How an engineer passed Level 1 finance, background, studying, december

w1977

Hey guys,

Here's my little take on how to pass the level 1 when you have no background in finance.

Pretty straight forward, I started studying on the 1st of may for the december exam. Studied a lot, I was done with the curriculum by the end of august. Then I started rereading the stuff coz I had forgotten some of it. then 1 month before the exam I did a practive exam, got 68%. I then started my final studying, doing exams everyday with the Schweser QBank. I was averaging 82% at the end.

Out of the 10 sections at the exam, I got 7 above 70%, 2 between 50-70 and one below 50, any guess on which one it might be ? That's right , AI, didn't care much about it, I focused on the other sections.

Anyhow, I was among the 34% people who passed it and now I'm studying hard for level 2, which is I must say, much harder than level 1....

Good luck to you all, and remember, study study and study ! I had no background in finance and I nailed the exam because I worker, some of the people with finance degree think they're better because they saw some of the curriculum in their class. Overconfidence is dangerous, fear of failing is blessed, because then, you study and you pass.

Any questions, feel free...

RobertA

"some of the people with finance degree think they're better because they saw some of the curriculum in their class"

^ i only partially agree with that statement. they don't think they're better. they just think they saw some of the curriculum in their class. what they realize later is that they didn't retain the stuff they saw in their class...

disiz64

I would just say this:

Make sure you don't ignore any sections! Alternative Investments scares people but the questions asked are usually very simple and straight from the text.!!

You all have enough time. Don't be lazy or complacent.

ramzes

Hello Mister Walrus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MillowQc, thank you for your truly inspirational
> message. Before today, I used to cry myself to
> sleep thinking that I would go nowhere in this
> world. However, after reading your life-changing
> post, I now have renewed confidence that I too can
> pass the CFA Level 1 exam, a task so
> unsurmountable that it has been compared to
> climbing Mt. Everest or landing a space craft on
> Mars.
>
> Please share more information with us so that we
> can learn from your sparkling example:
>
> 1) What kind of sleep habits do you have? What are
> your sleeping hours, and what position and clothes
> do you employ while asleep? On your side? Or
> laying on your back? Do you wear pyjamas,
> underwear or nothing at all?
>
> 2) What food do you eat? Please comment on taste,
> texture, and nutritional composition. I have heard
> that a glass of red wine a day is good for your
> health. Is this true from your experience, and how
> will drinking a glass of red wine a day change my
> probability of passing the CFA Level 3 exam?
>
> 3) What are your favorite TV shows? "Friends" got
> kind of weird towards the end with all the
> characters hooking up. Battlestar Galactica was a
> good show and it's too bad that it ended. Please
> let us know how the TV shows that you watched
> affected your mental disposition and your attitude
> towards the difficult CFA Level 1 examination.
>
> 4) If a lion fought a grizzly bear, who would win?
> What about if a lion and tiger had sex and
> produced an offspring. Would this offspring be
> able to defeat the grizzly bear? By "grizzly
> bear", I mean an actual bear, not a large Russian
> man with excessive body hair. The answer to this
> question will reveal key insights into your
> personality that will enlighten us all.
>
> Thank you again for your brilliant insights to
> this test. You should write a book about your
> experiences or better yet, start a day time TV
> show. The world must know about this.


lol you're such an ass HMW, but i love your comments

lc26mizzou

MillowQc, thank you for your truly inspirational message. Before today, I used to cry myself to sleep thinking that I would go nowhere in this world. However, after reading your life-changing post, I now have renewed confidence that I too can pass the CFA Level 1 exam, a task so unsurmountable that it has been compared to climbing Mt. Everest or landing a space craft on Mars.

Please share more information with us so that we can learn from your sparkling example:

1) What kind of sleep habits do you have? What are your sleeping hours, and what position and clothes do you employ while asleep? On your side? Or laying on your back? Do you wear pyjamas, underwear or nothing at all?

2) What food do you eat? Please comment on taste, texture, and nutritional composition. I have heard that a glass of red wine a day is good for your health. Is this true from your experience, and how will drinking a glass of red wine a day change my probability of passing the CFA Level 3 exam?

3) What are your favorite TV shows? "Friends" got kind of weird towards the end with all the characters hooking up. Battlestar Galactica was a good show and it's too bad that it ended. Please let us know how the TV shows that you watched affected your mental disposition and your attitude towards the difficult CFA Level 1 examination.

4) If a lion fought a grizzly bear, who would win? What about if a lion and tiger had sex and produced an offspring. Would this offspring be able to defeat the grizzly bear? By "grizzly bear", I mean an actual bear, not a large Russian man with excessive body hair. The answer to this question will reveal key insights into your personality that will enlighten us all.

Thank you again for your brilliant insights to this test. You should write a book about your experiences or better yet, start a day time TV show. The world must know about this.

MonkeyBusiness

xT Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> ^ i only partially agree with that statement.
> they don't think they're better. they just think
> they saw some of the curriculum in their class.
> what they realize later is that they didn't retain
> the stuff they saw in their class...

Allow me to rephrase, they think they are better prepared would be a better way to put it, english is not my first language so sometimes what I think does not translate so well into what I write.

And beatthecfa, you are right, I neglected AI all the way to the end, which was a mistake, but I passed, so it was all right, but people should not ignore it.

Cheers

manasib

Somebody wasn't loved enough while he was young...

cyber21

damn, i have no background in finance either, studying thie in my spare time now for the june exam, three months to go, have only covered 300 pages, FREAKING OUT.

ramdabom

To MillowQc

hey congrats for pass cfa level 1

im giving my cfa level 1 this june,
i just had 1 question,
how should i review in the end? i would have atleast 1 month, just wanted to know the best possible way to prepare myself.

atleast in reviewing terms, because you are right, so far i have forgot whatever i have read!
I AM CURRENTLY ON VOlume 3 of Cfa.

thanks

Daniel1985

Thank You so much