shock: It s just that it shows ur interested in an IB career but the weightage is not so much as we see mentioned on the CFA websites or surveys.
Please if anyone had any such interactions with existing CFA L1/2/3 cleared guys mention it here....
This is something that has been discussed over and over again ..
There is no such thing as a salary range for L1 because no one will make a hiring decision just because you are doing the CFA program. It depends on your background . To make it more simple from a recruiters point of view the salary they are prepared to offer will depend on :
1. Your Work experience ( if not 1 then 2) 2. Your Educational background 3. Your progress in the CFA course
In the above list 1>2 >>>>3 .With nothing to show in points 1 &2 you will not get any decent job till you complete all 3 levels .
For ppl with no workex /relevant workex point 2 becomes important ,then a L1 may land you a decent job -for ex I Banks taking IIT/IIM grads in profiles like Structuring/Equity Research so the hiring decision is based on your educational background and a L1 sets you apart from the pool of IIT/IIM ppl applying nothing more . The L1 in itself will do no wonders.
The L2 may land you with a KPO and L3 in a Front end position with a bank,but by the time you complete L3 you would most probably be in the finance field so point 1 becomes more important.
As regards someone with software exp passing L1 you sal will depend on the kind of role you are looking at .If you go in as a Analyst who needs to program a lot but also needs a little bit of fin knowledge then you command a good salary but if you move into a pure fin role then be prepared to start at the bottom in terms of salary and work profile unless point 2 is very strong.
The bottom line is CFA is not that useful for career changers but more useful for career enhancement . For a career change the oldest and most trusted tool is still the MBA.
courtesy : rajatb
ps : sorry to post same stuff in two threads on same day :banghead:
