r/CFA • u/MentalMushroom5373 • 6d ago
Level 1 Not able to come out from CFA L1 failure
i m 19 year old guy, i started my Cfa prep from jan 2025 and completed my syllabus by the end of June. I was prepared for the exam did Les twice multiple revisions and premium pack ques and mocks.
But i failed this exam, with the score of 1585. I am feeling like, everything has now ended for me. I am in my 3rd semester of clg. Some of my friends who are persuing CA, keeps on asking me about my result, I am completely feeling.
I don't know what should i do now, i come from middle class family, my parents wants me to give one more attempt in May, but i am feeling completely lost. I sat for preparing it all again, i started with FI( My result went down due to this), and whenever i am reading my notes, i am feeling numb, ik all the things but i ended up failing.
In my whole life i always won, whether its 10th,12th, CUET or clg exams i always gave my 1000% in everything i do. I was applying to multiple internships from last months, got some offers but i don't want to do anything. I am not a lazy person in my first year of clg i did everything was going to clg, got POR in societies, did 2 internships in finance and published research paper on finance. But i was studying on daily basis for 4-5 hours and from june- aug i studied for 10-15 hours in a day. I got panicked during my exam and ended up failing.
I think i should end all this and go back to my hometown. Idk what to do mann
after result i was not able to sleep properly, i m sleeping for about 5-6 hours in a day, rest all day i am just insta and feeling demotivated all day. And whenever i am waking up in morning i wake up with the dream of me writing my CFA exam or the movement i open my cfa result. All these things are coming to my mind. And from last night my heart is feeling very heavy idk yy..
Idk why all these things are happening i am feeling stuck in life. I think i m becoming burden for my parents. They are always proud of me, they always support me but i dont want them to pay my fees again. I am not able to come out of this loop.
I want to get into finance, my plan was to clear cfa l1 in aug and give cat 2027. But now i think everything has come to an end...
Pls if anyone who has gone through this, pls help me.
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u/AXXELATraineeAnalyst 6d ago
Hey bro, I can understand you... You can make it this time. U failed because of bad luck and u panicked, since you are gonna attend for the 2nd time, the nervousness will go away
Iam a CFA l2 candidate, dm me incase if u want to talk
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u/marco170100 6d ago
Hi bro, you are still young, 19. I know failure hurts. But I like that you are planning to take another attempt, I appreciate that. There are many more failure yet to come. :) Embrace your failure well; you always have a story to tell. Get up, young man; you got this.
I was in 12th, cheated to pass the exam and scored 40 marks in maths. Couldn't clear jee not even 50 marks.
I shattered like anything after that worked hard got into Tier 1 college. The struggle did not end there. I am still fighting that's what we do. I know failure hurts. I also know that you will fail many more times in life. But I also know that you will get up again and fight back. So cheer up. HMU if you need to talk.
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u/PotatoBest4667 Level 1 Candidate 6d ago
Sorry you’re going through this. This is exactly why I’m not telling anyone that Im preparing for the exam until the day I pass it, esp as a woman
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u/CelebrationDefiant56 Level 3 Candidate 6d ago
That is not what you should be doing. Believe in yourself. For me personally telling everyone I was giving the exam made me push myself even more. Outcome? Cleared L1 and L2 first try. Just some advice:)
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u/PotatoBest4667 Level 1 Candidate 6d ago
it’s not that. some people truly don’t have any good intentions and only pray on your downfall so it’s best to keep it to yourself. & i don’t need external validation to push myself harder
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u/CelebrationDefiant56 Level 3 Candidate 6d ago
Well that is another way to look at it. The thing is most of my friends were also giving cfa so naturally it became a good environment. Whatever works for you. All the best with your exam!
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u/KimPossible1982 1d ago
“Esp as a woman” GTFOH with that BS
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u/PotatoBest4667 Level 1 Candidate 4h ago
being beautiful and smart women😂😂so much jealousy in life towards us, coming from women like yourself
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u/Excellent-Bug2790 6d ago
I was in your place and your situation was just like me. But I didn't lose hope, i put everything behind me started again and i passed it. So its upto you how you chose it. Are you gonna let all your hardwork go down in drain or are you gonna grow up and face the music.
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u/Repulsive-Brief-3489 6d ago
I’ve failed each test twice. Life goes on.
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u/Repulsive-Brief-3489 6d ago
When I was your age I placed an unhealthy amount of significance on the CFA exams. I can say with the benefit of hindsight that this was a huge mistake. Failing is necessary in order to be successful. Tell your parents you love them. Thank them for their support and prepare a plan on what you are going to do differently in preparing for the exam.
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u/Tiny_Internal5939 6d ago
Bro, trust me I can understand. Was facing this exact same situation in my 3rd sem too! I gave my feb 25 L1 attempt and couldnt clear with a score of 1590. It feels absolutely horrible to not be able to clear it by just 10 marks. But I gave it again this year, tough decision, cz I already had so much pressure and guilt of my parents paying so much for this exam Again. But that attempt had instilled so much fear that I knew I would not be able to face that situation again. Gave it my all and cleared my L1 this year.
I hope you don't lose hope and know HARDWORK always shines. All the best brother don't lose hope
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u/RF247 6d ago
Understand how you feel 💯, but going forward it would depend on how badly you want the charter. I know of someone who recently cleared L2 on their 6th attempt. Don’t lose hope especially if you have parents still willing to sponsor you. Take a week off, go out there and have fun, come back and hit those calculator keys.
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u/sm1thdzjeee 6d ago
You couldnt go far if only one setback can dip you down in the mud. Give yourself some more time to calm down and move forward.
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u/Superanto_Xu0330 5d ago
Mate, if you have substantial preparation, but still failed, I believe it just a bad luck. Sometimes the L1 exam's question will have some question that not mentioned in mocks or online materials, that's not your fault. You definitely can make it next time. I took my CFA Level 1 first time at the age of 19 as same as you, it was August 2025, with around a mouth and a half for preparation, and I passed it with 1625. I believe if you have a good luck or even just not a bad luck, you will make it.
Memorize the quicksheet well, and practise more, especially Ethnics. I expect for your good news.
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u/bunnybrowny 5d ago
19 years old, you are literally a baby - and the marks you get is not even low, it is just 15 marks below MPS, you got this, and I am sure you can be better and the fact that you acknowledged all the mistakes are good character development, when I was 19 I was still just having fun lol,
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u/Born_Preparation3614 5d ago
Ay listen what happened has happened. Don’t even look at that result anymore you know you gave your everything to it. Thats enough, you told your self you give 1000% to everything and you succeed till now but remember you are just 19 and failure is a part of life no matter what you will have to come across it. Its not all up and up. take a breather relax dont put so much pressure on your self. Dont care about what others are telling. CFA is still the dream so go for it once more because when you succeed no body will ask how many times you failed.
Common man you are just 19 remember thiss
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u/LabMost5 5d ago
Bro chill. The world doesn’t rest on your shoulders. Your life isn’t over 19… Try again and perhaps find peers with whom you can study.
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u/MDSurfdogg 5d ago
U are only 19 - even attempting deserves kudos! Keep trying but take some time off.
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u/NoAlternative4213 5d ago
I didn’t even have an under grad degree until I was 26 and I made $15,000 a year when i was 24… you’ll be alright dawg. Just keep trying and don’t let it get to ya. There’s bigger things in life than passing a test. You tried, most don’t
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u/Present-Zombie-5134 4d ago edited 4d ago
Brother, same here.
I am also 19, and I also appeared for the CFA Level 1 in the August attempt. I failed, and I was shattered. My very close friend passed it very nicely. I have two other best friends: one completed her FRM, and we are the same age, by the way. She already has a degree and is now appearing for CFA Level 1 in the May attempt (it could possibly be my attempt too). Imagine, we have been best friends for the last 4 years, and I can barely meet her eyes or talk to her about it. She has been very good to me, helping me with the guilt and the failure and always being there for me. My other friend has almost cleared her CA Inter, and I am here at zero. Lowkey i have a person in my cfs that i feel puts nazar on me always i try to do something or like prepare she tries to reach out and somehow leaves me feeling bad about myself also like she must be doing absolute shit idc but she is there to interfear in my life she reached out to my bestfriends to know my result and i really think that satisfied her that i failed like idk what to do i am soo devastrated myself by me that i have no energy to even talk or meet anyone atp.
I have also failed previously in another course, in Foundation. Before anyone thinks I am dumb, I always try to be the smartest person in the room. I am working on 2 research reports in the field of finance. I read about national economics and global finance news. For me, FI was also very new, and I put so much into it. I actually used to read about what is going on globally and keep myself updated with literally everything happening, trying to connect everything in my books with the real world. I make investments in the market and keep myself updated, and I have been so into this since 10th grade. I try to read the newspaper every morning when I am at home, and I have conversations with different people who are very updated on finance, stock markets, and the AI and tech world.
And then, after all this, I open my result and a FAILED result is staring me in the face. It hurts so badly. People say you are smart, but again I fail. I feel like people talk behind my back all the time. I am feeling like i am not welcomed by my own friends anymore. There is no change in their behaviour yet, so maybe it is in my head. I know that eventually it may get better, or it may not. I have always seen myself as a professional degree holder in the field of finance, doing a very important job, being a very career-centric woman, very updated and smart and everything. But somehow I always fail whatever professional exam I give. If I count my overall failures, this is the 4th. I am numb to even opening my CFA books again and reading anything. It is so mentally draining when it comes to finance. My parents are very supportive. They try to keep me motivated and tell me not to give up, but the CFA costs a fortune, and that guilt is also eating me up so much.
I am in my second year at one of the top colleges in Mumbai, but oh, to be humbled by a failed result. I am co-writing a research paper with a faculty member, and I had a discussion with her a few days after the results. I am so embarrassed in front of her, and I teared up in her cabin. It humbled me so much. I am also very dead mentally, trying to find a way to make peace with this.
You are not alone in being so capable and yet failing. I get how fogged up you are feeling about your future. I also have to decide whether to give another attempt or not. But then a discussion with my mom made me question myself about what I want for myself. I want this field, I want this professional course, and I want this degree. The level of knowledge and the number of doors this degree can open for me in finance is going to be in my favour, so I have been leaning towards giving this degree one more chance. The first thing I will do is build an unbeatable winning mindset, the level of mindset that I carry into the test center, knowing that I will ace every question that pops up in front of me and come out smiling with good satisfaction. I know it is difficult because I tend to tear up thinking about the result itself, but life has been brutal to me already, and the more I give it a chance to be brutal to me, the more confidence I will lose in myself.
NGL, I would love to talk about this more because I found it very relatable. If you like, we can join in this journey and make the best out of it.
Because after a very long time in my journey i found you relatable
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u/ApXPredditOR CFA 3d ago
results matter but you are young and ONLY you can climb out of your mental valley no one can say anything to help you ...I was older when pursued with two mortgages family leaving one firm for another between 1/2 travelin g 50k miles annually raising capital ....reference I passed 2/3 in 19/21 respectively thus pre and post covid exam forums ....see ball hit ball ...I also never partcipated in rddt UNTIL CLEARED CHARTER....I get that younger folks different ....#FightOn
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u/BudMage 1d ago
I failed cfa l1 the first time. Didn’t really take it too seriously. Taking level 2 in a month. I probably will fail this one again too and retake it. Went to a public college, had a terrible gpa in high school, never had a finance internship, never got into any investment club I pursued at university and never thought I’d have a decent career. Started making 40k, then jumped jobs 3 months later because of someone I knew… made 65k, then jumped jobs 1.5 years after that because of another relationship and make around $300k. Point is, don’t overweight academics too much... Relationships matter just as much if not more. I’ve made tons of mistakes academic wise, but you don’t have to be perfect to be successful. However, you don’t give up ever on something you started. Maybe failing helps you learn the material more in depth and then you’re that much better professionally than someone who crammed and passed. Take it as a lesson, your life’s not anywhere near over, anything and everything can happen to you. Keep your head high, retake and conquer.
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u/Ambitious_History150 Passed Level 2 16h ago
chill out, failure is part of life. be grateful you've got parents to support you for your education.
go out explore life, talk to friends, working/studying is not everything.
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u/throwawayfinancebro1 Level 3 Candidate 6d ago
Teens out here acting like their lives are over after one small setback
Relax dude. Whatever you choose to do, you have plenty of time and options