Appearing for CFA Exam 2026? Here Are the Best Preparation Tips to Ace the CFA Exam Level 1
Chartered Financial Analyst Exam 2025 ( CFA Exam )
Exam On - 19 Nov '25 - 23 Nov '25
The CFA examination is conducted at three levels. Clearing the CFA exam is not a cakewalk and requires dedication. Cracking the CFA exam requires a structured preparation plan & strategy. In the article below, Shikha brings some CFA preparation tips to crack the CFA exam. Read on to know more.
CFA preparation tips
CFA preparation tips: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) is considered one of the toughest jobs for finance and accounting professionals. Clearing the CFA exam is not an easy task as it is expected by the students to be highly proficient with the financial terms and problems that are beyond their scope. The average CFA pass rate of 10 years for Level 1 has been predicted as 44% only. That is 44 per cent of the candidates who apply for the exam clear it on their first attempt. If you are also planning to appear for the CFA entrance exam can follow certain preparation tips to clear it on the first attempt.
Cracking the CFA exam requires a structured preparation plan and strategy. The key to clearing the CFA exam is preparing for the exam in a structured way while dedicating at least 300 hours to CFA preparation. Read the article below to know a few CFA exam preparation tips.
Also Read: CFA Program: Cost, Curriculum and Difficulty Level
- What is the CFA Programme?
- Syllabus of the CFA Program 2026?
- CFA Exam 2025-26 Important Dates and Events
- CFA Exam Pattern 2026
- Preparation Tips for CFA Exam Level 1
What is the CFA Programme?
Before diving into the exam preparation tips, let us discuss what the CFA programme is all about. This course is offered by the CFA Institute. This institute, located in Charlottesville, is empowered to teach banking and investment professionals the CBOK or the Candidate Body of Knowledge. The CBOK is designed to test the applicants on different aspects of investment namely economics, corporate finance, financial statement analysis, portfolio analysis, quantitative analysis, investment ethics, alternative investments, etc.
The CFA exam is conducted at three levels. It is after clearing the first level, can the candidate prepare for the other two levels. After clearing all these levels and with four years of experience in professional investment, the candidate is offered the designation of the Chartered accountant or the Chartered Financial analyst.
Syllabus of the CFA Program 2026?
The Level-I CFA exam 2026 syllabus of the CFA program features two exams of approximately three hours duration each. In each of these examinations, about 120 multiple-choice questions will be asked. Though the exact passing percentage is not evident, anecdotal data reveals that the candidate can score more than 67% in the examination, as the minimum pass score. The topics on which the student will be tested are given in the table below:
| Topics of CFA Level 1 | Weightage (in percentage) |
|---|---|
| Ethical and Professional Standards | 15-20 |
| Quantitative Methods | 6-9 |
| Economics | 6-9 |
| Financial Reporting and Analysis | 11-14 |
| Corporate Issuers | 6-9 |
| Portfolio Management | 8-12 |
| Equity Investments | 11-14 |
| Fixed Income | 11-14 |
| Derivatives | 5-8 |
| Alternative Investments | 7-10 |
CFA Exam 2025-26 Important Dates and Events
Check out the table below to know the important and upcoming CFA exam dates and events:
| Event |
Dates |
|---|---|
| CFA 2026 Registrations and Scheduling begin |
29-Apr-2025 |
| Early registration deadline |
07-Jul-2025 |
| Deadline to register with invoice payment option |
19-Sep-2025 |
| Last date of registration |
29-Oct-2025 |
| Scheduling deadline |
05-Nov-2025 |
| Rescheduling deadline |
22-Jan-2026 |
| CFA Level 1 2026 February exam |
02-Feb-2026 to 08-Feb-2026 |
Also Read: When is the CFA exam 2026? Complete exam schedule
CFA Exam Pattern 2026
While registering for the CFA exam, students can choose their preferred test centre location. The examination content, the focus of learning and the format of the questions keep increasing in complexity with every passing level. Check below the CFA exam pattern for Level 1 exam:
| Features | Details |
|---|---|
| Total Number of questions | 180 multiple-choice questions (divided equally among two sessions) |
| Duration of the exam | Session 1: 135 minutes Session 2: 135 minutes |
| Negative Marking | No |
| Syllabus | Session 1: Ethics and Professional Standards, Quantitative Methods, Economics and Financial Reporting and Analysis Session 2: Corporate Issuers, Equity, Fixed Income, Derivatives, Portfolio Management and Alternate Investments |
Preparation Tips for CFA Exam Level 1
Before discussing the important examination tips, let us discuss the general examination approaches for success. One has to be confident with their calculating device and have its basic features at their fingertips to not waste time in calculating. Each of the questions that refers to the financial reporting and analysis is based on IFRS or the International Financial Reporting Standards. If all the questions will be on US GAAP, then it will be specified in the paper. It is mandatory to answer all the questions as there is no negative marking.
Also Read: What to Expect of CFA Level 1 Exam
According to the CFA Institute and experts, students must dedicate at least 300 hours per level to CFA exam preparation. The CFA Level 1 exam is an introduction to the CFA program and the consecutive levels and the exam is conducted four times a year.
Some of the important CFA examination preparation tips are:
- Study all the topics with due focus and do not omit any topic from the exam preparation list. It is important to leverage one’s efforts in tune with the curriculum of the CFA Institute. Students who focus on too many materials other than the curriculum tend to make mistakes.
- It is important to keep up-to-date with the changing concepts of the financial world and have a keen eye for details.
- Understand the format of all three levels of the CFA examinations. While the Level-I exam is on multiple-choice questions, the Level-II exam has case studies and item-set questions. The Level-III examination has short essay-type questions involving calculations along with item-set questions to be asked in the afternoon session.
- Aspirants have to practice a lot of writing as Level II and III examinations demand a lot of writing by hand.
- As always practice can land you with perfect scores. It is important to repeatedly study every single topic of the curriculum by making a clear timetable. Students have to clear doubt and confusion then and there and revise all the topics before the examination.
- Take a lot of mock tests that are available online and practice with previous years’ papers to approach the examination with confidence and to develop time management skills.
- Students should work on strengthening their memory power and concentration skills as the exam is all about figures and formulas. Studying with concentration along with enough periods of rest and rejuvenation is the key to success in any competitive examination.
Read More: How Hard is the CFA Exam?
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Anything you would want to ask experts?
Each level of the CFA exam has its own criteria and passing score. CFA institute sets a MPS which changes with each cycle for the newly registered candidates. Some years test takers will receive an overall CFA score of 65% and fail, and in some years they may receieve a score of 62% and pass. The scoring plays a role in deciding the overall pass score in CFA exam. In general, an overall score of 70% and above will help you pass the CFA exam.