Exam strategy 10 - level 1 final prep

Good evening everyone. Up to this point, I’ve introduced quite a number of study strategies, 10 to be exact. These strategies I’ve talked about range from how to study the entire CFA curriculum to how to prepare for the sprint. If you had used some of them consistently throughout the past few months, with the time left, you have a chance to improve your performance by quite a bit. If you can use your time time effectively, a lot can be done in 12 days. You won’t be able to go through the books again but you can easily do at least 3 to 5 full mock exams, make sure you can answer multiple choice questions quickly and correctly, and review all questions afterwards, even if you just do that I guarantee you your performance on the exam day will be elevated more than you would imagine.

Today I’d like to write about things you should watch for before the exam and on the exam day. First things first, here’s what I think you should pay attention to from now to the exam day:

• Make sure you go through at least 4 mock exams – timed and reviewed, do more if you can
• Don’t burn yourself out in this 2 weeks, a little aerobic conditioning or weight lifting may help
• Don’t get distracted – this time is ALL about you and the CFA exam. When I took the exam, I had no contact with work, limited contact with family and friends, it’s just me and my mock exams
• Take a deep breath and pause for a second when you are anxious about the exam, then continue with questions.

The day before the exam, prepare the following:

• Your exam ticket, passport, financial calculator, No.2 or HB pencils, an eraser (no paper cover), ear plugs, I also bring my own lunch, energy bars, chocolate, red bull (never needed them), and of course my notes.
• Many people have said to me to not study the day before, just relax, and so on, I treated the day just as another study day.
•  Go visit the exam centre the day before and map out two alternative routes to get there; believe it or not, the exam can generate a huge traffic jam on the highway. If you are late they will not let you in until the exam starts, it happened to me before.
•  Eat an early dinner and Get a good night sleep before the exam – I say that but never did, I studied until 2 AM, but it’s not recommended, so eat early and get a good sleep.

 On exam day:

• Take a few minutes to read this link Exam Day Schedule, review the outlined schedule
• Wear comfortable clothes, sweat pants are my personal favourite
• Arrive early and give yourself enough time before the exam
• Go to wash room before exam starts and limit your washroom breaks
• Manage your time during the exam. If you get stuck, just skip to the next question, remember 1.5 minutes per question
• There will be distractions during the exam, use ear plugs, don’t get distracted and keep calm
•  It is said the afternoon session maybe harder, but I think it’s mostly because candidates are depleted in the morning session
• Leave sometime to check if the answer sheet is completed, and review the exam if time permits

This last 2 weeks will be very hard, but looking on the bright side, you cann’t really do anything if you were not studying right, it’s freezing outside with the big snowstorm just a few days ago. And come June, you will be finished with level 2 and be able to get a long break for the summer.

I am hoping to write another post next weekend, meanwhile keep calm and practice more exam questions. Have a productive Sunday evening!