I wish everyone could get detailed results for L3. Apparently they now only give detailed results to those who didn’t pass, in order to help them understand their areas of strength/weakness for the purposes of retaking the exam.
1 Like
Same. Failed my second attempt.
Based on that second page and brackets of 50-70%, I could high-level estimate (measured on screen the line compared to 50-70%) that my score increased from 42,06% to 58,28%. However I see I failed completely ethics (think around 30% - again) and alternative investments (42%), the rest has improved (estimating equity - 49%, economics - 55%, fixed income & derivatives - 56,2%, behavioral finance, private wealth and institutional - 86% and asset allocation, trading and performance evaluation - 66% - again these are estimation based on that bucket of 50-70%). Just would love to know how to practise ethics? Will you take it again and how would you prep yourself better on ethics? Would MM be a good one?
1 Like
i scored above 70% in ~50% of the exam specifically in heavy weight topics (like PM) and between 50-70% for ~40% of exam (Ethics, FI, AI, equity) and just in derivative below 50%. My score line very close to MPS (see screen shot below. Any one closer than this ?
1 Like
Just as a side question - have you tried doing all the ethics MCQ questions in CFA’s learning ecosystem, on their website? For me at least, the ethics part of the exam eventually became a repetitive pattern of “typically tricky” scenarios that kept tripping me up in the ecosystem but once I got used to the command words and scenario triggers it almost became the easiest part of the test over time. Because the command words and triggers couldn’t change much, only the people and places could change in questions. Have you tried this? I found this turned a potential weakness into a strength for me.
Cheers you got this next time surely👍
Yikes …. That hurts ! That line … I mean. I know way too well. Used to be called Band 10 !
2 Likes
In ethics i think i got close to 60%. I practiced all CFAI learning eco system a couple of time and also made a few notes to myself on incorrect answers. I read their example and practice problem from text book and revised once. It did helped on exam day, i think atleast a couple of question were direct hit.
Probability, I think next time i will re-read this a few time do make a point not to forget by the time exam comes in. I did a few mock exams which helped answering by keeping in mind command words, I wish they could share AM score so i could assess if it is CBT or AM score that killed me.
1 Like
It’s not sinking in even after a week. I am in self doubt. There are very thin chances i can do better than this even after 10x mock exam because you can still have a topic below 50% that can give you a fail.
Its hard to understand what is ask from Institute. I strongly think its not a knowledge test but there is huge weight on test taking skills. Right after exam i post on this forum same feelings that there other crap in this test which get more weights than knowledge test. why to trick that much by command word, why extreme level of time pressure and so on. Again, that all is my personal view.
Hi.
My study material (for the second retake) was Kaplan schweser notes + did 3-4 exams schweser notes and did a couple of previous years exam questions (just on fixed income as I saw that was a working point on my first attempt). Despite taking again +/- 3,5 weeks off of work (and understanding all the details of KS), I think I could just do more exams/questions. If I remember well I did a couple of them - **You are referring to the online questions of CFA, with that ecosystem? (It’s just I can post a link in this comment box)
Cheers,
1 Like
Hah, I feel you completely (although yours is slightly higher). I was relatively comfortable with my second attempt, but my motivation was completely crushed last Tuesday 
Constantly thinking if i would just have 60% on ethics and would have passed this exam, with my current score and reading about the mps of december 2020 (first attempt) I would have also passed… All that work…Constantly thinking, how could do better or even thinking can I do better…
1 Like
Yes @cedric1990 I am referring to the MCQ questions on the CFA Institute’s website, candidate resources - learning ecosystem. For ethics in particular I found this a great way to become fluent with how the Institute likes to word their question “setups.”
Kaplan can sometimes do it a little differently than the Institute does. The CFA official MCQ questions are great for reviewing your weaker sections and excellent for ethics at least in my opinion.
Also - look at other posts here on AF about Brinson Model. Kaplan for some reason confuses Brinson Fachler model up a little bit in their materials, in my 2020 version at least. All the way through their mocks. If you get a question you won’t want to get it wrong on a future exam. Also double check your QuickSheet formulas against core source formulas… there were some minor errors and shortcuts in the 2020 version fyi, that could have tripped you up unawares because you memorized one with a typo or shortcut that didn’t apply to the question setup.
Cheers you got this👍
My score just ‘gently’ touching the MPS line from below.
1 Like
Hang it there.
Passed this time mainly with MM (video, online mocks and question banks), BB and CFIA online question banks and “paper” mock… I did a total of 4 to 5 mocks in the last 2 weeks before exam date.
Supplement with CFIA and forums on unclear topics and items.
Never used KS for L3, but used KS for L2 and L1. Some areas of KS books are difficult to follow because of short cuts (intentional or not).
MM videos and notes help tremendously on concepts with exercises. I would recommend MM.
2 Likes
I am no expert but my 2 cents on CFA Level 3…I just used KS for all three levels and always did EOC , blue box and CFAI questions. Used CFAI text or IFT where i cannot understand from KS and needed more information but that was like 10% of the whole material. I didn’t use my time wisely though on am exam but fortunately passed. I think KS covers everything if you can retain the information. I believe i retained 80-90% KS information if I had revised enough but if you can retain only 50% when you read double the material in original CFAI text, then it doesn’t help you. In level 3 am, you are not provided all the information to chose one answer but you have to retain key words and information which you can put in to words and write concisely. But end of day everyone has their way of retention and working.
i didn’t have time for any mock exam but i read questions and answers for last 6-7 years without actually solving.
Good luck to everyone for your next exam.
1 Like
Pretty close.You surely deserve to clear this thingy.But will need motivation,and concentration.And be calm on exam day,next time.
1 Like
I am dealing with self doubt. I don’t think i can do better than this because in the exam there are many topics and there is fair chance that you can get below 50% in one of those topic and you will fail despite getting more than 70% in 50% of the exams. That’s what happened with me.
Only topics where i have below 50% was derivative which is low weight topics but still did lot of damage. It could be ethics.
My motivation is down to minimum level. I am full with anger and frustration. What a shitty exam platform this is. Its a big joke… its not a knowledge test…its more about you test taking skill (as i said that when right after i took the exam)… zero respect.
They dint share AM score so i don’t know if i failed because of CBT (AM).
The only way to get this ■■■■ done is brutally over do it to make that institute happy (despite it’s not needed from knowledge test perspective). I am member of a couple more other prestigious institutes in the world but the experience this institute is very shitty… absolutely zero respect.
I can tell you, without any hesitation, that there are prep providers who can absolutely get you a pass next time. My experience is with Chalk & Board. So I can only talk about them. But there are others too surely.
Chalk & Board, or a similar types of specialized study service, can get you past L3 it’s absolutely something I can say with confidence. Just by watching videos. That’s all I ended up doing - and I ended up taking 120 pages of notes from those videos. Find a good service and use it, get away from Kaplan but keep their mocks for the future. You just need to sharpen some points up a little bit and deepen your understanding of some key areas.
Totally yours if you want it. Cheers and good luck if you continue - you got this👍