strikethree

3rdtimesacharm? Wrote:
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> as per my name it was my 3rd time and passed
>

congrats 3x now you can remove the '?' from your name!

zwjy

I was band 4 last year, but didn't really put in much effort to studying (my own fault). I also only did the Schweser practice exams instead of the CFAI ones.

This year I began studying early, but took a break from March through mid-April. Last half of April and May I was studying pretty hard (esp compared to year before). I did all the exams the CFAI had on their website and paid for an additional one. That helped me more than anything.

justin88

I failed as a Band10 twice. This year I used the same approach, read Schweser and do all CFAI problems. The key difference I made this year was to time myself on all practice exams. This is key. The prior two years i struggled to finish the am session. This year i got done with a few minutes to spare.

Analti_Calte

I failed in 2009 Band 10 and passed this year. Both times I used CFAI material and did a 3-day Schweiser review course. Only difference was in 2010 I finished the material with more time to do the old 06-09 am exams. The first time around I only did one am exam which I think was a mistake. Plus you just retain more material the second time around. I got a few simple calculations wrong in 2009 and there was no way i was going to make the same mistakes in 2010. Off course luck, good or bad, is a factor too.

ohai

This time, I use the Schweser classroom CD. Its presentation notes are very helpful. It highlights all the key points which is suffice for the essays. Able to write down the key points are the key for essays.

dyga

Band 10 last year.

Changed nothing - just put in a bit more time and effort to prepare. Used Schweser only both times, didn't even open CFAI books.

mcmc

as per my name it was my 3rd time and passed

Band 4
Band 7
Pass


I STRONGLY suggest you dont take a year off or quit. If you see those LOS comparison posts for 2011, you will notice that the material is pretty much the exact same thing. If they totally revamped L3 and brught in a ton of new study stuff but then i can agree.
If I failed I would have no question about it did the 4th time based on this. All those " I wish they tested this stuff" " i cant beleive they ddnt test this .. " is likely going to work in your favor next year. let the week go by, relax, let it digest, organize a plan and sit down with both Los's and re-write you can do it

wake2000

Band 10 last year. Last year did mainly Schweser material and Live online Schweser class spending about 6 hours per week for 17 weeks. Then, spent two weeks prior to exam studying morning to night about 10 hrs/day for a total of about 242 hours.

This year, From mid January to mid April read all CFAI material and Schweser online class. Did Schweser Dallas review at beginning of May (excellent review course) and used last 4 weeks to study morning to night and did all practice exams and sample exams and EOC questions. When I finished Vol 1 of practice exams, I went through and made a list of all the Sections where I got something wrong. I then used the time to go over those sections another time before taking the Vol 2 exams. Total of about 360 hours. May have been overkill given I had already studied the material but I did not want to be sitting for this thing again. So relieved I passed. I am married with two kids so taking all the time away from them was extremely hard, though I'm sure there are many out there with similar situations.

mar350

2009 (failed in Band 10)
Only used Schweser notes and practice exams
Only did the free mock/sample exams from CFA website
Did not look at the CFA old AM exams (BIG MISTAKE)
Never did a "full 3hr. straight" practice-exam on AM essay (I only did 2/3 questions at once and timed it--HUGE MISTAKE!!)

2010 (barely passed)
Read the Schweser notes first
Then did most of the EOC Qs of CFA text and read certain topics in CFA text
Did the mock and sample exams (add'l costs) offered by CFA website
Did the "full 3hr. straight" practices on 06-09 old CFA AM exams and Schweser practice-exams (VERY IMPORTANT)

cityboy

Plan for a schedule that ramps up exponentially leading up to the exam, but don't kill yourself (i.e. reading 10 hours straight for the sake of 'finishing' a section doesn't translate to success if you aren't retaining anything). From personal experience, I started late fall with CFAI material, reading ~70 pages a week but going slowly and doing every question. Finished a month before, did the sample and a practice exam, skimmed Schweser material quickly but in its entirety in a few weeks, then had 10-14 days for practice exams and review. Don't get bent out of shape over practice exam scores or a single area- I got under 50% on five sections (likely closer to 0% than 50%) and still managed to squeak by. It's a marathon, not a race, and most importantly do NOT throw in the towel come exam day. You paid the money and put in the time, this year is proof positive a poor AM showing will not seal your fate. Finally, sign up before the first deadline. No reason to give the CFAI any more money than you already have when you know you'll be back to crush it next year.