Former Level 1 CFA® Exam Candidates Advise

CFA exam review / prep tips

We asked former level 1 CFA exam candidates for some pieces of advice for current level 1 candidates. See the prep tips that some of the candidates shared:

Last day: study or not to study?

Ahmed is against studying on the last day before the exam:

'Last week before the exam day you have to read the material quickly and accurately and the day before the exam DO NOT study, just go out, relax and sleep early. Good luck.'

Samira recommends studying until the last moments before the exam:

'Never stop solving problems and never give up being confident that you can do it. Continue reading until the last minute and never feel you are enough with it.'

Which approach appeals to you?

Ethics mastery?

Hafsa puts emphasis on solving tests, learning formulas and reviewing ethics regularly:

'Redo all CFA exam mocks and ques bank questions. Re-revise your formulas and read ethics again n again.'

Deepak warns against spending too much time on ethics:

'I have already taken my L1 CFA exam, though I couldn't clear it, I would like to give a handy piece of advice that is don't give ethics so much importance (no doubt it is important, though..). What I mean to say is give equal importance to other study material as well because even after performing well in ethics I failed the exam. All the Best!'

Hard work, focus & good study materials

Dmytro writes succinctly:

'9^00 - 22^00'

Tin suggests concentrating on the goal:

'Stay focused. Re-read your study notes, redo EOC and in the last days re-read ethics. Schweser Secret Sauce is a great way to review.'

Different people, different opinions. What is yours?

We believe that each of you should choose your own prep strategy based on your strengths, weaknesses, and skills. However, it always proves useful to listen to what others have to say. That is why, we are still waiting for your advice and tactics, regardless of whether you already took your level 1 exam or just set about to sit it. Write a comment below if you want to help other CFA candidates. Thanks!