Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) is a professional finance certification offered by CFA Institute, USA. CFA charter is a designation given to those who have completed the CFA Program and fulfilled work experience requirements. It is positioned as one of the highest distinctions in investment management profession.

1. Pass three-levels of CFA exams; 2. Achieve qualified work experience (At least 4,000 hours completed in min. 36 months) before, during or after taking CFA exams; 3. Submit Reference Letters; 4. Apply to Become a Charterholder

Yes. There are more than 1,80,000 CFA charterholders worldwide in more than 160 countries, In FY 2021, total of 2,14,900 CFA exams were taken across Americas, EMEA and APAC region

India is one of the top countries for CFA exam administrations. In June 2019 (pre-pandemic), appx. 25,000 students had taken CFA exams in India.

All three levels of CFA exams can be passed in average time of approx. 2 years. Each level approximately takes 6 months to pass.

First, register in the CFA exam through CFA website – https://www.cfainstitute.org After completion of registration process and processing of payment, ‘Schedule your exam’ in your CFA Program profile on the CFA website. This must be done before the scheduling deadline.

• One time enrollment fee – US$ 350 • Registration Fee for each level – US$ 900 (early registration) or US$ 1,200 (standard registration) This is effective for exams in February 2023 and beyond. So, it can cost a candidate between US$ 3050 -3950 (Rs. 2.4 Lacs – Rs.3.2 Lacs) excluding the tuition fee.

Generally, early registration period closes 6 months prior to exam period, while standard registration period closes 3 months before it.

Yes. The one-time CFA Program enrollment fee and the registration fee for the Level I CFA exam need to be paid together.

You can start your preparation in the first/second year of your bachelor’s degree. To enroll for the Level I CFA exam, you must have a valid international travel passport and meet one of the following requirements: • Complete a bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree. • Be within 23 months of your graduation month for your bachelor’s degree on the date of sitting for Level I exam. • Have a combination of 4,000 hours of work experience and/or higher education after class 12

Yes. Your selected exam window must be 23 months or less before your graduation month for your bachelor’s degree. You must complete your degree program prior to taking Level II exam.

Yes. For more details on scholarships, visit: https://www.cfainstitute.org/en/programs/cfa/scholarships Some employers also provide financial assistance to their employees for participation in CFA Program.

On average, candidates spend 300+ hours of study per exam level.

Ethics, Financial Reporting & Analysis and Fixed Income are perceived as complex topics by many students. These carry more weightage too.

Level I of the CFA exam is focused on knowledge and comprehension of investment tools and asset classes, as well as portfolio management and ethical and professional standards. The exam mainly focuses on recalling formulas and definitions from memory, and most of the material is a straightforward introduction to the concepts covered. However, historical pass rates for Level I exam (41% avg. 10-yr) are lowest of all three levels. Through coaching, you can benefit from extra exam materials and practice. 1FIN provides you with comprehensive study package comprising Live Classes, SchweserNotesTM, SchweserProTM QBank and Mock Exams. Understanding CFA topics clearly at Level I is important as Level II and Level III builds on the prior level and become increasingly complex. Self-study is very important whether you take up coaching or not.

Our study package fully covers the concepts of the CFA exam. You need not again refer the full CFA curriculum. However, we strongly encourage students to go through examples given in the Ethics curriculum and practice CFA Institute online mock exams.

Through Computer-based testing centres in different cities. Candidates have to self-schedule the exam in the exam window. Example: For CFA Level I Feb 2023 exam, exam dates are 14 – 20 Feb 2023. Candidates have to schedule their exam within the above dates and the scheduling window deadline is 16 Nov 2022.

Level I exam consists of 180 MCQs, split between two 2hr 15 mins sessions (optional break between them). First session covers topics of ethics & professional standards, quantitative methods, economics, and financial statement analysis. Second session covers topics of corporate issuers, equity, fixed income, derivatives, alternative investments, and portfolio management.

Level II exam consists of 22 item sets comprised of short case studies with 88 accompanying MCQs. Level III exam consists of item sets comprised of short case studies with response (essay) questions in the first session and short case studies with 44 accompanying MCQs in second session. Time duration for both Level II and III are 4 hours and 24 minutes, split into two equal sessions of 2 hours and 12 minutes, with an optional break in-between. All topics may be covered in first and/or second sessions.

Total 16 cities. Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Calcutta, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune

Yes. 2 calculator models are allowed: Texas Instruments BA II Plus (including BA II Plus Professional) or Hewlett Packard 12C (including the HP 12C Platinum, 12C Platinum 25th anniversary edition, 12C 30th-anniversary edition, and HP 12C Prestige)

Most exam preparation providers focus on teaching how to use the Texas Instruments BA II Plus model as it offers an algebraic operating system as found in normal six-function calculators. TI BA II Plus model costs approximately Rs. 3,000.

No. There is no penalty for incorrect answers.

After each exam, CFA Institute Board of Governors sets the minimum passing score (MPS) for each level. CFA Institute does not release the MPS or individual candidate scores. However, aggregate percentile scores are provided.

You will receive a result of ‘Pass’ or ‘Fail’ along with information on your topic level performance via email from CFA Institute. Results for the CFA Level I and II exams are available within 60 days of the exam date and within 90 days for the CFA Level III exam.

There is no separate passing score for each topic. Strong performance in one topic area can offset weak performance in another. As long as you achieve a total score above the MPS, you would pass the exam. However, not that each topic is important and you can not risk leaving anyone of them.

No. It is not a degree. It’s a professional credential that demonstrates mastery of advanced investment analysis and real-world portfolio management.

Yes, if you are looking to build a career in investment management, CFA will add professional goals.

No. You must take all three exams, irrespective of your qualification and work experience.

Both the CFA charter and an MBA offer benefits that can advance your career. Key difference however lies in educational focus and program cost & structure. CFA provides deep knowledge of investment analysis, management, and ethics; while MBA provides broad knowledge of core business concepts with opportunity to specialise in Finance, HR, Marketing etc. MBA is relatively expensive and requires class attendance and participation. Regular MBA colleges offer direct campus placement assistance which is not the case in CFA. Many MBA students, however, also take up level I or level II CFA exams, both from the perspective of gaining deeper knowledge about Finance as well as signalling to their prospective employers about their interests and understanding about Finance.

Asset and wealth management, risk management, investment banking, commercial banking, and insurance.

Ambit, Edelweiss, DSP, CRISIL, AON, Big4s, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citi, HSBC, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, Morningstar, Spark Capital etc.

Yes. In India, average expected salary for a Fresher after clearing Level I and/or Level II CFA exams, can range between Rs. 4,00,000 p.a. to Rs. 9,00,000.

Starting Salaries for CFA Level III Pass candidate can be upwards of Rs. 8-10 lakhs. Average salary for CA/MBA + CFA Level III Pass candidate is around Rs, 15 lakh.

Advisory Roles (Business Development, Corporate Finance, M&A, Stock Broking), Analytical Roles (Capital markets analyst, credit /equity analyst, FX strategist), Risk and Oversight Roles (Fund Accountant, Risk Analyst), Investment Decision Making Roles (Sales Trader, Portfolio Manager)

A comprehensive study package designed for your success – Live Classes + Backup, SchweserNotes, SchweserNotes Videos, SchweserPro QBank, Checkpoint Exams, Mock Exams, QuickSheet, Study Plan, Doubt Resolution Forums.

On Weekends (Saturday and Sunday) over Zoom. Each class will be of 2 hours. Topic-wise detailed schedule will be shared beforehand. On Weekends (Saturday and Sunday) over Zoom. Each class will be of 2 hours. Topic-wise detailed schedule will be shared beforehand.

Don’t worry, we have you covered in such cases. Recorded backups of all our Live classes will be available on App 1FIN/IndigoLearn.com till exam day. You’ll get unlimited views to such videos.

CFA charterholders and Industry Professionals with rich experience in the finance domain. Our co-founder & CEO Sriram Somayajula, a CFA charterholder himself since last 10 years will be the lead faculty.

Study package includes both print and eBook options at no additional cost.

Rs. 39,999 (incl. GST). Easy EMI options are also available.

You can attend the live classes for the exam attempt for which you’ve enrolled. You will have access to backup recordings of live classes + online material till the exam day. Access to recordings of Live classes can be extended till next exam attempt. Cost of such extension will be made known after the exams

Schweser is a global leader in CFA Exam Prep. 1FIN offers world’s best study package from Schweser with Live Classes from CFA Charterholders and industry professionals. Personalised Guidance and mentorship by faculties with extensive experience in Fund raise, M&A, Currency Markets & Capital Markets will ensure your ultimate success.

You can ask your doubts to the faculty anytime during the live class. We also have dedicated Doubt Resolution Forums, where you can post your doubts anytime, any day and our faculty and subject matter experts shall reply to you. You can also participate at Forums to resolve other students’ queries.

You will be prompted to take three Checkpoint Exams as you work your way through the Study package. These checkpoint questions mimic difficulty and format of actual CFA exam. Performance reports will help you identify how well you understand the topics that have been covered and highlight weak areas where more review is needed.

Sharing of IDs, multiple people watching the courses, recording of courses, displaying of our courses publicly or privately to people who have not purchased our courses, constitute a violation of our IP. We take such violations very seriously. Studying the right way will not only save you from unwanted legal challenges, but also offer other benefits like online access to books, monitoring of your progress through online checkpoint exams and access to QBank. Being a Future global finance professional, you are expected to always act with integrity.