December 2017 and the Level I CFA® exam will be here before you know it. It’s never too early to start thinking strategically about how you’ll spend your last month of study and final review. You need to closely consider your study schedule and resources for the final weeks.
5 Tips to Maximize Your Last Few Weeks of Study Time
1. Practice for Success with 3+ Mock Exams – Ensure you take at least one mock exam a week and that the exams you take are of the highest quality and mirror the real CFA exam experience. Spend as much time learning from your mocks as you do writing them.
TIP: Add color-coded sticky notes to typical tough questions by topic so you can refer back to questions easily.
2. Focus on Major Topics – Align your study sessions with the most heavily weighted topics and drill down on the fundamentals. You’ll see that you get the best return on topics like Financial Reporting & Analysis and Ethics & Professional Standards.
3. CFA Institute Example/Past Problems – Question drills and practice exams are great but you have to ensure you’re using official CFA Institute example problems (found in the curriculum or pulled from past exams).
4. Memorize the Formulas – People think they can take shortcuts on the formulas. Don’t fall into this trap! Instead, put a heavy focus on memorizing the individual formulas and their use.
What Not to Do
- Cram During The Last Few Days – Take a break, clear your head and get plenty of good sleep and rest. You have a big task ahead of you and you have to be calm and focused.
- Just Re-Read the CFA Material – Instead, do lots of practice questions to re-enforce your understanding, test your knowledge and check you can apply it on exam day.
- Expect To Know It All – You will undoubtedly be stumped on questions during the exam. Have a game plan for how you can make the best effort on the question. Remember: There is no negative scoring for guesses.
- Stretch Yourself At Work Prior To The Exam – Most CFA candidates work full time. The days prior to the exams are the time to put some of your Paid Time Off to good use.
Step up Your Final Review with Wiley
One of the biggest mistakes CFA candidates make when conducting their Final Review is underestimating the amount of study that’s required. You don’t want to leave anything to chance and go into your exam less than fully prepared. That’s why Wiley has a comprehensive CFA® 11th Hour Final Review Course which includes: 27+ hours of lecture videos, condensed study guide, formula sheets, exam planner, plus a challenging 11th Hour mock and mock exam seminar where an expert CFA instructor walks through how to answer the toughest questions and provides tips and short cuts that will save you valuable minutes on exam day.
