💰 My study plan that I used to pass the level 1 CFA exam

My study plan that I used to pass the CFA L1 exam. And what I am going to do differently to improve going forward. I work full time, so all this was done on nights and weekends.

I used Mark Meldrum's video lectures for my prep. Day 1-3, watch video lecture while taking physical notes. Taking notes did make it so it would take longer to go through a video, but I would remember more. I also used Jhan André Burger, CFA course to help solidify topics and make easy to remember mnemonic devices.

If you don't like to hand write notes, I recommend using Notion to create and organize your notes and study plan.

Create a study schedule using Notion, Excel or Google Sheets. It will help you stay on track. I used the free template from 300Hours

The next day after completing the video on whatever section I was on I would watch the review video and make and clarify points in my notes.

I like hand written notes because I believe that using your own shorthand can make it easier to remember core concepts.

Immediately after the review video I would put my notes away and do the end of chapter questions from the CFAI curriculum. Only after completing all the questions I would go back and watch the video that explains the answers to the questions.

I did this process until I was through each chapter of the CFAI curriculum

Once I got to my review stage, I started by taking a mock exam. This mock was to get a baseline of how everything stuck and where I needed to focus on.

Any section that I scored below a 70% on would be my focus for the next week. Then, on the following weekend, I would take another mock and see where I improved/areas of improvement. I did 6-7 mock exams leading up to the real thing.

Things I would change to improve my study habits going forward.

1. Do more quizzes on previously covered topics in a more structured and organized manner.

2. Focus more on my weak areas throughout the study process and not wait until review.

My one take away, create a plan and stick to it.