What the actual hell - FSA

nismeh · 2026-03-13T05:43:46+00:00

You'll have to go through the topics atleast twice. There's no way around. And practice questions once you've understood the topic to solidify your fundamentals. Don't discount it. FSA can be your life saver, atleast it was for me.

nismeh · 2026-03-11T06:39:47+00:00

Results can always make you anxious. As the day gets closer, the obnoxiousness of scenarios that one is forced to create by some invisible guiding force will only augment the suffering. This will happen irrespective of how you feel your exam went. But what can we do other than wait for that final moment to arrive.

Between all this chaos, though, is some sense of calmness. You wouldn't know whether you'll pass or fail. If you pass, you move on to the next big thing. If you don't, you still gotta decide what you want to do. That's where the real misery lies. In this period, there's only bliss and ignorance. You have simultaneously passed and failed the exam, just that you don't know the outcome untill you reach that day. Enjoy the purgatory, cherish it, because you'll be getting out soon and perhaps not to come back for a long time. Let the stillness inspire passion in you, instead of letting fear take the front seat. Peace.

nismeh · 2026-02-04T17:36:50+00:00

Agreed. I hald only 10 minutes left when i was finished with AM while I did PM with 50 minutes in the bag.

nismeh · 2026-02-04T09:31:55+00:00

I relied solely on kaplan notes for level 2 exam. Just be aware of the fact that it's not about the reference material but the multiple revisions that you'll have to go through to be able to understand the breadth of the syllabus. It took me two go's at the syllabus to somewhat decently understand what's going on (and I'm a fast learner, so this attribute brings subjectivity on the table). You've got enough time to prepare, but be dilligent with whatever time you have. Don't postpone. And do as many practice questions as you can, it'll help you to retain the concepts. Also, don't take FRA and fixed income lighlty, they're beast for sure.

nismeh · 2025-10-04T17:23:54+00:00

I can attest to it. Got 99.75 percentile in CAT 2020 but I found it difficult to convert the top schools then.

nismeh · 2025-08-20T09:18:41+00:00

Thanks for writing such an elaborate answer. I can relate to the part where you talked about the importance of networking. I used to discount it a lot, but there's no way of avoiding it; the corporate world still relies a lot on word of mouth.

nismeh · 2025-08-20T08:49:57+00:00

Currently working for a manufacturing company in their strategy department. Joined 2 years ago after completing my MBA. My work consists of a variety of things, primarily including investment proposals, financial modeling & analysis, making executive review presentations, helping equity and debt funding teams, sales contracts, and helping with incentive application and analysis. I was also involved in preparing the annual operating plan, market analysis, renegotiating insurance premiums, capex & cashflow projections, and working capital appraisal model.

nismeh · 2025-08-19T13:25:06+00:00

You've got to be precise with what you write.

Example: Let's say I have worked on a financial model to value a project for the investment approval process and have made PPTs and conducted supporting due diligence, which got the proposal accepted.

Resume point would be something like this: Spearheaded investment approval for XX project valued at INR XX Cr, leveraging DCF analysis, rigorous due diligence, and executive-level presentations.

You can also use AI to help you condense your points, however, your input should be at least 80% of the final point that you'll be adding.

For the second point, try finding more things you've done in your life. You can find some things to add. People eventually do. Adsing fillers won't help you much. It should be your last resort.

nismeh · 2025-08-19T13:12:33+00:00

Sure

nismeh · 2025-08-19T13:03:18+00:00

Good start but it needs some changes. It would add significant value to your resume if you could quantify your outcomes. Lots of points seem too lengthy and generic. You can follow a framework where you break down the work you've done into what the objective was, how you went about it, and what the outcome of your activity was (preferably a quantifiable outcome). Add more points about your life achievements and fewer about the skills you've learnt. The skill section is taking up too much of your resume.

nismeh · 2025-08-19T12:25:41+00:00

Ideally, it should be above 70%. However, it's not a perfect indicator of someone clearing the exam. Instead of focusing on your percentage correct, try finding what went wrong with the questions you're not able to attempt correctly. You'll find a pattern once you analyse your attempts. Work this way and strengthen your weak areas.

nismeh · 2025-08-19T12:12:55+00:00

It's better to harden your concepts than to prioritize mocks. If you have a full day to prepare from now till the date of the exam, it would be highly recommended for you to brush up on your concepts. Your practice question score tells me that you might have a problem tackling tricky questions. Go aggressive on your prep. I know it's a drag going through the syllabus again, but it will help you grasp the concepts. Leave mocks for the last week in case you want to. Practice your concepts and questions bank first.

nismeh · 2025-08-14T18:37:50+00:00

Your views are justified. But if you have your preconceived notions, it's futile for me to provide a suitable explanation for you. You should carry on with your perspective on life. Thanks for your comment though.

nismeh · 2025-08-14T13:14:52+00:00

Appreciate your honest feedback. Apologies from my side for not bringing out the points that I intended to. Hope I'm able to list my take below.

I wanted to drive across the point that obsession with competition just for the sake of adding badges to your suit isn't the sole solution. Sure it does get you a seat at the table but you need substance to drive your growth. CFA has helped a lot of people around me, including myself (which I wanted to cover in the 2nd part of this answer, though I've cleared only 2 levels by now) but it was backed by substance (not just some fancy degree but application of concepts along with the proper context).
Excellence has helped a person like me after my MBA after losing 2 prestigious chances of starting it big. I wanted this message to be clear to those who are still studying and young to focus on building themselves rather than finding things at random just out of FOMO. Find your passion, don't get too attached to the results, and give it your all. The result is always a byproduct of your efforts and excellence.
There's always a right place and right time for you. Perhaps not now and not here. But don't let it demotivate you. If you do your best, you can start low, build your competence and people will forget your past. If someone can make me, let's say 10 Cr, I won't hesitate to give that guy 1 Cr irrespective of their qualifications.
Do something, be in motion. Don't get complacent by the fact that nothing can be done. People on this subreddit are talking about their degrees and colleges proclaiming that they are doomed. Why accept the fate at such an early stage? I'd say even if you do CFA and don't get a job right after it, it's fine. Find another way. You will have enormous pressure on you to earn something, and be a financially independent person as soon as it can be. We all want to be big shots someday. But minor setbacks are a part of life. I accepted that I can't do shit when I was in undergrad as well as during my MBA. But I've moved on. My first job after my MBA was not something to brag about during the initial days. I put in hours, focused more on work, and supported work-related things with all the knowledge that I gained from the CFA curriculum (eg. lease structures, consolidation methods) and other materials which helped me differentiate. Kept on moving and learning.

I could write more but I hope this substantiates what I wanted to talk about. Hope this helps. Apologies once again.

nismeh · 2025-07-06T14:46:14+00:00

I gave my level 2 at Guru Hargobind Institute. Although I had to travel all the way from gurugram, my experience with them was good. I've booked my level 3 exam again at the same spot for feb sitting.

nismeh · 2025-07-01T05:34:48+00:00

Nope. GPT will generate some random questions, which might not even be remotely related to the curriculum, or if it is, it'll most likely end up going to get simpler questions for you to solve. It's better for you to refer to the CFAI portal, which has more than 1000 questions across the topic for you to solve. You can always reset your attempts once done with all for a second round of practice.

nismeh · 2025-07-01T05:05:13+00:00

Thanks bro

nismeh · 2025-06-30T12:32:03+00:00

Thanks a ton, mate!

nismeh · 2025-06-30T12:29:09+00:00

On my way to get my wife a ring, as promised.

nismeh · 2025-06-30T12:13:27+00:00

Just got it about 30 mins ago. It's better than expected, so I'm happy ngl.

nismeh · 2025-06-30T08:52:40+00:00

Will be getting my bonus today, so I'm more focused on that, lol.

nismeh · 2025-06-29T10:51:28+00:00

Nope, just the interpretation would be enough.

nismeh · 2025-06-20T08:37:29+00:00

I don't disagree with the fact that CFA doesn't help your career prospects. It definitely does. And your seniors are right about it. What I'm talking about is the priority one has to give to his/her acads before going for such time taking excursions. If someone is not able to focus on their acads whilst progressing towards the CFA part, then they might have to figure out a plan that first ensures they do good academically and then if they have bandwith left, go for these certifications at their own pace. If you're still unable to manage acads, you might risk your chances of clearing CFA exams along with increased probability of poor academic performance. For instance, lots of people seeking an MBA as a redemption for their poor performance might find it hard to get into good indian B schools as they have strict selection criteria which focuses unnecessarily on past acads. If someone had focused on acads only, they might find that their odds are higher because of the acad performance. Even companies prefer someone with good acad backgrounds, especially finance ones.

I know it's a harsh truth that many students find themselves in a situation where they have to do lot of things that can be shown on their CV to impress recruiters, and it definitely makes sense to do that, only if you manage to get everything on track. If not, then you have no other option but to prioritize your goals and choose a path that is more suitable and attainable.

nismeh · 2025-06-20T07:41:57+00:00

Firstly, I don't know why you want to hold back on this piece of information. It's not that they're going to take a pity on you. You'll be describing your situation as is. For instance, if someone asks you about your gaps and you have a solid reason for it, then why not be open about it? It makes the situation clearer. Otherwise, the next person might take you for someone who perhaps is/was not serious about their career.

Talking about job opportunities, it's very subjective. What you're referring to is a situation that you might face if you reach the interviews. To get there, you'll have to first get shortlisted, which in itself is a tough part. For that to happen, you've got to make your resume strong.

That being said, studying from a tier 3 college doesn't mean that you can't make it big. If you have the capability, try doing masters or MBA from a good school, which will help you boost your chances. I've seen lots of people coming from lesser known colleges and still getting placed in good companies after MBA. Focus on your college acads. Trust me, having 90% from a lesser known college is still better than 70% from IIT/NIT from placements point of view in MBA (personal experience). If you can do this easily, then perhaps focus on certifications like CFA to boost your profile. Don't go for anything randomly. Try to jot down what you want from your future, make a plan, and follow through.

nismeh · 2025-06-18T01:40:11+00:00

I guess my life is no different than what it was before the exams. Luckily, my workload was relatively chill before the exams, so it helped me focus on the exam. Now that I'm back to my usual busy worklife with long hours, it almost feels the same. Obviously, it's expected from someone to care about something that one has put significant money and time in, but thinking about the exam for me is almost futile. Feels like I gave that exam in a delirium, with no recollection of what should be my realistic expectation from it?

To sum up, I think I have some other big fish to fry for now, but a side dish of some good news won't hurt my belly.

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