Level 1 Retake Plan??

CFA Level I
#1

Hi all,

So I wanted to get some thoughts on retaking the Level 1 exam in either December 2016 or June of 2017.

I scored Band 7 on my first attempt in June of this year and put in close to or a little less than 100 hours of studying with many skipped weeks in between. I also did 3 Mocks a week prior to the exam.

4 topics above 70%, 2 between 51 and 70% and 4 below 50%…

Would it be better in my situation to retake Level 1 in December as the material is the same and still fresh in my mind or wait until June to give myself more time to study?

Thanks!

#2

probably less work to do it asap while it’s fresher

#3

I think what would be better is for you to study more hours.

#4

You should start NOW with the 4 topics below 50%. Then move from weakness to strength. December should definitely be doable.

#5

People fail Level I?

#6

Figure out when you can complete another 200 hours. If that’s before Dec, do Dec.

Also, 3 mocks a week seems like kind of a lot. Were you revising those? Sometimes you can get a lift from taking several days to revise 1 mock. Like, 2x to 3x (12-18 hours). Try making 80% of the question types as intuitive as as the finding the area of a circle.

#7

I think it is about how much time you think is enough for you to improve your weak area. If you got <50% on heavy-weight area like FRA or Ethics, it would cost you more time to improve. You don’t need to rush if not necessary, spend more than 100 hours ( it takes about 300 hours in average to finish level I, I probably spend more than that), do as many mock as possible ( i remember doing 5 mocks for each topic on CFA website). To me, I study CFA not because I want to get myself a brand but because I want to truly understand how the financial market works, so I never rush. You should do the same thing. However, it is up to you to decide.