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.
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.
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.