How A Drunk Candidate Passed CFA Level I

I’m not a fan of this chain. I get that you’re shooting to broaden your target market by showing the “lighter side” and to just ‘take it for what it is’ but this whole story flat out rubs me the wrong way. For a couple reasons:
A) I still don’t believe it…I believe that whoever this is passed the exam and i’m sure people have met him but I would bet money that his antics the night before are exagerated.
B) Ignoring my disbelief, I don’t get the point of the story…
“I passed my exam, no thanks to my pre-exam antics, but rather to good luck and good preparation (in the months before obviously)”
Is he saying that he prepared so well beforehand that it didn’t matter that he was out all night and wasted? or is he saying that he was super lucky and pretty much was struck by lightning in passing? It sounds like it was more random guessing that got him through if he got up halfway through the second session and left, or maybe he’s a genius savant that can work through problems 10x faster than the average joe, even when wasted.
C)Straight up personal preference, I am not looking for this type of story when I visit this website. I’ve committed a lot of time to try and get through this designation and reading a story about someone fluking out when they probably didn’t deserve to pass doesn’t appeal to me.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading the rest of the articles on this site but this one just seems oddly out of character and against the general feeling and image that I think is portrayed throughout.

Just my two cents.

Whoever wrote this – when you’re in NYC hit me up.

@tacheman exactly right?! I mean I was so messed up because I was studying and then I just log in and see this blog and seriously it still makes me laugh at the most random times. I bet it wasn’t a fun experience for the person who actually went through it. But you know we don’t have to take everything so seriously. Just read the blog for some laughs. WE ALL REALLY NEED IT and we need to lighten up a little once in a while. What’s the harm in that?

Hello @monito, @edulima, @joe24, I think it’s OK to air your thoughts. I guess that’s what this community is about, we exchange views but don’t have to agree all the time!

Personally I viewed this post as a warning of what not-to-do, and I personally was curious too given my advocacy of discipline, good study habits etc. It’s not even something I could achieve even if I tried to do it, so hence it’s more of an interesting story of how wrong/extreme things can be when not done properly. While certainly not recommended, I’m not sure we should fully judge it as it given we haven’t read Part 2 of this story?

Just my 2 cents.

I’m not a fan of this chain. I get that you’re shooting to broaden your target market by showing the “lighter side” and to just ‘take it for what it is’ but this whole story flat out rubs me the wrong way. For a couple reasons:
A) I still don’t believe it…I believe that whoever this is passed the exam and i’m sure people have met him but I would bet money that his antics the night before are exagerated.
B) Ignoring my disbelief, I don’t get the point of the story…
“I passed my exam, no thanks to my pre-exam antics, but rather to good luck and good preparation (in the months before obviously)”
Is he saying that he prepared so well beforehand that it didn’t matter that he was out all night and wasted? or is he saying that he was super lucky and pretty much was struck by lightning in passing? It sounds like it was more random guessing that got him through if he got up halfway through the second session and left, or maybe he’s a genius savant that can work through problems 10x faster than the average joe, even when wasted.
C)Straight up personal preference, I am not looking for this type of story when I visit this website. I’ve committed a lot of time to try and get through this designation and reading a story about someone fluking out when they probably didn’t deserve to pass doesn’t appeal to me.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading the rest of the articles on this site but this one just seems oddly out of character and against the general feeling and image that I think is portrayed throughout.

Just my two cents.

Thanks for taking the time to give us feedback @wesmantooth! We’ll definitely bear it in mind for our future posts. We develop by trying new things, so sometimes things work well, and sometimes they don’t 🙂

For what it’s worth I think it’s a fun read – nice to see these random posts every once in a while.

YOURE MY HERO.

Oh lord, I hope there’s no Part 2… But seriously, one of my biggest problems with the post is really related to keeping (or maybe I should say salvaging) the reputation of finance professionals, after over a decade of missteps by a few who infected the pool… I think the post creates a force field in the opposite direction as to where the CFA Institute wants to take us.

I do understand that others have different opinions and vow to respect them.

I wish I could comment on this as anonymously as the poster.
I have to agree with @monito and @edulima. The post about doing level 1 in two weeks was giving some people the wrong idea but this seems to be blatant chest pounding about what really should be considered disrespectful/shameful.
These posts seem to be saying I was able to get away with making all the wrong decisions and pass, why are you being so disciplined and studying so many hours when this really isn’t that hard? What is the next post? “How my inbred Golden Retriever passed level 1?”
I come here for inspiration and lighthearted is great, but this is denigration.
If this isn’t mean to make me feel devalued, it certainly doesn’t “add value.” To me, or the charter itself….
I had to say it.

More chest beating…..? Who cares.

And Lo another value destroying post at 300 hours. Really what is the point of this post (and “I Passed after only 2 weeks study”)?
Ignoring the wisdom of whether we should encourage candidates to act this way the CFA is a professional exam taken in a professional context. We should be encouraging people to act in a professional manner. Okay you ran out of time and had to start late it happens, it’s okay, but it shouldn’t be a badge of pride.
This is worse.
If I found out someone in my team turned up drunk for an exam we paid for I wouldn’t treat it any different for if they had turned up to a client meeting drunk.
I’m not trying to be a killjoy, these things happened. I may even have some dubious decisions in my past, but I keep quite about them, I don’t wave my hands, look at me, look at me, look what I did. This brings to mind the emails from GS where account managers reveled in selling unsuitable products becasue their clients didn’t understand.
congratulations you passed the exam, I suggest you keep quite about how, because I don’t know many teams who would want to take someone like you over someone who acts like an adult.

I agree it may be a “fun” read… like in a movie. But I also agree with @Monito that from the moment that this is posted by @Admin in the Blog section, it becomes a bit more ingrained in the 300 Hours “culture”. I would prefer not to be associated with this behavior, and it looks like a violation of the Professional Code of Conduct… it’s probably an abuse of the anonymity one is granted here, and it’s not justified. But hopefully the system is well enough designed that it will naturally take care of eliminating this type of aberration…

I call BS on this story. Not buying it!

To be honest, this post, does not condone or degrade the integrity or reputation of finance professionals. All it does is tell one man’s tale, which might or might not be right in everyone’s eye. He got lucky, so? We are all mature enough to understand that one story does not generalize all finance professionals’ standing in any manner.

This blog/forum/ was created solely with the intention of helping candidates and prospective ones and it continues to do so. Publishing this story does not deviate from that goal. Would you rather have our kind “finance professionals” be considered more serious then? 😛 Take it for what it is, that’s all I’m saying.

I call BS on this story. Not buying it!

@Chris1029384756 We’ve met him. It’s true.

@edulima there is a Part 2 that we will publish at some point. I see your point, but like to keep the tone of posts fun as well as helpful. We constantly experiment with our content to push our boundaries and excite our readers, and some of these posts are part of this. As you can expect, we’ll constantly evolve this and all of your feedback goes into our future developments 🙂

Here’s to another round of blatant “superior lucky guy rocks hard exam after a night of corporate funded binge drinking in third world metropolis resembling a music video to ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK cliché” self gratulation. Maybe one day I will find the time to put my Level 1 experience into words. I can already see the title: “CFA ethics shenanigans” It would cover all the good stuff: toilet cheating, “wide” hoodies, worldwide skype conferences after each session, the classical not putting the f-ing pencil down when told to do so, the outright conversations during exam, the casual talks about “ethics” in the breaks and last but not least the enlightening experience to see the 100$-haircut, pop-collar fraternity that would like to call itself “the future of finance” collectively enter the wrong bus after the exam to go God knows where (herding much?). What a joke!

I am totally loving this blog! Really we need to read about these kind of fun experiences. We need to lighten up a little. Really how many accounts of ‘I was totally freaked out’ or ‘how I was so freaked out I puked right before an exam’ (I have actually done that) have we read? So once in a while its good to read a different version of the situation pre-exam day. I have to say @anon dude you have some serious guts to actually do this right before the exam lol

I can see what @monito is getting at, but I do find it interesting to have something crazy mixed in once a while. The CFA process is very solemn and like @cfacharterwannabe said its good to have a light hearted tale.

I was waiting for Part 2. Finally! I will say congrats to the author on passing because really I do believe the strangest things can happen to people and I honestly believe that luck plays if not more at least a 50% part in getting a pass. The prep is of course important, but passing, it really is a combination of both luck and prep. And I must say though part 2 was fun, I actually liked part 1 better. It made me laugh more 😀