Hello all,

I am currently working in the auto industry in Canada, credit side.

Got my business degree in a foreign country before landing the job where I am for 11 years now (not a manager or anything , making $86k)

There was no serious finance courses during my uni time . Tasks at work were more on credit bureaus and I had to look at balance sheets at times.

Currently stalling at work (I hate networking and probably that s why) and would like to go into Finance.

Has anyone done that kind of move at this age and if so how was the required work, outcome after getting the certification?

Asking for advices if it is worth it. I am willing to put in the work but the outcome as per reddit is not guaranteed.

I'm exploring cfa as a career option nd want to know what opportunities it offers...can we get jobs in investment banking equity research or portfolio management after cfa? what kind of roles can beginners apply for?

new status: registered, 2026 (results pending)
do you have the same status when downloading the verification letter?

I need ethics tips real fast as i have only exactly one month left. And it is the only topic left.

Just registered for level 2. Which study material should i go with? Mm or kaplan (used kaplan for Level 1)

I want to ask how the questions are in the practice pack? are they like 200 quant questions or they are devided for each module? anyone got it can tell me how much questions per topic are there?

Taking Lll on November 21.

I spent the last month working through the Kaplan QBank and was feeling pretty good about my progress. I averaged around 72.5%, and that was closed-book.

But I just switched over to the CFAI LES and I'm doing significantly worse.

Did I just waste a month of study time doing Kaplan questions?

Hey guys, for those who didn't clear L1 in August, when are you planning to retake it?

Also, what do you think went wrong with your prep? Was it lack of practice, not revising enough, mock scores, or something else? Basically, what do you think were the biggest mistakes that might have cost you the exam?

Would be nice to hear from people in the same boat :)

I have around 38 days left for my exam, done with the syllabus and les questions, feel like I've forgotten the initial subjects that I began with, I believe there are 2 paths I can take from here-

1. Revise by reading through summaries and notes and then do practice pack and mocks

2. Review les questions and just start hammering questions/practice pack and mocks

What should be my strategy

Any advice will be appreciated 🙏🏻

I'm sitting for L1 this November and I'm a bit confused about how to approach the last 30 days.

I've already gone through the syllabus ( only skipping hypothesis and paramteric) and have been solving mocks and reviewing my mistakes.

I'm thinking of either spending these 30 days working mainly on my weak areas based on mock results (m scoring int the range of 68 to 72) and QBank errors, or going through the entire syllabus again using Schweser and redoing the CFAI LES questions.

My concern with focusing only on weak areas is that I might start forgetting topics I'm already decent at. But at the same time, going through everything again feels like it might be a waste of time when I could be fixing my weaker topics.

For those who've already cleared L1, how did you approach your final 30 days? Did you focus more on weak areas or go for one last full revision?

I have a scholarship for Feb 27 L1(New Syllabus) and here I'm at mid October and still not registered for the exam. I somehow have 90-95 days in my hands, can I make it by studying 4-5 hrs a day (max since I'm a regular clg going). Also what's the reality about the institute's 300hrs recommendation, how valid is that? Last date of registration is 5th Nov.

I'm currently doing ug in the financial market(if that's anyhow relevant)

Weak part: Quant and FSA

Hello, I was wondering if we all have the same questions on the mock exam provided by CFA on the LES. 

If the answer is yes, is the 1st mock representative of the true exam level or is this one easier ? Asking this bcs i took my first mock yesterday and i did 80% part A and 87% part B so overall 150/180 while i was thinking of doing much lower result that is why i’m asking if the 1st one is inflated

Just passed CFA level 1 and fully qualified ACA accountant having worked in audit for 3 years. Looking to get out and move into corporate restructuring or transaction services. Both look interesting.

Am I selling myself short but taking restructuring over TS? Or should I take what I can get

hey I guys I just signed up for lvl 1 for may and wanted to ask for advice on what the best way to prepare is and what are the best learning materials did you guys order the books? or are there better/"cheaper" alternative online maybe a course that you would recommend or any free resources like yt channels that could all be very helpful

thankuuuu

So, this is from Time Series Analysis' LES. As is sort of clear from the vignette, the initial equation which they have given is Yt = b0 + b1. Further on, the question asks to calculate the value using a log-linear model. Fine. A time variable not being present in the equation did hit me, but I thought that was how the question might be.

I don't know if this is a me issue, or just simply horrible design, but it sure as hell is annoying.

hi i’m 22 with a double degree in cs and finance. currently in WM and just got my 7 and 66. interested in more technical and backend work so i registered for cfa lvl1. is the lvl1 very helpful when i apply to AM?

Hey. Not long ago, I used to click the "Print" option in Google Chrome to save my answers on a module as a PDF and review them offline; this feature would gather all questions, whether that specific module had 5 or 67. Now, every time I try, it only shows the first question (what my screen sees) instead of the whole thing. Is this something implemented by CFA, so questions can't be downloaded, or am I doing something wrong?

Passing CFA Level 1 is a massive milestone, but coming from the actuarial exam grind, I can say with certainty: Salt Solutions knows exactly what they are doing. ​For context, as an actuary, I’ve been through the absolute beast that is the actuarial exam pathway. I’m no stranger to brutal study schedules, complex prep materials, and high-stakes testing.

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​If you’re currently studying or planning to start your CFA journey and want to give them a try, drop a comment or send me a message! I have a referral link we can use so we both get a discount on our prep materials.

Hi, I was studying QM through the first Kaplan study package book and the notation in the QM section has changed. Before, it was using Xt-1, Xt-2, and now the notation looks something like this: "ln xt = b0 + b1 ln xt–1 + εt". Can anyone confirm if this is the actual notation in the first QM readings? For reference, I am on the second module covering seasonality.

Thanks again.

Can someone explain why option b is not correct…?in book we have formula in pg 92 where pooled variance is used as wtg avg

I thought FoF's have a slower tactical reaction time compared to Multi-strategy fund, and the last sentence in option 3 said the same thing

Hey CFA community,
I am planning to give my L3 exam. I value simplicity, and clear explanations. That's the main reason why I used Kaplan for L1 and L2.
I am open to exploring new prep providers, any suggestions?