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3 things to practise

Three exams across several years, around a full-time job.

Level I volume, Level II application, and the gap between them where people stop.

Most candidates who quit do so between levels, not during one.

What this actually involves

The CFA programme is a multi-year commitment taken almost entirely by people working full time, which makes it a scheduling problem more than an intellectual one. Each level also demands a different study method — Level I rewards broad repeated exposure, Level II punishes the memorisation that got you through Level I — and candidates who do not adjust tend to fail the second one having worked just as hard.

The sequence

Roughly in order, though nothing here blocks anything else — start with whichever is next for you.

  1. Year 1
    CFA Level I Verbal ReviewA coverage problem. Commutes and short daily sessions add up to more than the evening blocks you keep not doing.Practise this ↗
  2. Immediately after Level I
    Book Level II before Level I results arriveThe gap after passing is where most people stall. A booked date is the cheapest insurance against a year disappearing.You do this one. Vera isn’t involved.
  3. Year 2
    CFA Level II Verbal ReviewApplication rather than recall, delivered in vignettes with close alternatives. Studying it the way you studied Level I is the classic mistake.Practise this ↗
  4. Optional
    FRM Part I Verbal ReviewOverlapping risk content. Some candidates run them together; most should not, given how much time each takes.Practise this ↗
  5. Throughout
    Log your qualified work experienceThe charter needs relevant experience alongside the exams. Track it as you go rather than reconstructing four years later.You do this one. Vera isn’t involved.

Common questions

How long does the charter take?

Commonly three to four years including the work experience requirement. The exams are only part of it.

Why do people fail Level II?

Frequently because they study it like Level I. It asks you to apply and choose between close options rather than recall.

Can I study while working full time?

Almost everyone does, which is why the programme rewards short consistent sessions over heroic weekends.

Other goals

Pass Your Cloud CertificationsFundamentals, an associate cert, and the hands-on one that is actually hard.Get Into Medical SchoolThe MCAT, the application, and interviews that test something entirely different.Pass the Bar and Get HiredMBE, essays, the MPRE, and the interviews after.

Not practising doesn’t save you anything.

The ticket, the evening, the weeks of applying — all of it is spent before anyone says a word. The practice is the only cheap part, and the only part that changes how the rest goes.

Start with step one

15 minutes free · no card needed