hoangvu90

darlia - Hoping to get to the point where Ethics is all black and white for me. I still see shades of grey when answering these questions -- going with the most anal answer / strictest interpretation should be a good start.

DeeVee - I actually started at the end of the questions in the am session and worked my way forward doing the easier questions first. The individual and institutional investor questions put me behind on time last year so I didn't want to repeat that.

riyaz - I think you hit the nail on the head. I've always done quite well on the multiple choice questions at each level of the exam. My problem is the am section and it's very hard to prepare for the essays since the feedback mechanism is subjective. For example, it's difficult to know how many points are allocated for steps versus answers, how much is allocated if steps are right but calc is off, etc.

Which guides do you recommend RE: concise answers?

Have used the CFA question papers in my studying, but will probably go back more years now that I have the time to do so. Will also try some of the Schweser practice exams. Working full-time with a long commute and being a good dad to the little ones is awfully time consuming so it's been tough to hit every bit of study material in the past. Fortunately (and unfortunately) I now have the time to focus on additional material for 2012.

To answer your question I am a mortgage reporting analyst.

hhummel - Thanks for sharing your process. I passed L1 & L2 on the first tries and found L3 to be significantly more difficult and different. As riyaz pointed out, you need separate study preparation for both the am and pm sections. The L3 am session is as much about test taking strategies (time management, showing your work, etc.) as it is about the material. I would really focus on every bit of material related to the essay section that you can get your hands on because it is nothing like the item set questions on L3 pm and the entire L1 & L2 exams.