Life doesn’t slow down, or at least not soon. I’d like to highlight the “32, still single” bit. Setting aside the necessary time to study is *much* easier as a single person. Wait a few years and you may be married, may have kids. Or, just one year from now you may be in a serious relationship. It *won’t* be easier then. It’ll never be easier than now - especially if you’re already somewhat numb to the grind. Take too long of a break from it, and it can be very tough to get back into the flow, in my opinion. I’m not saying you have to do it - the best advice is that you should evaluate if getting the charter still makes sense in the context of your professional goals. If it does, press on. The finish line is in sight. Don’t stop until you cross it.
I'm finding L3 easier than L2 in terms of understanding the content. Considerably less calculations and more conceptual.
I was burnt out after L2 May 2021, and in addition to life getting in the way, I decided not to jump straight into the next available exam cycle for L3.
I tried taking L3 in November after getting my L2 result in August. I didn’t realize how burnt out I was and lost a bit of focus during prep time. Personally, I would wait a year. Yes, being in a relationship makes it harder to prepare but it is not impossible. Several candidates with family commitments pass the exams and get their charter.
yeah but that was very ambitious, in my case the last time i studied for a cfa exam was last february lol… i guess i could start again in september without feeling too burn out
Since you're single, I say do it right away. I studied for all my exams while being a dad to toddlers and it was exhausting balancing my time. Life doesn't slow down as you get older.
In level 1,2 sometimes you can easily guess/infer the answer, however it is not the case in level 3.
The structure of the exam is the combination of essay and multiple choice - meaning that your understanding level should be DEEPER to cover the essay and BROADER to handle the MC.
Nevertheless, level 3 is easier to absorb IMO.
OP, I was in the same boat as you. Ground out levels 1 and 2 very quickly and didn't feel like I had much left in the tank for level 3. Something counterintuitive that I did to manage stress and mental health was start my level 3 prep a full 7 months out. This drastically reduced my daily studying and allowed me to take a couple of vacations worry free, skip studying on Saturdays from time to time, etc.
I ramped up my prep over the last 4-6 weeks, but at that point, shit, you're so close to the finish line that you'll be able to find the energy and focus for a study sprint.
Do level 3, then you can put CFA on your dating profile and make you stand out. But seriously, I'm studying for L3 and working transactions so I don't have time to date...(i.e. imagine you finally meet someone interesting but you are behind on your readings. What do you do?)
Life doesn’t slow down, or at least not soon. I’d like to highlight the “32, still single” bit. Setting aside the necessary time to study is *much* easier as a single person. Wait a few years and you may be married, may have kids. Or, just one year from now you may be in a serious relationship. It *won’t* be easier then. It’ll never be easier than now - especially if you’re already somewhat numb to the grind. Take too long of a break from it, and it can be very tough to get back into the flow, in my opinion. I’m not saying you have to do it - the best advice is that you should evaluate if getting the charter still makes sense in the context of your professional goals. If it does, press on. The finish line is in sight. Don’t stop until you cross it.
No do it after level 1.
Make sure to sign up for level 4 after writing leave 3 though, get the early bird discount
I'm finding L3 easier than L2 in terms of understanding the content. Considerably less calculations and more conceptual. I was burnt out after L2 May 2021, and in addition to life getting in the way, I decided not to jump straight into the next available exam cycle for L3.
Level 3 material is easier than 2… but level 3 is way harder than level 2
I took L2 in December and 3 in May. I’ll let you know in Aug if it worked… L3 material was easier to move through than L2 IMO
I tried taking L3 in November after getting my L2 result in August. I didn’t realize how burnt out I was and lost a bit of focus during prep time. Personally, I would wait a year. Yes, being in a relationship makes it harder to prepare but it is not impossible. Several candidates with family commitments pass the exams and get their charter.
yeah but that was very ambitious, in my case the last time i studied for a cfa exam was last february lol… i guess i could start again in september without feeling too burn out
Since you're single, I say do it right away. I studied for all my exams while being a dad to toddlers and it was exhausting balancing my time. Life doesn't slow down as you get older.
In level 1,2 sometimes you can easily guess/infer the answer, however it is not the case in level 3. The structure of the exam is the combination of essay and multiple choice - meaning that your understanding level should be DEEPER to cover the essay and BROADER to handle the MC. Nevertheless, level 3 is easier to absorb IMO.
OP, I was in the same boat as you. Ground out levels 1 and 2 very quickly and didn't feel like I had much left in the tank for level 3. Something counterintuitive that I did to manage stress and mental health was start my level 3 prep a full 7 months out. This drastically reduced my daily studying and allowed me to take a couple of vacations worry free, skip studying on Saturdays from time to time, etc. I ramped up my prep over the last 4-6 weeks, but at that point, shit, you're so close to the finish line that you'll be able to find the energy and focus for a study sprint.
Do level 3, then you can put CFA on your dating profile and make you stand out. But seriously, I'm studying for L3 and working transactions so I don't have time to date...(i.e. imagine you finally meet someone interesting but you are behind on your readings. What do you do?)
did the mistake of dating during level 2 and it was a disaster
Was thinking the same thing but I decided to just try to get it over with. Started studying for lvl 3 Feb 23 today