CFA exam - The Chartered Financial Analyst exam is a prestigious exam offered by the CFA institute of USA. After passing it, the successful candidates become a CFA Charterholder.
The CFA exam is one of the toughest exams to be cracked and a record number of students take the test every year. They dream of becoming a CFA Charterholder which can assure them of a bright future and improve their career prospects. The CFA curriculum covers the following areas:
Ethical and Professional standards
Financial reporting and Analysis
Quantitative methods
Corporate Finance
Portfolio methods
Economics
Investments- bonds, stocks, real estate etc.
The CFA exam is conducted in three stages:
CFA Level 1: This level consists of multiple choice questions. The questions are focused on ethics and professional standards and is conducted twice a year, in June and December.CFA Level 2: Well, this exam is difficult than the first one and concentrates on questions related to different case studies. The topics are related to financial reporting and analysis, economics, quantitative methods and equity investments etc. This phase of exam is conducted in June and has to be given in one single day.
CFA level 3: This is the final series in the three set of CFA exam.
This exam is divided into 2 parts and . There are a huge variety of questions to which you have to provide answers in short. The second part may include several multiple choice questions. The topics covered are portfolio management, asset valuation models, fixed income etc.
CFA has a vast course and a difficult proposition for many students to crack it. But with access to a comprehensive study material and the right approach, one can crack the exam easily. It is important to note that the grading system in CFA exam is not specific. The pass percentage is determined when the results are out , but generally it is 70%. The CFA study is a challenging process . A lot of effort goes into passing all the three set of exams. However, a methodical approach to the exam can yield the desired results.
CFA aspirants can buy CFA study material online too and get a variety of sample question papers. The material provided will help them to gear up for the exam and give them a lot of practice to crack it in the first attempt!
After clearing the CFA exam one can expect a fat paycheck and a promotion for people already working in this field. The CFA exam is a benchmark for all those people who want to carve a niche in the challenging field of financial analysis.
