it’s my first time taking level 3 but this definitely feels like the real exam. i didn’t do well because of timing and i’m gonna study every question inside out. many questions require thorough understanding of the curriculum and i’m glad to realize it now than late. overall a very good experience. looking forward to the next one.
edit: went through both short answers and full guideline answers, and now i know how to construct response in the most efficient manner.
Hi,
Is it at all possible to sell the mock exams individually? I would love to have at least one, but the exchange rate is brutal where I live
They will be available individually as they’re finished. The first one is available now.
I was hoping that the short answers would be useful. Thanks for the feedback.
S2000: I signed up for MarkMeldrums videos/notes and doing his program. He is already booked out for his mock exams.
If I wanted to do both MM’s mocks and all your mocks and pay you to look over the mocks what would you recommend?
I’m a retaker from last year scoring 35% in AM and 70% in PM with an overall failure of about 3%. I do not want to be here next spring so really need help in the AM.
I still have slots available for exam grading, but they’re going fast.
I’ll gladly mark any of my exams, past CFA Institute exams, and CFA Institute mock exams. For third-party exams, I would have to see the exam and the guideline answers before I agreed to mark it.
At the moment I have no restrictions against me marking Dr. Meldrum’s exams, but that may change. Please ask me again in a week or two.
What were, in your opinion, key factors contributing to lower score in AM section? How many, and which mock have you practiced?
gudlak,
I read through the Schweser, worked 6 Schweser practice exams, CFA Mocks, and CFA mocks going back to 2014 and I still bombed the AM.
I honestly think I didn’t work EOC and read the original text enough. When it came to the AM I hadn’t seen the CFA AM type question format enough when I started the mocks. I think you have to familiarize yourself when the way AM is structured, how you should answer etc. Not the schweser way, but the CFA way.
On test day there was 1 question in the AM I spent too much time on, and probably got wrong; based on how close I was if I had a similar test and didn’t have 1 or 2 questions I may have known how to answer those and passed.
I believe you should understand how to answer a Calculate, describe, and other keyword questions in the exam from like April. So when you practice you mocks in the AM you can practice the CORRECT way to answer the questions. I was writing paragraphs and not bullet-ed responses which ate a lot of time and killed me.
If you can score well in the AM you will score well in the PM. Because the AM requires so much more when its fill in the blank. So prepare for the AM and beginning looking over formulas a bit each day and start learning how to answer a constructed response correctly.
I am using Mark Meldrums videos and reading original text this time around. Original text is so wordy and it actually helps solidify some of my understanding so when I get a AM type question I will know what verbage is going to be good. Not the Schweser verbage. I used Schweser for the first 2 levels and passed, but I didn’t buy it this year.
I saw people using MM and people buying mocks outside of Schweser and shelling the cash for people grading the constructed response mocks. And I was like WTF, but as the time went on closer to the exam a lot of people answering on the forums scoring 80%+ in the PM and scoring 60% in the AM had used a third party source besides schweser, paid for somebody to grade am mocks, and so now I am doing the same…
I was like man I failed by 3% all I have to do is raise my score by 3% in a year, but then they changed 40% of the readings. After a year it is so discouraging to sign back up for an exam you think you failed by like 2 questions in the AM. But, here I am ready to finally be done with the CFA. Shelling out the extra cash on top of whatever you have to get your mocks graded is crucial. Probably want to work in like 1-3 AM mocks before you have a grader look over your mock. The first time you do an AM mock its murder. I have signed up for S2000 grading service, and I may pay for 1 mock to be graded by MM I am on his wait-list. If you aren’t scoring high in the AM when you grade then you will be even lower. I was grading myself I think in the range of 45-60%, but got 35% on the exam day. So, now I need like 70% when I grade myself in the AM to trust I can score 60% in AM. I think 60% in AM locks passing for CFA Level III, given you can get 70% or higher in the PM.
Hope this helps!
You will get it this time. Next year this time you will be having a cup of coffee and looking back and feeling proud of yourself that you did it. 
Pyng,
Thanks man! I am ready to get this over with!
You’re spot on!
I wrote my Survivor’s Guide to the CFA Institute Command Words precisely because candidates need help understanding what the command words really mean and how to answer each command word correctly.
Thanks for a detailed response, it sure helps. You will nail it this time!
Yea, first thing I noticed on your site that you had this packaged in with an AM mock. I have two copies printed out one at my home and one at my office. Reading through the examples when I get burnt out reading or want something “casual” and fun to read. Going to take several iterations reading this pdf to really see what I did last year wrong and this year. I definitely wrote too much last year.
I think last year for each calculate question I wrote the formula and defined all the variables. I guess that is complete overkill.
I never would have thought that someone would describe anything associated with learning the CFA curriculum as casual and fun to read.
Thanks for that!
When you are reading about MVO, Reverse Optimization, Black-Litterman, and Sampled MVO; along with all the differences along with the worst charts possible to explain the differences… Anything can be fun and casual.
So . . . I cleared a not-particularly-high bar.
Um . . . thanks.
Your charts are pretty interesting and it is a fun read I’m liking it =)
To the point isn’t it?
I’m not sure what you mean, but you’re certainly not quoting what I wrote.
please provide us with the link for the purchase, thanks.