Seems 35% candidates could pass CFA level I exam, well, among 120 questions, how many could I err to still pass it? I’m trying to do a mock and set the benchmark… Thx!
Hard to say, preference given to particular sections. Assuming a 70% level to pass, that say 84/120. But if you got all 18 ethics wrong and 18 FSA, you’ve failed.
Technically, if you consider a 70% a pass then you could make 36 mistakes on each exam.
but i guess here its a 70% requirement not overall but in each subject…and if its below 70% in couple of them ethics is ur backup…dats wat i ve heard!>
Your aggregate score must be above a 70, or w/e the minimum passing score is. You could score below a 50 in FSA and still pass so long as your other sections were strong and your aggregate was above the minimum passing score.
but frmw at i have heard is that even if u score less than 50% in 1 subject, no matter if u score more than 70% in all others, u wont pass…
If you’re trying to pass the exam while scoring <50% in certain sections you should probably rethink your preparation process.
I had a friend who passed last year june, who got less than 50 on alternative investments and he passed. So you do not have to pass every topic area to pass.
prophet_ca Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I had a friend who passed last year june, who got > less than 50 on alternative investments and he > passed. So you do not have to pass every topic > area to pass. and corporate finance at that matter. but i don’t recommend it.
maybe true bt most of the people who pass definitely have a more than 70% in atleast 8 topics…as far as i ve seen…i guess theres no point in worryin abt all this nw…its high time
sgkhade07 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > but frmw at i have heard is that even if u score > less than 50% in 1 subject, no matter if u score > more than 70% in all others, u wont pass… The CFAI doesn’t automatically fail you if you score below 50% in one section. Of course you don’t want to score below a 50% but it happens. Consider Alternative Investments, there will be maybe 10 questions total on the exam relating to AI which gives it a 4% weighting (10/240). You could easily get a 0 on that section and pass the exam. There is no subjectivity to it, if your aggregate score is a 70, you are guaranteed to pass. No one ever failed with a 70. Look back at the previous Official January results thread. There were plenty of people with <50 in a section or two who passed. The only caveat to the exam scoring is Ethics. It is true that if you are a borderline fail the CFAI will look at your performance in Ethics to determine whether or not you pass. It is minimal at best. This is all hypothetical but say the minimum passing score happened to be a 70 on the nose. If you scored a 69.4 but your Ethics score was very strong the CFAI would probably pass you. Level 1: Pass The table below illustrates your subject matter strengths and weaknesses. The three columns on the right are marked with asterisks to indicate your performance on each question or topic area. Multiple Choice Q# Topic Max Pts <=50% 51%-70% >70% - Alternative Investments 8 *- - - Corporate Finance 20 - - * - Derivatives 12 - - * - Economics 24 - - * - Equity Investments 24 - - * - Ethical & Professional Standards 36 - - * - Financial Reporting & Analysis 48 - - * - Fixed Income Investments 28 - - * - Portfolio Management 12 - - * - Quantitative Methods 28 - - * Love how I bombed the smallest section! But I’ll take it! Just browse through the results http://www.analystforum.com/phorums/read.php?11,894665,page=1
pass is a pass nice scores though 
I was browsing. Looks like the it is a very thin line between pass and fail. Also to hell with Alternative Investments. The weighting is so small.
From what we were told in our Schweser class (taught in Dallas but the same group travels worldwide, has been graders, etc), you do not typically need 70% to pass. (Actual rates weren’t disclosed of course.) That doesn’t mean 60% will get you there but just that there is typically some room below the assumed 70% line. We were also told that Ethics can be the tipping point. In other words if you are very borderline, they will look at your ethics performance to decide which way you fall. Things may have changed but still some good info.
prophet_ca Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I had a friend who passed last year june, who got > less than 50 on alternative investments and he > passed. So you do not have to pass every topic > area to pass. That was me! Alt <= 50. Think 8 questions, 4 wrong = 50 CF <70 (12? questions, same deal) Rest +70 If you had to pass every topic, you could only get like 1 wrong in Alt and 2-3 wrong in CF.