CFA Level 1
Morning Session: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
This was never going to be easy. In fact, it was easier than I had expected, making the experience a lot less painful than it otherwise would have been.
Over 1,500 hopefuls packed this hall (just for level 1!)
I had heard a lot from class teachers and past CFA students about how gruelling the exams would be and that nothing less than an hour of study a day over a 5-month period would be enough to get you through. All sound advice.
And while I did put in the hours, they were over a period much longer than 5 months (not by choice) and this made recalling a lot of facts that needed to be 'fresh' in my head harder than necessary.
*******************
The day was all about the test.
First, while waiting for the bus to the station at 7am, I stood next to someone who was doing some last minute revision! Then, on the packed bus I was surrounded by other people reading and talking about the test! And you guessed it, the train was also full of last-minute crammers!!
Once at the Excel Centre we all piled into the building and waited until 8am to register. Once in the massive hall (pictured above) we all decided that, since we had so much fun travelling together, it would also be a good idea for us to all go to the toilet at the same time.
But when over 1,500 people (mostly guys) decide to do the same thing in a limited space, you're going to get crowd troubles, and the last place you want that is in a public toilet. But that's just what we got.
And that's when the most ironic thing happened.
As us guys waited over 15 minutes in a queue that just kept getting longer, the girls didn't have to wait behind anyone! A number of them who cruised past couldn't resist saying how "it's so unusual for us not to have to wait!". You go girl.
Once back in the hall (just in time!) to get started, a man who clearly enjoyed the sound of his voice projecting over a massive arena told us to not leave our seats unless we really really have to (at which point, I swear just to spite the kind gentleman, some people got up to have a drink at one of the water fountains -- water can taste sweet sometimes :)
After all the officalspeak was over, it was down to business.
*******************
3 hours goes very quickly when you're answering 1 question every 90 seconds. In fact, it took every last second to get through all of the multiple choice questions before the first half ended.
Given that I hadn't done a dry run before, I was quietly pleased with myself for keeping pace. And with the morning session's questions relatively easy (compared to the afternoon as I would shortly find) I felt reaonably comfortable while I munched down a sandwich during the 20 minute break before the queue for the men's room started to grow (and grow and grow...)
Once I and my 1,500 new friends were sat down ready for the afternoon stretch, fatigue was beginning to set in. Many people looked as though a bullet had been shot through the back of their heads and they lay face down (less the gallons of blood spewing all over the table) completely lifeless. I chose pacing backwards and forwards as a way of staying awake.
But it was inevitably going to happen. The brain has a way of telling you enough is enough. And as the afternoon wore on, it bacame harder and harder to concentrate on the page. A number of times I would need to re-read the same paragraph over and over again before I finally realised what I was doing.
One odd moment was when a proctor (like an exam supervisor, only stricter and less qualified) stormed out of the room while her mobile phone was ringing (one of those really loud tones of course). If she wasn't fired for that then she should be!!
Final oddity: for the entire duration of the test, a pigeon was free to roam around the hall, mainly choosing to sit up on the rafters. Maybe it could sense the seriousness of what lay below, enough to resist the temptation to relieve itself on whoever it pleased!
*******************
I was thinking to write a guide for future students of the CFA, similar to the one I wrote for prospective UK government economists. But I realise now that just doing the study will get you through level 1 without a sweat. Levels 2 and 3 are another question entirely...
Afternoon Session: 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
This was never going to be easy. In fact, it was easier than I had expected, making the experience a lot less painful than it otherwise would have been.
Over 1,500 hopefuls packed this hall (just for level 1!)
I had heard a lot from class teachers and past CFA students about how gruelling the exams would be and that nothing less than an hour of study a day over a 5-month period would be enough to get you through. All sound advice.
And while I did put in the hours, they were over a period much longer than 5 months (not by choice) and this made recalling a lot of facts that needed to be 'fresh' in my head harder than necessary.
*******************
The day was all about the test.
First, while waiting for the bus to the station at 7am, I stood next to someone who was doing some last minute revision! Then, on the packed bus I was surrounded by other people reading and talking about the test! And you guessed it, the train was also full of last-minute crammers!!
Once at the Excel Centre we all piled into the building and waited until 8am to register. Once in the massive hall (pictured above) we all decided that, since we had so much fun travelling together, it would also be a good idea for us to all go to the toilet at the same time.
But when over 1,500 people (mostly guys) decide to do the same thing in a limited space, you're going to get crowd troubles, and the last place you want that is in a public toilet. But that's just what we got.
And that's when the most ironic thing happened.
As us guys waited over 15 minutes in a queue that just kept getting longer, the girls didn't have to wait behind anyone! A number of them who cruised past couldn't resist saying how "it's so unusual for us not to have to wait!". You go girl.
Once back in the hall (just in time!) to get started, a man who clearly enjoyed the sound of his voice projecting over a massive arena told us to not leave our seats unless we really really have to (at which point, I swear just to spite the kind gentleman, some people got up to have a drink at one of the water fountains -- water can taste sweet sometimes :)
After all the officalspeak was over, it was down to business.
*******************
3 hours goes very quickly when you're answering 1 question every 90 seconds. In fact, it took every last second to get through all of the multiple choice questions before the first half ended.
Given that I hadn't done a dry run before, I was quietly pleased with myself for keeping pace. And with the morning session's questions relatively easy (compared to the afternoon as I would shortly find) I felt reaonably comfortable while I munched down a sandwich during the 20 minute break before the queue for the men's room started to grow (and grow and grow...)
Once I and my 1,500 new friends were sat down ready for the afternoon stretch, fatigue was beginning to set in. Many people looked as though a bullet had been shot through the back of their heads and they lay face down (less the gallons of blood spewing all over the table) completely lifeless. I chose pacing backwards and forwards as a way of staying awake.
But it was inevitably going to happen. The brain has a way of telling you enough is enough. And as the afternoon wore on, it bacame harder and harder to concentrate on the page. A number of times I would need to re-read the same paragraph over and over again before I finally realised what I was doing.
One odd moment was when a proctor (like an exam supervisor, only stricter and less qualified) stormed out of the room while her mobile phone was ringing (one of those really loud tones of course). If she wasn't fired for that then she should be!!
Final oddity: for the entire duration of the test, a pigeon was free to roam around the hall, mainly choosing to sit up on the rafters. Maybe it could sense the seriousness of what lay below, enough to resist the temptation to relieve itself on whoever it pleased!
*******************
I was thinking to write a guide for future students of the CFA, similar to the one I wrote for prospective UK government economists. But I realise now that just doing the study will get you through level 1 without a sweat. Levels 2 and 3 are another question entirely...
Labels: CFA, CFA Level 1
posted by ウェズリー フォゲル at
12:17 PM
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2 comments
