- This topic has 10 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated Feb-187:50 am by
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Up1
Hello all,
I started studying for the June 2015 level 1 exam at the beginning of January, and I am noticing that I am taking a long time going through the readings and working through the End of Chapter questions. I am using mostly the CFA curriculum (although I have Schweser as well). My current strategy is to read through a reading, taking notes and definitions as I finish each section of the reading. Do you have any advice for how I can increase my speed both at studying and working through the problems? For the EOC problems, I am having trouble balancing writing out information vs. working with the calculator accurately/quickly.
Also, any advice for how to best review previously studied material while still studying forward?
I am studying about 40 min in the morning before work, trying my best to review material while on the bus/subway (~35 min broken studying each way), studying during lunch about 45-60 min, and then studying about 2-2.5 hours a night at home. So far I have put in about 6-8 hours per weekend but I am hoping to increase that to 12. I am just concerned about my speed and retention.
I appreciate your input! Thanks!
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Up4
A few other points:
- I usually don’t bother writing out information, but rather just underlining or scribbling at the sides of the question paper.
- Calculator familiarity again is something that comes with time…
Where are you in the syllabus at the moment?
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Up4
Maybe some may disagree with me on this one, but I tend to do better if I study “backwards.” I go directly to EOC questions and mock test questions and “risk-focus” my studying based on that.
I studied the traditional way (reading first and then doing the EOC questions) for Ethics, Quants, and FRA, and I was extremely unproductive and slow.
You may also want to try the Pomodoro Technique (link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique) which are studying blocs of 25 minutes with breaks of 3-5 minutes in between. I get distracted easily and this always helps me to stay focused during my study time and at work.
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Up3
Also make sure you get your CFAI mock exam and go through that early. Good luck!
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Up3
Hi all, i am new to this club with same old question. I am in my final semester of M.Acc and wishing to start CFA level 1.Shall i go for it as i am not very good with graphs and ratios?.
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Up3
We have a guy on our team who is a test-passing machine, plowing through the actuarial exams and the CFA exams. He wrote a post on how to optimize studying: http://blog.passedtense.com/save-days-of-cfa-studying-with-this-one-weird-trick/
Basically its PLOW through the material then focus on practice problems (like @ec_cfatest‌ recommends focusing on). That way you don’t waste time on what you do know and instead focus on what you don’t.
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Up2
I don’t think there is a ‘trick’ to it. As you do more questions you start to recognize the ‘types’ of questions and therefore are able to do them faster. So I’d say the one thing to improve your speed is to do more (exam level) questions!
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Up2
Thank you for the input. I started studying on January 4th with Study Session 2. My plan was to go through Quant, then switch to Ethics, and then proceed with the normal order from there. I am currently working through reading 8 and doing reading 7 EOC questions in Study Session 2. I just changed my schedule to what I described starting this week to increase study time, so I will hopefully be moving faster than in the beginning.
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Up2
By the way, apart from practice exams, where else can I get exam level questions? I have both the CFA curriculum and Schweser (notes, QBank, and 6 practice exams) but I have heard they are not at the same level as the CFA end of chapter questions and mock exams. Any suggestions?
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Up2
The Qbank is the best way to go. Many of the difficult level questions in the QBANK are identical to the CFA Level 1 test.
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Up2
@perspective‌
Passed Tense’s Adapt exam engine is one of the best options, with 2,600 questions. The exams Adapt to your level so you get the right difficulty of questions. 30 days for $49, pretty cheap compared to all other options.
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