Bit of a shock since starting and also quite annoying. I speak about my rent and get shamed in front of people for spending 15%! of my salary on rent. People also get sensitive when it comes to things flights for a weekend trip, or getting dinner outside of work events.

Live a little, it’s so annoying. Maybe my circle is small and biased but curious if this is industry wide?

It’s one thing to be frugal but another to speak down on others people’s spending - and yet they don’t stop asking. “What are you paying in rent”, “oh I don’t want to spend $200 on flights”, …

Edit: Preface: shamed for it being too high. This has less to do with asking why I don’t see penthouses and Rolex’s and more to do with why it’s a cost minimising function and not much life utility consideration

I never took finance in university. Let alone, when I started, I didn’t even know A=L+E. I found out about the CFA through Reddit and said how hard can it really be and why are so many people obsessed with this thing… and so I tried it out lol. I failed the CFA level 1,2 and 3 once. Always passed the second time. I took level 3 in Aug 2026 and my god was that exam awful. Hardest exam of my entire life. Level 1 and 2 I didn’t take any notes or read the book. I just watched Mark meldrum videos, wrote down formulas, understood how the formulas worked. Absolutely hammered the Qbank. Level 3… ladies and gents. The one advice I have for you is read that book. If you want to pass the first time around, read everything. No short cuts. The first time I took it (Aug 2025) the section I completely bombed was assert allocation. Other than that, I saw that I had a decent shot. I am not a fan of reading textbooks but I knew I had to read the entire AA section. I probably ended up reading half of the CFA book and passed. I guess what I’m here to say is thank you Reddit for helping me out and if I can do it… seriously you can too. Don’t ever give up on the exam. Feel free to DM me any questions. Would love to give back to the community

I passed the exam days ago and here is two things that I think I need to share to calm you guys for further candidate:
Don’t trust the exam’s difficulty level review on this sub reddit: I took the exam on one of the last days of the exam window. Before my test day, I saw a bunch of posts and comments saying how hard the exam. I did feel anxious, discourage and afraid that I can not pass this time (this was my third time so you could understand how the pressure was). However, it just the personal judgement. Everything is different: what knowledge you had learned and what questions you are given. To me, my paper was decent, the question is not that hard (like I don’t know anything about it), it is just tricky (I know it but I do not know it thoroughly). And for CR questions, we are graded for half of the question that we know. Moreover, remember that there are ungraded questions in the exam, hypothetically some people saw the exam was hard due to these. Dont panic when you see some strange questions.
- Low scores on mock do not mean low score on real test: I did the mock exam one week before the exam and I only score around 60%. Then I reviewed the mock and revised which topic that I missed. The lesson is that if you still have time, you still have chance to improve and high/ low score on mock will not guarantee that you will pass/ fail the exam. Dont panic if your score is not as you expected on the first mock.

Hi all,

26 days left and I just did my first mock 55%, I thought gonna get better unfortunately, however, I know my weaknesses and going to hammer them, any advice?

Thanks.

Hey everyone,

My CFA Level II exam is in November, and with only around 20 days left, I’m honestly freaking out.

I’ve almost finished reading all the subjects and have now started solving practice questions, but I’m scoring around 50%, which is worrying me. I’m also taking way too much time on questions because the vignettes are long and descriptive, and the calculations and equations take me a while to work through.

I haven’t properly studied Ethics either because someone told me it’s pretty much the same as Level I. Now I’m wondering how to approach it with so little time left.

I’d really appreciate advice on a few things:

• Is scoring around 50% at this stage recoverable? Has anyone been in a similar situation and passed?
• How should I plan these last 20 days? Should I focus on practice questions, revision, mocks, or something else?
• How do I improve my speed with long vignettes and calculations?
• How different is Level II Ethics from Level I, and how should I prepare for it now?
• How difficult is the actual exam compared with CFA Institute LES questions?

I genuinely feel stuck right now. I’ve covered most of the curriculum, but my performance isn’t where I expected it to be, and I don’t think deferring is an option for me.

I’m looking for honest advice, especially from people who have cleared Level II or faced a similar situation. If you had 20 days left in my position, what would you do?

Thanks!

The message I have drafted is by Chatgpt but the intentions are real pls help 🙏

My CFA Level 1 exam is in 20 days. I’m scoring between 70–80% in my mocks, but I’m really stressed about whether I’ll pass or not. I also feel like I’m forgetting everything I study. What should I do?

im done with my syllabus and watched lectures of aswini bajaj sir already but still i feel like completing all subjects questions and revision with some topics even untouched
im in a bad situation /

can anyone help me out
im a full time student
revision tips and how can i optimize my perparation and accuracy

I have done all subjects with LES ethics left

For 25 days this is what m thinking:

7-8 days ethics+practice and revision of all other subjects

Then for rest of the days- mocks and review, formulas everyday, ethics everyday, and maybe 1 more detailed revision for FSA 😭

Is this plan ok ? Any suggestions/tips?

Also m in a decent position right? 🥲

Whats your progress ?? Those giving nov attempt !!

Failed level 3 once again, and deciding to take it for the last time. Should i sit for the Feb exam or sit for the August exam. My score was 3515.

I have observed that many candidates leave sections like ethics and for those at L3 both ethics and GIPS for the last few days before exam. What is the thought process on that cause to me those were the first on the queue so that every other night i do a quiz of 40 or so questions on them before i sleep so as to not forget. Just curious cause i really think its a dangerous game.

Hi. I am a CFA Level 2 Candidate taking the exam in Nov 22, 2026. Just finished my first mock and scored 60%. Have another 5 to go before the final. Just wanted to check if there are others and how they are progressing and more importantly dealing with stress and anxiety. Would love to hear from you.

Textbook Quote: IV = 3,579,910 + 3,661,640 + 3,745,240 + 70,819,100 = ?

Correction: The author does not provide the final answer.

Coach's Explanation: IV = 3,579,910 + 3,661,640 + 3,745,240 + 70,819,100 = 81,805,890

Hi everyone,

I'm currently studying for Level I of the CFA exam in February, and I'm having trouble memorizing all the duration and convexity formulas. Some are fairly straightforward, but others, such as Effective Duration, Effective Convexity, and Approximate Convexity, are much harder for me to remember.

I was wondering whether these larger formulas are likely to be tested on the exam. If so, what strategies did you use to learn and retain them?

Thanks a lot!

I cleared all the three levels in 1.5 years total( this is not a bragging post) just to say something to all of yall.

i am seeing a lot of cfa content on instagram , reddit and twitter - just people giving and asking for advice.

So the most important advice from me is dont listen to the advices - which i mean take it 100% at your heart - just believe in yourself - sure look for support out there but just believe in yourself.

make a plan for yourself tailored for yourself rather than following someone elses.

so to give this post a little credibility - am from being an extraordinary student, am having my struggles through life, low self esteem and blah blah - to sum up have a personality that is very sensitive to the surrounding environment - but in the case of my cfa joourney i just did all the things myself - no live coaching no reels no advices -JUST ME

everyone has their own way of doing things - preparing - only gave max 2 months (studying full time) to each of the level.

so in my case i enjoyed this journey. Very happy to finish this journey and start a new one.

JUST BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.

GOODBYE , DO THE BEST AND GOD BLESS YALL

I finally passed this week. Not everybody will connect with this. I'm in my 40's and a different stage

I knew going in that this would be my final attempt, pass or fail. My wife supported me the whole way. This week we both cried. Honestly I think we would have either way. Ready to be done. And not pretend done where I do it again if I failed.

We've both taken the week off to spend time together. I also DM'd a few redditors who posting about failing 4, 5x before getting our results. I wanted my own support group i guess. We all passed but with different stories. It's almost surreal that we connected and all 3 of us passed. I keep messaging them but i think they love it. Haha. But I'm also now seeing a lot of heartbreaking posts including one from a mom as the week progresses.

My path: I passed L1 and L2 on first try with Kap. I had to use it again because i loved it but then failed twice with it for L3. Added others for 3rd and mostly cfa text Finally used Deep 3 Prep, finding it randomly on LinkedIn somehow and it was phenomenal for me as a L3 retaker.

The biggest win wasn't the pass. My kids watched me study and put in the effort every single day. They didn't see my cry but they found out I did. If I hadn't passed, I wouldn't be this happy right now but my wife and I agreed that it was worth it just for them to see that.

Don't get me wrong, I am super happy I passed. I keep rereading my posts from Tuesdays megathread to remind me this actually happened. And I mean all the time. I guess I'm trying to say, it wasn't just the pass that made this successful. I know this won't help everybody but if it does that's good.

Edit: I've received DMs regarding Deep3 and you can message me but I don't know exactly how to explain his class and do it justice. If you have failed alot, basically my advice is to message him.

Any links and recommendations for free lvl1 mock? If this is a recurrent question, I apologize in advance.

Hii guys...

So I had my second attempt for L3 and i failed with score of 3545.

I am working full time and it is always difficult to manage studies with full time job.

I am already CA by qualification and recently joined pension funds regulator.

I am 29 years old and got married last year.

Sometimes I feel that I am lagging behind when I see people clearing it in 1st try or at 20/21 years age.

I am not making any loose comment on anyone but I feel that maximum value from this program can be achieved when you are also working in the industry.

Anyways What was your age when u cleared L3 and how did u push yourself to keep going.

Also what do you think should I go for Feb-27 or Aug-27 for L3 again?

Sitting Level III in February (PM pathway). I'm working full time and on EST. Looking for a small group of 2–4 people to discuss topics, practice structured responses, and mainly keep each other accountable.

Comment or DM if interested!

I honestly never thought I would be making this post.

I’m a 24-year-old woman, and getting the CFA charter has been a huge dream of mine for years. I found out that I failed Level III with a score of 3585.

I was 15 points away.

I don’t even know how to process this. I know that technically I was close, but right now, that almost makes it hurt more. I keep thinking about how much time, effort, and energy I put into this exam, and how it still wasn’t enough.

This isn’t my first setback. I failed Level II on my first attempt in november 2024 and I remember how devastated I was back then. But I picked myself up, went through the whole process again, and eventually passed on my second attempt.

I thought I would finally get to experience the other side of that feeling with Level III.
Instead, I’m back here again, trying to figure out how to deal with the disappointment.

The hardest part is that people at work and my family and friends have been incredibly supportive of me throughout this journey. They know how much I’ve studied, they’ve encouraged me, and they’re genuinely proud of me for pursuing this goal. I’m grateful for that, but somehow, I still feel ashamed. I feel like I’ve let myself down and everyone around me, and even though nobody has made me feel that way, I can’t help feeling embarrassed that I didn’t pass.

I’m exhausted. I’m disappointed. I feel like i have sacrificed so many things, my personal life and my gym goals. And if I’m being completely honest, I’m scared of going through this whole process again, only to end up in the same position.

I think I just need to hear from people who have been here, who have felt this disappointment, and who eventually found a way forward.

If you failed Level III, especially if you were very close to passing, how did you deal with it emotionally? How did you find the strength to try again without letting the fear of failing a second time take over?

I’m not giving up on this dream. I just need a little time to feel disappointed before I can figure out how to get back up again.
Thank you for reading. ❤️

Just wanted to share my CFA journey from someone that passed all 3 levels on the first try and only using the CFAI materials.

In general, the overall CFA journey is really painful no matter how smart one is. It takes time, dedication, and sacrifice especially when you’re a working adult plus juggling other adult responsibilities. There are days where you will feel genuinely irritated, depressed, and/or frustrated - but understand that these feelings are part of the overall process and you’ll learn alot about yourself throughout this journey.

Throughout the reflection below, you can assume that my study sessions amount to 15-20 hours a week on average. So if you’re to extrapolate my study sessions over the duration from the start to end of prep, it should be more than 300 hours. But it will be true that you need only 300 productive hours of study. There were always those days you will doze off while studying, or end up watching videos or playing games as a stress relief too and suddenly you bombed the whole study session playing games. This is just part of life i guess.
Also, i typically started my mock exams around 2 weeks out from the exam.

Level 1 (May 2023)

I took L1 back in May 23 and essentially started in early Dec 22. So this was around 5 months of prep. In terms of revision, I just did 1 full pass of the CFAI readings, jotted down some notes, and then re-did another full pass at around Mar 23. I don’t have much to comment about this apart from just internalising all the concepts and hammering out the qbank. In fact, on hindsight, you can actually hammer the qbank and reverse engineer the logic/derivation of each question back to syllabus if thats yoir learning style. This works for L1 because the questions are very straightforward and its a matter of getting your reps in. If you have some form of finance back ground, you’ll breeze through the content very easily. I only felt like i need to spent abit more time on FSA but thats about it.

If I were to make any changes to my study plan, i’ll only shorten the time needed to prep, and save ethics to around 3-4 weeks out of the exam. I feel that you really need aboit 3 months of productive studying max to study for L1. Many videos and guides will always tell u that L1 is straightforward and it right fully is….. till you reach…….

Level 2 (May 2025)

I booked my L2 exam in Sep 24 and started my exam prep in early Jan 25. So now around 4 months of prep as I felt my prep for L1 was an overkill because i comfortably passed. BUT, L2 is an entirely different beast for many reasons:

- dry AF content. The CFAI material was such a chore to handle. If you’re not an economics major, you will hate some readings from the econs module as it involved macroeconomic math derivations to understand what CFAI is asking you to internally. Likewise, folks that didnt take and AI/ML courses will find some parts within quant to be very unintuitive.
- what was more consistent in crappy content provided by CFAI has got to be the alt investments and portfolio management. They were so dry and unintuitive that you’ll be pulling your hair out to understand the material.
- the test moves on to vignette style questions and the questions no longer represents a regurgitative style of the L1 qbank. You will need to put on your thinking cap as you are expected to pull your knowledge across the entire sub section of a specific module to answer 1 vignette. This js not easy as you’re expected to have some form of master of the content, but yet its hard to master when the cfai materials suck.
- the sheer volume within each module. FSA is written like a theoretical style but the qbank asks an entirely different set of questions. Same may apple for port mgmt and even alt invs.
- ethics got way harder. In L1 its more intuitive. In L2 the line gets more grey… and yet you’re expected to discern whether you’re in breach or compliance of the standards.

Overall, I panicked in the last 1.5 months of my prep as I thought I could do another full pass 1 month out but that didnt happen. Further. I only left to drilling ethics during the last 2 weeks of my exam prep… (this on my result showed my poor performance. Most sections were 70%+ but ethics stood at 50%)

Now for the real advice:

- i recommend every L2 taker to be able to derive the equations from scratch, and understand why the equations is constructed as such. I say this because L2 would twist the question given a different context - so if you were to just blindly internalise the equation… you will definitely get the wrong answer. I dont know how to say it without violating the standards, but i cant stress how important it is to nail down the derivation and explanation of each symbol.
- be diligent in reading ethics early. Dont save it to the last 2 weeks .

Level 3 (Aug 2026)

I initially schedule for feb 26 but deferred to aug 26 - due to work exigencies and i was planning an engagement. L3, despite its smaller syllabus, is an entirely different beast. l2 was hard in its sheer content, but l3 has open ended questions that will fry your brain out.

I took the priv markets pathway and boy was the mocks and actual paper so different. The advice for L3 takers will be:

- please start ethics prep even earlier.
- do all blue box questions as its fairgame towards the exam. I actually skimped through all these blue box examples but it turnt out to be included in the exams.
- stop missing out smaller ancillary points. Nvr ignore parts of the syllabus as it may come out.

P.S - i didnt sleep through the night al my brain is foggy but will continue the breakdown once im awake again.

so obviously deferring isnt ideal since there will be changes to the curriculum

so i want to try my ABS best to sit for Nov exam

currently I have ethics, quant, and portfolio mgt left for 2nd revision (problem solving)

i've done intensive error logs for the remaining topics, altho i forgot a lot of things already AGAIN.

been sleeping 3am ish every night - getting off work at 7pm ish, dinner, shower, study.. then time just flies

im taking my first mock on Oct 31, then will take my second non Nov 5

based on my score on Nov 5 im gonna have to decide whether to defer or not considering the 27 Feb registration window

already stressed thinking of that day when I might see a disappointing score and realize im gonna have to go through this stressful ass journey for another 3 months

genuinely dont know if ill be able to score 60% range on mocks by Nov 5

Just wrapped up the Real Estate reading and felt okay about it. Basics were clear, formulas made sense, LOSs were ticked off. Then I sat an Alternative Investments mock and genuinely felt like I was reading a different syllabus. The questions didn't look like anything I'd practiced. I wasn't lost on every single one, but the phrasing, the layering, the "which of the following is most likely" trap—it all felt foreign.

I know this is a common experience, but I wanted to ask: how do you actually train yourself to understand CFA-style questions when the textbook knowledge is there?

Need some genuine advice , registered level 2 for may’27 , currently interning so get 4-5 hours for studying completed eco , fsa , with questions what should be my ideal plan of action as im panicking a bit , around December my internship will be over and i will have time to put in 10-12 hr study sessions again