I’m gonna go ahead and bump this, just so I can feel the hate.
GM, you are sure asking for it aren’t you?! To help inspire you and get your juices pumping for the incoming hate, here’s something that should be right up your alley…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCA05Jdjqs
Do Pearson proud and just soak in that hate! LOL!!
Yes I will.
Let the hate flow through me.
D-day again.Two More hours for the result. I am sure few more jubilant aswell heart broken will join this discussion today.
Gone through your comments Greenman and realizing how i rejoined L1 without a second thought.
I guess Ego plays a sole role in deciding for retakers.
Just discovered this thread. Thanks for the motivation GM 
^Why aren’t you at your post?
I’d say you should quit now.
People pass level 2 after 2-3 attempt and then are stuck at level 3 for YEARS… it’s probably not worth it… save your money
people that have the charter and say “it’s easy in hindsight” those in the industry that don’t have it " don’t care"… it’s a lose - lose situation
At this rate I may die of a heart attack before I ever even find out whether or not I passed.
It’s 2017, can’t they just rent extra server space for a day so people can log in and look at their scores? Why does getting my score have to be like waiting for the cable guy to show up?
I don’t think I studied as hard for anything in my life as I did for the CFA exams, L3 in particular.
I agree with much of Greenman’s original post. Passing these exams requires that they be a key focus of your life for months at a time, and the exams get harder as you progress. If you know that up front and still want to do it, go for it.
I passed the exams 3/3 in 18 months. It was a slog. Finance education made L1 fairly straightforward, but L2 and then L3 were much harder. I passed L3 by the skin of my teeth after studying about 500 hours. If I’d failed, not sure I would have tried it again, not least because the wife wanted to start a family.
GM - let the haters say what they want, but yours is one of the few completely honest posts and I welcome it. If people can’t face the harsh realities of this test then they are only fooling themselves. Having just written my level 3 test, I found myself asking the same questions. Was it worth it? Were all these hours worth the personal and family sacrifice, especially with an infant and another on the way. If I don’t pass this year, in all honesty I may not retake next year. I have to think I would being so close, but I can’t imagine doing this to my family another year with 2 infants in the house.
The good and bad of your post:
good - it’s honest and every single candidate should ask themselves if the sacrifice of years of their lives is worth it (with no guarantee of passing). So many start the program and quit part way through…waste? Not completely, but definitely other more worthwhile endeavors in my opinion if you aren’t going to reach the end. Take a brutally honest self assessment if you’re the type of person that can endure this.
Bad - the harsh truth may convince others to not start. I myself being one of those people. If I had really truly understood the time demand and personal/family sacrifice this program would take I would likely never have started. And look at me now, hoping to receive a congrats in a couple weeks and have the designation forever. Maybe ignorance is bliss?
Couple thoughts I would add:
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I’d recommend doing this while younger. The older you get, the more likely you are to have greater family and work responsibilities and it will be harder to put the time in for these tests. It’s so hard to know what your life demands will be in a few years. Also, need to maximize return in your career for these skills learned.
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Ask yourself if 1000+ hours of your time will best be used getting this designation. I often ask myself if I spent 1000 hours learning to code and make apps or algorithms, if that would be a greater benefit on my future. Cat’s still in the bag on that one as I’ll have to see what doors the CFA designation opens for me.
holy shit
what a read lol
Great read. Sometimes I feel like, “what have I gotten myself into?” Here I am thinking I can work full time, spend January till June studying for each level, and during the summer and fall take classes towards a master’s degree for the next 3-4 years. I’m single and have no family yet at the age of 27, but this definitely puts everything into perspective. While i’m excited to learn and become a better analyst, the commitment and sacrifice this requires, what some of the people went through on this thread to join that elite club of financial professionals…just goes to show it’s a big decision to make.
Dream it, do it. Winning moments.
I love it. Truly inspriational.
It’s very true that the CFA takes great sacrifice. It takes long hours and dedication. There’s just so much content on the exams.
However, I actually believe that most candidates can pass all three levels. The questions on Level I, for example, aren’t hard–they just cover many different topics. The CFA exams are tough not because they test high-level concepts but because they cover many topics. On top of that, most candidates work full-time. Time is a major issue: both when studying for these exams, and when taking the exams.
I’d suggest everyone first decide whether the commitment is worth it. Anyone who decides to go down the path should then find a good provider to study efficiently. It’s important to manage time so that you leave plenty of time to practice questions.
I agree.
I’m gonna go ahead and bump this so you guys have a little extra motivation for the next two weeks.
Love to hear your thoughts and comments.
Great i will consider marry a lady pursuing CFA as well so life balance done deal, i hope i will pass L1 Ameen