MonkeyBusiness

I was planning to post only if I pass Level 1 exam (I took it this month), but putting forth my study plan wouldn't harm I guess.

As a math major and a quants guy, 'Quantitative Methods' did not take too much of my time; but that was kind of expected given my background.

The following sections took a lot of time:
FRA/Accounting, Fixed Income

These took moderate amount of time:
Ethics, Quant (lot of theory to read), Equity, Economics, Corporate Finance

These took the minimum time:
Derivatives, Alt Investment, Portfolio Management

Ethics seems easy - but the questions are very tricky - usually, you are safely able to eliminate one answer choice and are left confused between the other two choices.

I never counted how may hours I studied/took per section; so cannot post actual time taken - but this is a good estimate.

Since you are starting a bit early, and are not a finance guy, it is okay to take time in some sections. Believe it or not - it takes time to understand and get a feel of the language/terms used. Most people here won't consider it jargon, but it is jargon to those who are new to finance. It is pointless to rush through any section (unless the exam is a month away or so).

After finishing 3-4 study sessions, take some time to review that material and see that you remember it well; you need to hit the 'Refresh' key in your brain!

trogulj

Thank you anothercfainnyc and everyone. Feeling much better now. Hopefully will try to get through Quants by the end of this month.
AN

cchang

@ Kiakaha thanks for the info. I moved to dubai for a job in an unrelated field, strictly for the tax free money and all. However, the lifestyle here can get pretty strenuous so I was contemplating going back, but like you have mentioned, and from what i have heard from countless others, the finance industry in NZ is quite small and its mostly connection driven. I was also thinking of moving to Sydney by the end of the year. Let say I drop my job and use my savings to move there and find work, do you think the job market over there offers good opportunites, especially if you dont have alot of 'relevant' experience? Its a gamble and i have been contemplating the move for quite sometime now..

thanks for your help