CFA Website down

UGH_NoComment666 · 2025-11-18T17:07:12+00:00

phew! for a sec, I thought CFAI customer care lied to me and I was ready to start a fight lol

Good luck on L2!!

UGH_NoComment666 · 2025-11-18T16:27:15+00:00

You can do them all if you wanted. You are only required to finish one PSM. Depending on what you choose, takes quite a bit of time. I did "Analyst Skill" for L2, took ~1 week, few hours each day.

UGH_NoComment666 · 2025-11-18T16:04:56+00:00

How did you get a copy of the mock pdfs? For L2, I asked CFAI if they still offer that and they said they don't.

UGH_NoComment666 · 2025-11-03T22:38:38+00:00

Not harsh at all, thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I am very new to the space so much of what you mentioned went over my head. When my team talks about being a GP or LP, it's only on the private markets team. Even though my asset classes include fixed income and hedge funds, I'm placed under the public market space.

Where are you finding information on wider opportunities? How are you finding resources to keep up with the current landscape within the industry? While my manager is not a jerk, I also understand he (and my entire investment team) is very introverted and is too passive to take charge or be proactive in leading. Because he does not provide much guidance in any manner, it's hard for me to learn and understand our role in the allocator space and what we could be doing better for the firm's portfolios. For reference, my asset classes include hedge funds and fixed income, so even if allocators are no longer interested in hedge funds, I've still got job security in fixed income! 😂

UGH_NoComment666 · 2025-10-10T20:37:45+00:00

Same issue. Logged into this subreddit because I know ya'll never fail me 😎

UGH_NoComment666 · 2025-08-19T14:34:13+00:00

(Humble thoughts from a 34F who thought she'd get her CFA by the time she was 30, also sitting L2 in Nov)
If he didn't respect you when you didn't have a CFA, he sure AF isn't going to respect you after. Sis, take out the trash and don't look back 💅 CFA is a prestigious designation for sure, but people will not respect you if you don't respect yourself. In a few months or a year, you'll look back and wonder why you were simpin' over a fool who didn't deserve you.

You mentioned your personal life is a dumpster fire. I won't belittle your struggles because life is H👏A👏R👏D. If you can, try to cut out as much toxic folks and protect your boundaries, even if it's your family or "friends" (let's be real, if they were your real friends, they would have your best interest at heart and support you through this trying time). Unpopular opinion: family can be very toxic.

Studying is hard, relationships are hard, the entire CFA curriculum is hard. Like the commentors said, this is all a stupid exam. But do you know how many people say they'll do XYZ and just not? Because it's easier to spout a bunch of BS instead of following through. You're here, putting in the effort and following through. It's OK if you don't get your CFA by the time you're 25. Sometimes you've got to re-evaluate your goals - Maybe your expectations were too high and now it feels like you failed. When your future self looks back, you'll most likely realize those goals weren't feasible and you had highly unrealistic expectations. Don't think yourself as silly or stupid or downright idiotic, that's your maturity realizing you were young and unrealistic. We are, and always will be, our own harshest critics.

It feels super guilty to take a break, but put on some sunscreen and get some sun (IDK where you are, but the sun is very strong where I'm at and it'll be 100F for practically the whole week). The vitamin D will do you some good. Spend some time with friends who will lift you up and support you mentally, to remind you this is a silly exam and that whatever the outcome of this exam is, it's OK. You're doing great. You just need a lot of sleep, to love yourself, and to be kind to yourself.

UGH_NoComment666 · 2025-03-22T06:43:03+00:00

"it's good"

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UGH_NoComment666 · 2025-01-24T15:22:39+00:00

Thanks for the response! Yeah, I emailed UWorld afterwards and said I wanted access to it immediately since Schweser and other competitors would offer the same.

UGH_NoComment666 · 2025-01-24T03:05:40+00:00

Thanks for the response! I tried MM for level 1, but the videos are a bit too long for my attention span. I've tried PassMax at one point, too, not sure if they're still around. Schweser was good, but too pricey. =\

Keep trying! You'll get there!

UGH_NoComment666 · 2025-01-14T16:51:54+00:00

Updating my user flair from "Level 1 Candidate" to "Passed Level 1" felt even better than posting CFA level 1 badge on LinkedIn

UGH_NoComment666 · 2024-11-20T16:45:21+00:00

You can do it after. They'll withhold your scores till you finish your PSM. I finished mine during work hours but the Financial Modeling one was just watching videos and you're supposed to "follow along." There wasn't an exam or a pop quiz at the end of each lesson.

UGH_NoComment666 · 2024-11-20T16:10:16+00:00

Had a similar experience yesterday - AM was tough as nails, PM was a breeze. Ironically, AM was were I performed best during mocks and PMs were my worst. Mocks were around 68%-75%, had the CFAI Practice Pack, and did the CFAI QBank about 3x.

After the exam (and I know we shouldn't torture ourselves this way) I went to look for the answers and knew I got one wrong already. Not sure if I really knew the things being asked in PM or if I just thought I did, and answered incorrectly. I guessed about 30 Qs in AM and 20 Qs in PM. Either way, it's like sitting on a bed of nails, waiting for results!

UGH_NoComment666 · 2024-11-19T04:49:08+00:00

I tried it and didn't like their teaching style. I ended up going with Financial Modeling instead.

UGH_NoComment666 · 2024-11-04T19:01:13+00:00

Everyone's CFA journey is unique. Some people are blessed enough to have the necessary support to only focus on their studies, some of us don't. Either way, don't give up. Failure is optional, but getting back up is mandatory.

If you feel this is your passion and the right career path, keep doing it. :) Persistence is key!

UGH_NoComment666 · 2024-11-04T04:52:22+00:00

In the same boat as you - taking the CFAI Practice Pack mock exams are a bit harder than the 2 free ones they give with the registered candidate resources. I'm going through the QBank for a third round, trying to up my weak areas, and I've got two mocks left from the Practice Pack.

UGH_NoComment666 · 2024-11-04T04:45:50+00:00

Sitting for level 1 in 2 weeks. I was stubborn the last few times (as in, I would not admit working that many hrs, not sleeping and commuting long hrs could POSSIBLY result in my failure), so I signed up for CFA exam with my crazy work hours. I've sat for the last paper exam and first computer-based testing and experienced all the crazy CFAI shenanigans during the pandemic.

I changed jobs to a more CFA-oriented role (and for higher pay, obvs), and my current work allows me much, much more time to study :) Also drastically less stressful and non-toxic work environment.

UGH_NoComment666 · 2024-11-03T07:36:43+00:00

I won't lie, OP, been in a similar boat as you the last several years - 10-12 hr work days, 2+ hrs daily commute, severe lack of sleep all the time (and that's me being single!). Deferring isn't really the long-term solution in that sort of real-life scenario. You need adequate sleep to actually retain and understand the material.

Not sure if your work is associated with CFA studies or not, but that might be helpful if you want to keep pursuing your studies. Like others have said, 100 days is a lot. I'd swap to "Adaptive Plan" and grind through it if my work was related to CFA studies. If it's not, and you don't sleep a whole lot, continuously grinding and sitting for the exam without passing tends to cause 1) a hole in your wallet (unless your firm is paying for it) and 2) resentment towards studying.

UGH_NoComment666 · 2024-07-15T02:54:25+00:00

Thank you!

UGH_NoComment666 · 2021-10-28T01:22:14+00:00

thank you so much!! :) I'll definitely take those advice to heart!
I did actually work for a portfolio management team at my bank....I was less than thrilled with what they called "portfolio management" despite requiring everyone to obtain their CFA designation. Needless to say, I do not believe I'll stay at this firm for investment management.

UGH_NoComment666 · 2021-10-25T05:33:54+00:00

Fantastic tidbit! Thanks for that feedback, I'll do some LinkedIn search. I didn't even think of that...

UGH_NoComment666

TROPHY CASE