Seeing as I have managed to document my thoughts throughout my CFA level one study so far in my CFA Blog updates and my original CFA Level One Study Plan, I figured an update 4 days out from the exam is in order. I write this update knowing full well my time could be better spent studying.

Biggest points of interest

• Very interesting course. it all comes together at some point. highly recommend skimming the whole course with schweser secret sauce to get your head around all you have to know. Once you do this, it is easier to focus on weaker areas.
• Boredom of doing questions that you can do is a problem. circa motivation too. but must continue to do them or will forget.
• Need to focus on problem areas.
• Need to do practice questions.
• Must do ethics material from CFAI, schweser Q bank or some other source of questions, all the practice Q’s you can get your hands on.

A post I made on Analyst forum is below with the results further down.

After going back and forwards on different plans and strategies for weeks (I think I have written at least 6 plans in excel and or word), I think i have finally found one i like. If it helps others, fantastic, if not it provides great procrastination time as i try to put off the 60 derivatives questions i am about to do after i write this…. This may not provide much value to most and is fairly elementary (i wish i had come up with it earlier).

Once you are fairly comfortable with the majority of the workload (which i assume most of us are by this point), there are going to be gaps in our knowledge which we need to improve. Simulating test conditions may also be important to some if time is an issue for you.

I have been taking the CFAI samples (nothing new here) but actually working through my results in a systematic way. I chose to do the CFAI samples first before i take the Schweser ones as they are obviously more representative of the exam.

My ‘systematic’ way is as follows (sounds stupid but i hope it helps)(also note i have the tests on my computer but it would work just as well for schweser etc)..

1-creating an excel spreadsheet for my answers numbered 1–>x
2-input answers as i do the test (put a star on the questions i know need revision on as i do the test or that I am totally guessing – also write the topic of the question in the next cell as a primer for later)
3-mark the test
4-go through with answers and identify problem areas.
5- create a “must revise”, a “forgotten formulas” and a “should revise” list in the same spreadsheet
6- add areas that you need to work on to the list and repeat this process for each of the sample exams and the Schweser exams and you will have a fairly comprehensive list
7- Revise key areas and question bank or some other way test yourself on these areas.
8-pass.

Here is a link to what it looks like – hope it helps someone – glad i wasted time not thinking about swaptions.

I have made a list of stuff I need to work on before the exam. It is below and the spreadsheet that I made it from is here. It is unedited.