300Hours: Finance Certifications Hub for CFA, FRM & CAIA

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Should I Be Taking the CFA Without Finance Background?

Zee Tan

24 Aug 2024

CFA, Career Advice, CFA Level 1

If you're studying for the CFA without finance background, would that put you at a disadvantage when it comes to passing the exams? Since 2012, we have built up a robust, 12 years worth of data from our awesome readers to answer that very question. Each time when CFA results are announced, our readers shared their results as well as details of their work and education background. This research allowed us to analyze how pass rates varied across candidates that had ...

chewing gum while studying

Does Chewing Gum While Studying Help Exam Performance?

Zee Tan

22 Aug 2024

Study Motivation, Study Break

Here at 300Hours, we share lots of tips on how to improve your finance exam performance, all neatly packaged in our 'Study Motivation' section. Here’s an interesting recent tip that our team discovered: ...

garp scr exam guide

GARP SCR Certificate: A Handy Beginner’s Guide

Sophie Macon

20 Aug 2024

ESG

One of the key lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic is that we must react swiftly to high probability, high impact risks — and delays are costly. The climate is changing. And the risks from climate change ...

how to network effectively

How to Network: 7 Easy Networking Tips To Boost Your Career

Zee Tan

19 Aug 2024

Career Advice

What’s the most effective but under-utilized skill in job hunting? Networking. Yes, having a well organized, crisp resume / CV is a good starting point in any job search. But in this article, we ...

cfa in college

Should You Consider CFA In College?

Zee Tan

18 Aug 2024

CFA, Career Advice, CFA Level 1

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 (instead of ...

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Study Burnout: How to Recognize, Cure and Prevent Them

Zee Tan

17 Aug 2024

Study Motivation

All CFA exam candidates know it. Or candidates for any high stakes exams really. Others may not understand, but we do – the CFA exams are hardcore. The burnout is real. Burnout happens when you simply do ...

are third party cfa prep books necessary

Third Party CFA Prep Books: Do You Need Them? Is CFA Curriculum Enough?

Zee Tan

17 Aug 2024

CFA, How To Study

The CFA program can feel costly at times, and a fair question we get all the time is whether third party CFA prep books are necessary. Isn't the CFA curriculum itself sufficient, especially since ...