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Subject Topic: Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
  
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QuantJockMN
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Posted: 23 Dec 2009 at 20:33 | IP Logged  

Dawgie wrote:

To close to tell.  It's going to be a borderline pass/fail.  It was a stretch to take Level 1 in December in the first place.  I just landed a new job a few weeks after I decided to schedule it.  It's a relatively demanding job with increasing responsibilities.  I had roughly 2 1/2 months of study time and the last week before the test I must have clocked about 40 hours of study time (3 hours of sleep each night). 

I got to the test center, didn't bother reviewing.  The turnout was huge, hundreds of people.  All freaking out getting in their last minute review in.  I pretty came in with the attitude that I did what I could with all the time I allotted.  I was very relaxed during the test, took multiple bathroom breaks.  The test itself is broken out into 2 sessions.  A morning and afternoon session with about a hour break in between.  The morning session went well, I nailed the accounting portion of course.  Afternoon session was a little tough.  It just came down to whether I knew the material or not.  If I didn't know I just blindly guessed.  There was definitely sufficient time. 

In comparison to the CPA,  I'd say definitely harder since there is a lot more information.  The material itself is about the same, maybe a little more difficult since I haven't had much exposure to fixed income.   I would say, think about it as taking 3 parts of the CPA all in 1 sitting.   I can only hope for the best.  I'm getting a little tired cramming 4 months straight for the CPA/CFA.  Just scheduled GMAT in February.



Good luck man.  I passed Level 1 last December.  It is a rush once you see the fat PASS on the screen.
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TheMaestro36
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Posted: 15 Jan 2010 at 14:04 | IP Logged  

I am also interested in becoming a Financial Analyst. 

I currently work for the school I am enrolled in, and I am 1 semester away from completing a BA in ACCT.  Since I receive free tuition, I plan on enrolling in a masters program.

Because of my UG ACCT curriculum, I am able to waive most of the core requirements for the MSA at my school.  I would only need to take 5 required courses, and 5 electives.  Since I would only be taking 5 accounting courses in the MSA program, I started looking into the MSF program as well (I didn't have much courswork in finance).

I am very interested in taking the CFA exam after a few years of auditing, after the completion of a masters.  I have no relevant work experience, and I am hoping to get into the Big4 (as is everyone else) after my education.

My concern is that if I decide to go after the MSF, Big4 won't consider me, because the know I am only after a few years of audit experience.

Any advice?
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Boise
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Posted: 15 Jan 2010 at 14:16 | IP Logged  

They're well aware that most are only after a few years experience.



__________________
FAR 11/23: 90
AUD: 1/5: 79
REG: 2/20: 91
BEC: 4/3: 82



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mek42
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Posted: 16 Jan 2010 at 07:45 | IP Logged  

TheMaestro36 wrote:
I am also interested in becoming a Financial Analyst. 

I currently work for the school I am enrolled in, and I am 1 semester away from completing a BA in ACCT.  Since I receive free tuition, I plan on enrolling in a masters program.

Because of my UG ACCT curriculum, I am able to waive most of the core requirements for the MSA at my school.  I would only need to take 5 required courses, and 5 electives.  Since I would only be taking 5 accounting courses in the MSA program, I started looking into the MSF program as well (I didn't have much courswork in finance).

I am very interested in taking the CFA exam after a few years of auditing, after the completion of a masters.  I have no relevant work experience, and I am hoping to get into the Big4 (as is everyone else) after my education.

My concern is that if I decide to go after the MSF, Big4 won't consider me, because the know I am only after a few years of audit experience.

Any advice?


Would you be able to complete the MAcc and MSF in the same time frame as just the MAcc (maybe by taking an extra course each semester plus summer classes)?  If so, you wouldn't have any gap time to fill with the MSF program and you could use your judgment whether or not the MSF is relevant for any given position-tailored resume.

As an example, I worked as a trap machine loader when I was 14.  This experience isn't on my resume as there's not much relevance to positions I'm interested in.
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allegro-cpa
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Posted: 16 Jan 2010 at 08:46 | IP Logged  

If you are an investment analyst for an firm that researches stocks on the sell side or that invests in stocks on the buyside, some firms require you to have the CFA before you can work for their firm.  Again, this is for the capital markets related analyst roles.  It's really designed for portfolio managers and analysts.  I do know an executive in a merchant bank, which requires a lot of accounting, but he also has financial/investment roles as well because he has a lot of responsibilities. 

 

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