How does one obtain the CFA charter as quickly as possible? Assuming consecutive passes (big assumption), the average time to pass all 3 exams in 12-18 months. While the fastest route to pass all 3 CFA exams in 12 months is possible, it’s a high risk, high burnout strategy that is not for the faint hearted… …
Can you take CFA Level 1 in college? Yes, according to CFA Level 1’s entry requirements, the earliest candidates can register for CFA Level 1 is when they have 2 years remaining in their undergraduate degree. But, should you be taking CFA Level 1 in college though? I think it depends, as studying for the …
Just in case you’re not aware: back in Nov 2022, CFA Institute had expanded the CFA Level 1 eligibility for the program. This means that students with two years remaining in their undergrad studies will be able to register and sit for the CFA Level 1 exam, effective immediately. Here’s a quick summary of the …
There are currently more than 190,000 individuals CFA charterholders globally, and this number is only expected to increase. The first step of becoming a CFA charterholder is to register for CFA Level 1. This brings up a handful of important questions: If you’re considering the CFA Program, check the list below to ensure you meet …
Umpteen years ago, after checking that I met the eligibility requirements, I signed up for my CFA Level 1 exams as a sprightly, wide-eyed innocent. Now that I’m a CFA charterholder, I wished I had someone who’d gone through everything to point out the potholes of the journey I’m on. For example, warning me about the …
CFA and CAIA designations can appear very similar at first sight, especially since the introduction of the CFA Level 3 Specialized Pathways, as they both target investment and financial professionals. However, there are differences in global recognition, breadth and depth of topics studied, career focus and exam difficulty. They could even be a complementary set …
If you currently or aspire to work in finance, and have evaluated if MBA is worth it to you, a natural follow up comparison question could be: CFA vs MBA which is better for me? Like most comparisons, the answer is – it depends. Firstly, it’s not straightforward to compare a CFA charter and an MBA …
Hi, I’m Alexander Law, a CFA Charterholder. Back in 2017, I managed to pass the CFA Level 1 exam with just five days of study. My scores were over 70% in all subjects except Alternative Investments and Financial Statement Analysis (those were in the 51-70% range). Luck definitely had some role to play in this, but …
Note: this cheat sheet is updated for the latest 2025’s curriculum. Derivatives. Perhaps no single word has a greater ability to strike fear in the hearts of CFA candidates. The readings on this topic are replete with graphs, formulas, all of which seem indecipherable, and gratuitous references to Greek letters. However, it doesn’t need to …
When looking to boost my financial expertise and qualifications, I went through what was a fairly common dilemma a few years ago: CFA or FRM? My question was then: why not both CFA and FRM, together? In a competitive world of finance, with companies desiring prospective employees to have a broad range of skillset and knowledge, …