Here’s my scorecard from my two CFA L3 attempts. Considering the time, patience and monetary investment needed, I’m in two minds if I should pursue it further. Any thoughts or advice that the fellow forum mates would like to share?
First of all: you came very close both times.
This is frustrating on one hand but comforting on the other: you’re almost there to make it.
In my opinion you should absolutely try again and do it in the next session, before the curriculum changes substantially.
I would focus on improving:
- Private Wealth
- Alternatives
- Economics
- Fixed Income
These are areas in which you seem not so strong but they are often topics for essay kind questions. Essay kind questions are those in which you may lose a lot of points along the way and your score might suffer. This is because a response to an essay question is nearly always: or perfectly correct (you get a lot of points) or completely wrong (you get zero points).
If you begin to answer incorrectly, you generally will not recover in the following portion of the question. That should be averted!
Regarding Alternatives: in which section do you think you don’t do well? HF strategies or asset allocation to Alternative Investments? If it’s HF strategies, I would deeply study each of them because they are frequently asked in essay format questions.
Private Wealth: this seems also a section of the curriculum you should improve, because very often it comes in the form of an essay. PW issues (such as concentrated positions, IPS, taxes, trusts, estate planning, etc ) are suitable topics for essay kind questions.
Finally: you should practice at least 7 mock exams before the exam.
You can absolutely make it by August – start now!
I agree w-Fabio 100%. I had 25+ years of professional experience when I got on the CFA track. I’d been the Controller of one company and the CFO of another. I took L3 three times. I was tempted to throw in the towel after not passing it the second time. I’m glad I persevered and stayed with it. I hope you won’t give up. If you do, I’ll bet that, 25 or 30 years from now, you’ll really regret it if you do. Hang in there, study hard, and believe in yourself. You’ll be rewarded for doing so. Good luck!!
Based on the calculations from your scores, It looks like you might have missed it in Feb 2024 Exam by approximately 2 questions (in total approximately 6 Marks).
Based on this, the Approximate MPS might have been something between 60% to 62%.
I suggest you to give it another shot. I am sure you can crack it. Just need to fine tune your study strategy and avoid any silly mistakes you might be making.