not able to study like L1 :( Body and mind is tired

CFA Level II Fixed Income
#1

GUys

i am trying from january but i am not able to study hard like i did for L1.

My mind and body is tired and gives up in 2-3 hrs in a day.

Please tell what to do as at this rate i wont crack L2

Quite worried. Please advice . sad

#2

Don’t beat yourself up too much. This is exactly how I felt, but lately I’ve been kicking it into gear. What I did may not apply to you, but for an idea:

  • TV remotes and playstation controllers are locked in my desk at the office. - Printed a reading schedule and hung on the wall over my laptop. It’s a tight schedule, basically a reading a day between now and end of April, but is doable. By having the dates on there I get a guilty feeling when I start falling behind schedule, which motivates me on weekends. Also gives me goals - for example I had 4 readings to get through by Sunday evening, I did them all by Saturday night so I could take Sunday completely off - Split up the study sessions. I do an hour or two before work, study over lunch, and can generally finish that reading off before leaving the office, in an hour or so. I get home then around 6 and have the evening to chill. If I’m feeling ambitious I can start the next days reading, or do some practice questions. For me mixing up locations definately helps to keep me focused. - Don’t worry so much if you go through a reading and feel like you’re just “doing the motions”, you’ll retain more than you realize and if you’re like me you don’t really learn anything until you get into revision mode anyway. - Keep the apartment/desk clean. It’s amazing how much a few dirty dishes kicking around or a cluttered desk kills motivation.

Besides that, coffee and vegetables are your friend. The days I eat a good, balanced meal with potatoes and all that, I have much more energy and focus than the ones where I get a pizza or cheeseburger. And coffee just keeps me moving - gotta refill every half hour or whatever so I don’t have a chance to nod off. There’s also something to say about CvM’s cleansed colon here…

#3

Which playstation games do you have and what is CvC cleansed colon?

#4

2-3 hours of quality study should be enough no?

Do some exercise as it will freshen yr mind and body.

#5

You need the Pomodoro Technique: www.pomodorotechnique.com

#6

Unless you’re seriously behind, I see no reason an hour a day wouldn’t suffice. I’m on target for a study session a week to end at the end of April. At an hour a day, that works out to 7 hr/ session. If you are in fact behind, the best advice I can think of is to hustle for a few weeks to better position yourself schedule wise.

#7

Hi Vicky,

same here. Since stared studying end of jan, I am done with quant, ethics, fra, Eco, corpfin . But since I started equity 2 weeks ago I haven’t been able to finish it. Seems after half an hour of reading my mind wanders. Besides, equity section looks too familiar that i lose focus when I read it. Then eoc pounds me hard.

Didn’t take the offer when an uncle offered a free 15-day $3500 pilgrimage with side trip to Istanbul and chose to study instead. Now I am not sure if I can crack this while the whole extended family now knows I am taking the exam. Stressed out to the max

I think now my approach is: why did I sign up for CFA program? To deepen my knowledge. Then I will learn as much as I could. June 1 is a measure of how much I learn, not the goal itself. If i dont pass this year, there will be next year. Since I keep on telling myself that somehow I get calmer. And somehow this morning alone I completed a chapter.

Good luck to all of us

#8

ninini did you pass L1 in dec 2012?

#9

Pierre: yes, I wrote the dec 2012 exam. So I started my L2 readings only after I found out I passed in late jan

#10

Thanks guys for the support. What i am doing is studying 2+ hrs a day and target is to finish small readings in 1 day and big readings in 2-3 days. Maybe all of us are tired its not only me

Ok will cut down on junk food and keep moving ahead like a TORTOISE indecision

#11

vicky, how old are you?

#12

I have been stuck on reading 19 intercorporate investments since last wednesday. Everytime I open the book and read 2 paragraphs on stupid sh!t like IFRS and GAAP treatment of goodwill, I get pissed off and slam the book shut. No idea on how I’m gonna pass the FRA section.

#13

ya ifsr gaap diff. are bullshit. CFAI should just start following Ifrs. it is an international designation isnt it?

#14

yeah, I’m pissed off having to learn this. I’m doing CFA for the knowledge mostly and I feel this is such a waste of time and cause for stress. I guess they really want to beat it into us that there are different accounting conventions so don’t always assume it’s done one way.

#15

you are always complaining dude. It’s on the test, so just STFU and learn it

#16

why do you always have to be the buzzkill.

I have finished the FRA part and already learned the diff. I hope I dont see ifrs and gaap in equity or fixed income. The diff. are going to go away in a few years anyways

#17

@pierrewo*****… u look like a 1000 years old. laugh cheeky

#18
#19

I am in the exact same situation so I can understand. After giving the L1, I started working which completely took away my desire to study. The same course which I found so damn interesting in L1, I’m having trouble in keeping my eyes open in front of my L2 books.

In fact, I try to keep away from AF these days because I am seriously way behind you guys. Some of the people are already in their second pass.

This is what I’ve been doing and I think some of it might just be of a little help to you as well -

  1. Stop thinking about the exam all the time. This will only make you stressed and suck out your desire to study.

  2. Treat yourself. Get a spa treatment, go out and have a drink, don’t stay at home and be miserable. It is very important to have a small social life.

  3. Keep your study room only for study purposes. Only watch an occassional episode of your favourite TV show, eat lunch/ dinner or anything else other than studies for that matter.

  4. Make sure you exercise a little bit everyday. I play a couple of hours of golf everyday, which is not tiring but very refreshing. Going to the gym for sometime is a great stress buster too.

  5. Make realistic goals. If you make huge goals for the day, you are only going to get overwhelmed and you might just end up doing nothing. Have goals which will make your mind think that it’s attainable.

  6. Have a weekly strech goal. One that is not necessary but great if you can achieve it. If you manage to do so, do something like what I said in #2.

#20

they have spas and golf in india?