Band 8 - where do I go from here where, painful, guidance, only

mouse123

I had a tight slap on my face with exam results, haven't lost hope though and i hope I can make it in Dec 10. Any guidance on focus areas will lift my spirits. I had only referred to CFAI books for June exam and this was my first attempt. I'm Maths graduate which makes low marks in QM more painful...

Item SetQ#TopicMax Pts<=50%51%-70%>70%
-Alternative Investments8*--
-Corporate Finance20-*-
-Derivatives12*--
-Economics24-*-
-Equity Investments24--*
-Ethical & Professional Standards36-*-
-Financial Reporting & Analysis48-*-
-Fixed Income Investments28--*
-Portfolio Management12-*-
-Quantitative Methods28-*-

Cheers

dontknow1987

Definitely to drill Ethics and FRA hard, you must get 70+ in these 2 to pass.
CF and Quant in L1 are not that hard but they are heavy-weighted, so get 70+ as well.
Finally, derivative and AI are important in L2, so better get 50+ in L1.

ramzes

Honestly, you need to think about the reasons why you failed, if you put in 200 hours plus and still didn't pass then maybe its time to walk away and accept its not the course for you. Remember II is a million times harder than one.

Having said that, if you think that your preparation was lacking in the first place, then by all means try again and do things differently.

Bottom line is that its only up hill from here. If it's too much at this stage you are going to be fighting a losing battle.

pogo

I don't understand the haters. Why would a person tell anyone to quit the CFA? What advantage is there for the naysayer?? Let the guy write it again.

Siddimaula

Keep with it...I'd recommend the Schweser 3 day online review and their mocks to give you the edge...I used them after reading through the CFAI materials and they made the difference for me...Remember, you only fail if you quit...

eagles_dare13

the keys for me would be FRA (especially the effects of using different accounting methods on financial ratios), ethics (actually learn what is in each section not just what is right or wrong), quant is not just in the "quant" section - loads of the quant stuff shows up in many other sections (corp fin, fixed income, port mgmnt). If you get those three sections down (FRA, ethics and quant) you have a pretty damn good chance of passing.

ishfaque

I say go ahead, full speed, do it now when the material is still fresh. The CFA exams have this tricky way of leading you into thinking "oh, this is so easy, piece of cake". True, compared to L2, L1 would REALLY feel like a piece of cake, or more like a reading-comprehension and formula testing exam.

To get there though, you have to pass L1. So do it now, get it all out. If you don't feel at ease using the CFAI texts (too convoluted, too much, scary volume of reading), use a third party provider. I used Stalla. Others used Schweser. It worked for the majority of us, and the investment IS worth.

burnsy562000

Q# Topic Max Pts <=50% 51%-70% >70%

- Alternative Investments 8 - * -
- Corporate Finance 20 - * -
- Derivatives 12 * - -
- Economics 24 - - *
- Equity Investments 24 * - -
- Ethical & Professional Standards 36 - * -
- Financial Reporting & Analysis 48 - - *
- Fixed Income Investments 28 * - -
- Portfolio Management 12 - - *
- Quantitative Methods 28 - * -


Your score band: 8

I spent a lot of time on FRA. and completely skipped Derivatives. I remember sitting there on exam day, thinking I really had a chance of passing this. But turned out this way.

RobertA

bigspydee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Item Set Q# Topic Max Pts <=50% 51%-70% >70%
> - Alternative Investments 8 * - -
> - Corporate Finance 20 - - *
> - Derivatives 12 - * -
> - Economics 24 - - *
> - Equity Investments 24 - * -
> - Ethical & Professional Standards 36 - - *
> - Financial Reporting & Analysis 48 - * -
> - Fixed Income Investments 28 - * -
> - Portfolio Management 12 - - *
> - Quantitative Methods 28 - * -
>
> Your score band: 8
>
> I have the same problem, in a dilemma to go ahead
> for Dec L1 or not. I thought the June L1 was easy.
> I got tensed and fell heavy on the dis tractors,
> any suggestions on my score.


I passed in June, so here's my 2 cents:
- Work hard on FRA, getting >70 is key
- Keep the ethics score >70 as well
- Get at least one (or more if you have the time) of fixed income, equity, or quant >70
- Improve on alternative investments. Although it doesn't worth much, it's only 2 study sessions, and when you're close, every question counts

MythosHF

Item Set Q# Topic Max Pts <=50% 51%-70% >70%
- Alternative Investments 8 * - -
- Corporate Finance 20 - - *
- Derivatives 12 - * -
- Economics 24 - - *
- Equity Investments 24 - * -
- Ethical & Professional Standards 36 - - *
- Financial Reporting & Analysis 48 - * -
- Fixed Income Investments 28 - * -
- Portfolio Management 12 - - *
- Quantitative Methods 28 - * -

Your score band: 8

I have the same problem, in a dilemma to go ahead for Dec L1 or not. I thought the June L1 was easy. I got tensed and fell heavy on the dis tractors, any suggestions on my score.