AuthorTopic: Pass / Not passed
dmaccowan
@2009-01-28 16:09:45
Hey all,

Well the wait is over. Good or bad, depends. For myself not the result i was hoping for.

Just to get some feedback for myself and others. If people could answer the next few questions?

1. Pass / Not Passed (fail)?
2. How much work did you do for preparation?
3. Academic Financial Background
4. Employment Financial Background
5. How many times have you sat level 1.

Me
1. Not Pass (fail)
2. About 100 Hours (there were crossovers from the Graduate Certificate)
3. Just completed Graduate Certificate in Applied Finance (Undergraduate = Physics)
4. Hoping this would be the springboard.
5. One

laura
@2009-01-28 17:06:18
It's pretty clear to me that I barely passed and that missing only one or two questions would have put me below. If I got the maximum score in each bracket, (which I must have done), that would still have only given me 68.5%. (Don't even asked how I scored in the 40/60/80 calculation, which assumes that's what you got within each bracket) I've only seen one report posted which is lower than mine. I think someone said they thought 66% was the cutoff, i.e., you could have gotten 80 questions wrong and still passed.

Level 1: Pass

Multiple Choice Q# Topic Max Pts <=50% 51%-70% >70%
- Alternative Assets 12 - - *
- Derivatives 12 * - -
- Economics 24 * - -
- Equity Analysis 24 - * -
- Ethical & Professional Stnds. 36 - * -
- Financial Statement Analysis 68 - * -
- Fixed Income Analysis 24 - * -
- General Portfolio Management 12 - * -
- Quantitative Analysis 28 - * -

Good luck everyone for L1, L2, or wherever. Remember its' the journey not the destination.
isadream
@2009-01-28 18:43:44
I definitely will recommend this website too all my friends who are about to take CFA test.

Thank you so much you guys.

really wanna celebrate but am in a place knowing nobody!~

Thank you guys! and best luck!
boxing
@2009-01-28 18:52:38
i'm keeping this a secret. ;)

i didn't even join until late october, so i can say i did this by myself. this is by far my greatest academic triumph...even higher than graduating salutatorian in high school! :) so happy!
beerlover
@2009-01-28 19:10:09
thanks to everyone for their help, especially in quant. No way I get >70% on that section without rereading users' comments and a lot of other knowledgable folks here. See you all on the Level 2!

For those that didn't make it, don't give up. This was my second time through (took it back in 2006) and it can be done. Keep the chin up and buckle down!!!!
duta
@2009-01-28 20:51:31
i have to second that AnalystNotes helped us all a lot and I'm looking forward to L2 in June. :)

thanks everybody!
levski
@2009-01-28 23:09:29
AN has been great help, thanks to everyone who was posting. I wouldn't have passed FSA & Econ w/o AN.
As i was running well behind I couldn't participate a lot, but since I am not taking LII in June I hope I can give back by helping June LI candidates... now that I know I passed
CANNY
@2009-01-29 03:39:16
Though I knew about this site and did not take full advantage of it (Joined in Nov), I was really impressed with the commitment of the site and depth of analysis on difficulties to understand topics.

I was feeling left behind when I joined but helped me push myself to emerge.

Congratulations to all and Good Luck with next level.
stiefel
@2009-01-29 05:12:40
Congrats again to all who passed, I hope to join the ranks this June. I'll be sure to be more involved with the board as my studies intensify.
vince3151
@2009-01-29 09:46:14
I'm planning to start studying this week for the Jun exam. For Dec I used the Schweser materials including the Q-Bank & audio CD's. I did not use the CFA Institute books for Dec and I feel that was my downfall. The Schweser material was very calculation intesive which to my surprise was quite the opposite from the exam. I'm planning on studying about 200 hrs using the CFA institute materials. My results from the Dec exam while not passing were not all that far from it. Good Luck !
pavlomel
@2009-01-29 11:32:33
1. Pass
2. I spread it out through the whole year since i have family
3. Graduate Certificate in Applied Economics. Undergraduate - Economics
4. Investment Performance Analyst at Wells Fargo Bank
5. One
dustxs
@2009-01-29 12:42:17
1. Pass
2. About 18 hours a week for 4 months.
3. BSc in Statistics/Economics, six weeks' graduate training (similar in content to the CFA)
4. Market Risk Management
5. One.

I got >70% for nine topics but 51-70% for Corporate Finance. I wouldn't have passed it if not for my prior training, or would have at least needed to put in 40% more effort. It's a tough one, but do-able for anyone if you make a really serious effort.
MiJay
@2009-01-29 17:20:29
Hi all,

I must have just failed. I was comparineg my performance grouping in each topic to lauras above, and allthough it appears mine was higher (ie 4 in 70+ and only 1 in <50) i must have been in the bottom of each group.

My performance band score is 10 so i must have missed out by like a couple of marks. Sooooo annoying to be so close.


Multiple Choice Q# Topic Max Pts <=50% 51%-70% >70%
- Alternative Investments 8 - - *
- Corporate Finance 20 * - -
- Derivatives 12 - * -
- Economics 24 - - *
- Equity Investments 24 - - *
- Ethical & Professional Standards 36 - * -
- Financial Reporting & Analysis 48 - * -
- Fixed Income Investments 28 - * -
- Portfolio Management 12 - - *
- Quantitative Methods 28 - * -
Aeons
@2009-01-29 18:38:39
1. Pass
2. I lost track of time
3. Bsc in Economics
4. Analyst
5. One

I think I got lucky, the exam was really hard;
you need to study the material smartly + systematically;
If you don't have a good system/habit to study, the last resort is just pumping your study time (like what I did)
nguyencamtam
@2009-01-29 19:08:22
1. Pass
2. 4 hours/day for 4 months. The last 10 days: 16 hours/day.
3. Little Financial background (my major involves foreign trade and international economics)
4. Working in commercial banking, not IB.
5. This's the first time.

I got all topics >70%, but frankly speaking, I could not understand how I passed the ethics questions, especially those of the afternoon session.

My advice to newcomers: Use the curriculum and the Ethics handbook. Swcheswer is ok, calculation intensive but not very appropriate for level 1. AN may be a better alternative.
lavalyn
@2009-01-29 19:48:31
1. Passed
2. Five months, 15h per week
3. Business Administration degree, Bachelors
4. None! Information Technology
5. First attempt

The most helpful thing? That AN is readable on a smartphone browser. Bus and train commutes turned into review sessions... dentist appointments turned into review sessions... no way would I have gotten >70 on financial reporting without that.
Hervz
@2009-01-30 09:35:30
1. Pass
2. About 100 Hours (5 weeks)
3. Undergrad in Business Management (Finance and Administration)
4. Still waiting.
5. One and only
Yurik74
@2009-02-11 03:12:28
Congrats to all who passed, who didn't not - consider this as preparation, next time you'll pass it for sure!

My answers:
1. Pass
2. Lost track of it. But a lot, started in Jule from Quantatives, then read FSA for 1,5 months, after that read basically everywhere I could (subway, breaks etc.) I have a family with two small kids so it was quite hard to do it at home.
3. BD - Applied Math, Economics as MD
4. Investment fund, evaluation of projects; preparation business plans, some minor activities in FR preparation
5. First try

Laura - I am really impresed how it's possible with results in medioum group! Guess it was closer to highest. Mine are next

- Alternative Investments 8 * - -
- Corporate Finance 20 - * -
- Derivatives 12 - * -
- Economics 24 - - *
- Equity Investments 24 - * -
- Ethical & Professional Standards 36 - * -
- Financial Reporting & Analysis 48 - - *
- Fixed Income Investments 28 - * -
- Portfolio Management 12 * - -
- Quantitative Methods 28 - - *

At least I got into the third group in FSA and Quants, thanks to AN. Though, I ahve to admit Quant section in exam was quite easy, at least for me.
mbc13
@2009-02-22 21:43:11
1. Passed
2. 10-15 hrs/wk Sep-Nov
3. BA Econ, MS Stats
(Very embarrassed to have <70% on Econ)
4. Accountant for a Broker-Dealer
5. First try

For me, the most helpful prep was the AN mock exams. I'm worried about Level 2....

Multiple Choice
Q# Topic Max Pts <=50% 51%-70% >70%
- Alternative Investments 8 - * -
- Corporate Finance 20 - * -
- Derivatives 12 - - *
- Economics 24 - * -
- Equity Investments 24 - - *
- Ethical & Professional Standards 36 - * -
- Financial Reporting & Analysis 48 - - *
- Fixed Income Investments 28 - - *
- Portfolio Management 12 - * -
- Quantitative Methods 28 - - *
haroonsc
@2009-02-23 01:37:53
i congrats all who have passed

CFA Discussion Topic: Pass / Not passed

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I was very pleased with your notes and question bank. I especially like the mock exams because it helped to pull everything together.
Martin Rockenfeldt

Martin Rockenfeldt