Here is the study plan that I am planning to follow:
Daily Spend 4 hrs during weekdays
Morning: 4 to 6am (Studying Schweser Notes)
Night: 10 to 12am (Problem Solving)
Spend 6 hrs on weekends
Saturday/Sunday 12 to 6pm
Reference Material : Schweser Notes/Material/Video Series
Time to Exam : 4 months
Mid Oct/Nov : Mock exams and revision (Practice Exams)
First Half Oct : Revision (Secret Sauce Revision)
August/September : Complete 18 Study Session
August : 9 session (2.5 session per week including problem solving)
September : 9 session (same as above)
What do you guys thing of this plan? Also what is the topic sequence you would suggest one to follow, i am 80% with Study session 2 Basic Quant, any thoughts would be highly appreciated
That’s a lot more than I’m doing… I generally get home around 4:30, make some food and study from 6-8:30ish. Then on weekends I go off and on the entire time (study an hour, watch a sitcom, study some more, etc). I don’t function good enough in the morning to study then. But it’s a good way to get through it all for september (I’d say a ss takes me ~8-10 hours as it is? maybe a bit more)
I’m going through it all in order. I see ethics and quant as foundational material so it comes first, and then do econ and FRA so that I can repeat them after (they’re the hardest material imo)
I’ll say the same thing I say to the hundreds of other people asking whether their study plan works: having a study plan is one thing, adhering to it fervently in spite of all the curveballs life throws your way is another. Your plan looks perfectly fine. Many people including myself did the same thing myself last year (started mid-March and took the exam in June with a full-time job and no finance background), so it’s doable.
You can probably make it easier on yourself by putting in more hours on the weekends. Yes I’m sure you will be able to sleep only four hours every weekday consistently from now until exam time without losing concentration or stamina and all that, but I mean, why not balance it out a little bit more?
As for the topic sequence, I don’t think it really matters too much as long as you loosely follow chapter numbers in an increasing order. The only thing I would make a special note of is to do a pass over Ethics a few days before the exam, so it’s fresh in your mind. (I read Ethics the day before my own Level II exam.) What will make the most difference in your result is doing and reviewing as many practice questions and exams as you can.
my two cents: don’t consider ethics foundational material for the exam (it is, however, foundational material for the program and should NOT be taken lightly), nothing in the ethics study sessions’ repeats in any other study session, but it will repeat itself later in the program. my advice would be maybe to skim it, at most, in the beginning (if you insist on going in order) and then proceed with the rest of the curriculum. return to ethics shortly before the test during your review stage both before practice exams and througout the rest of your review. my point is that all the rules and subtleties are easy to forget and it might benefit one (as it did me) to save it for last.
you’re right to consider QM foundational for L1 tho, it will repeat itself in CF, PM, Equity, FI, and Derivs.
nothing says you have to do study sessions in order, do it in a way that makes it easiest for you…
check the CFAI website for weightings and allocate your time accordingly. if i remember correctly, your biggest focus should be on FRA, Equity, FI, QM, and Ethics. Sections like CF and AI should take back seats to these sections.
Seriously? 4 Hours of sleep a night assuming you fall asleep immediately when you finish studying in the evening and are immediately ready to study when you get up in the morning? This looks like a recipe for crankiness! I’m struggling to wake up at 6:30 to study when I sleep at 11:30!
I agree you could burn yourself up fast dude if you do this for a couple of weeks!
Would be worth trying to watch videos/read materials when you travel to work and travel back from work? And give yourself a little breather now and than. Just my two cents, All the best!
I think it’d be better to study in the morning (I studied 3:30 - 7:00 a.m. for Level 1, often puttng a 1 hour workout in the middle) and sleep/rest in the evenings. I rarely studied on weekends (except the last few weeks), never studied in the evenings, and still got everything done because I was well rested (went to bed at around 8 p.m.) and extremely focused. Quantity of hours isn’t as important as quality, especially once you’ve finished reading everything – you want the early hours while you are fresh and able to focus intensely. I dont know many people who can have the kind of focus I had in the AM after work in the PM. BUT adhering to that schedule (bed 8 pm, awake 3 am) isn’t for those lacking will power. It’s tough.
I completely agree. Having a schedule which is actually achieveable would motivate me much more than trying to go all out and burning out after a few weeks. I don’t want this test to be my life; it is just something work told me I have to do so I’m doing it (hence my handle).
this is the stupidest thing i have ever seen. 4 am to 6 am? are you kidding yourself bro? level I is EASY…dont kill yourself. 2 hours a night for 4 to 5 months is the MAX that you need. trust me… save yourself some pain. all you need to do is pass…not set a record for best score ever. relax
I work as an analyst on the west coast so I have to study after work. I started in late March and compelted material and now I am reviewing weak spots and doing questions.
Starting Monday 27, you’ll have 14 weeks before December 1. If you manage to fit in 20 hours per week (E.g. 2 hours per day, and 10 hours during the weekend), you’ll have studied 240 hours before the exam. If you have studied a Bsc in Business/Economics/Finance/Accounting/Management, 240 hours should be enough to pass CFA Level 1. You can always adjust it half way through if you feel that you’re not doing enough, just make sure you don’t start too strong and burn out before the exam.
Weekends I don’t really have a set schedule, but I try to get at least 4 hours a day.
I started studying a month ago, honestly haven’t kept consistent with this study plan. I can’t believe some of the people that get 4 hours of sleep each night only to devote the other 20 to working and studying for level 1. Seriously, i know hard work pays off but don’t sacrafice your health like that!? It seems so far the majority of all the material I have seen before in universtiy (except ethics).
Honestly, not even that worried about the exam. But then again, talk to me in November, I’m sure I will be stressing like everyone else.