CFAI style breakdown of a mock exam hoping, failed, actual, especially, like

chunty

I am a retaker. Here are my actual results from last year along with my mock exam score this year. Last year I failed in band 7, I'm hoping that a score sheet like this would be a pass, especially with a few more weeks to review:

-----------Last Year-------- --------This Year's Mock-----------
Topic <50% 51-70% >70% <50% 51-70% >70%
Alt Investments * - - * - -
Corp Finance - * - - - *
Derivatives - - * - - *
Economics - - * - - *
Equity Inv - - * - - *
Ethics - * - - * -
FSA * - - - - *
Fixed Income - * - - - *
Port Mgmt * - - - * -
Quant * - - - * -


edit: The formatting is all effed up.

Basically, I went from 4 sections less than 50% to just one. I had the same number of sections 50-70% (hopefully this time at the high end of the range and not the low end like last year probably was) and from 3 sections in the 70+% range to 6 sections in that range.

The funny thing is that I got in the +70% range on derivatives last year on the exam all through guessing. I got it again on the mock but I still don't really feel like I understand derivatives. They ask me some different questions and that thing could drop like a rock.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at Saturday, May 14, 2011 at 11:10PM by KSTHANE.

ninja1024

You should be able to blast through the basics of derivatives since it is mostly just discounted cash flows and rehash of the binomial model. Go back and take a look at forwards and you will see the same patterns over and over and again in Futures. Options look different but they are basically the same thing...discounted cash flows. practice lots of problems and you will get it

onelife1

Yeah, I'm actually pretty good at most areas of derivatives. I guess I just expect that I'll fail miserably on anything having to do with FRA, swaps or swaptions. I can do the binomial model option questions, valuing a forward questions and depending on the way they ask, I can probably get the caps and floors type questions.

I went and looked at some passing scores from last year and I don't think there's any way that a score sheet like that above won't pass. The difference is that on the actual exam the conditions are a lot tougher than what I subjected myself to for this mock, and this mock asked a lot of questions right in my sweet spot...anything different in some sections and it could have been a lot worse. That's what's so scary, you can't do enough problems to really feel comfortable. I haven't taken a mock exam yet that forces you to come up with the CTA adjustment.

stalkey

what has been your approach to studying, out of curiosity?

chaojimali

hey can u please mail me last yr mock..il be really gratefull...thanx my id is chandni.kundra@gmail.com