Level 3: Band 8 in 2016 and passed now – what I did different

Question

I passed Level 1 and 2 in first attempt (did 10 mock exams for both).  In 2016 Level 3, I could manage only 3 mocks and failed with Band 8.  So for the 2017 attempt this is what I did and got a 1/6/3 in AM and 0/2/8 in PM for <50, 51-70 and >70:

1.  Did 10 full length practice exams (6 Schweser, 6 FinQuiz and 2 live - Schweser and Boston CFA.  The Boston CFA mock is useless so avoid it (unnecessarily tough and downer 2 weeks before exam)

2.  Did past 10 years (2006-16) CFAI AM exams.  Use the pdf link in below link to see what is relevant for 2018:
https://ift.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/13000007794-relevan...

3.  Did all the CFAI itemset online assessment tests that they provide free of charge - that is 64 item sets!  Remember you need to nail the PM (see my score above).

4.  Did the two 2017 PM practice tests that CFAI gave, plus some from prior years. You can combine these PM with CFAI past AM exams to create additional full mocks.

5.  Did all CFAI EOC questions in last 2 weeks before exam.  This ensures you covered all topics just before the exam.

6.  I started early in Sept 2016 and put in 6-8 hrs on weekends reading up CFAI material (I used 2016 material for 2017 exam after comparing since I had all highlighting etc done in the 2016 CFAI material and only one chapter had changed. See link below for 2017-18 changes.  For repeaters, you need to use only those 2018 materials that changed, rest use the old one especially if you have your highlights, notes etc on the material.

I started taking AM mocks in Jan 2017 - 1 per weekend.  I moved to full mocks in April.

Good luck and don’t give up.  You are close to getting the dragon slayed!
Ganesh

sethneha · Answer

Thanks Ganesh (@gansub) for the heads up and sharing your prep strategy.

Sid · Answer

Thanks for your tips. I failed L3 this year in 2017 with a band 8 and your post will definitely help me plan better for my next attempt.