Banking, Finance & Insurance

Hi,
You can prepare for CFA Level 1 within 6 months or even earlier depending on your style of study.
A good preparation is a function of time, knowledge, practice and commitment.
Time: The earliest you start, the more time you'll have to cover all the topics from top to bottom. The more familiarized you are with the curriculum, the better, and for that you need time. Official statistics say that you need on average 300 hours for level I, I needed 600 hours approx. If you take it in June, some people start studying in February. For me, that's not enough. I think that 6 months is ok. I would recommend that you to take some time off, let's say, two weeks before the exam (when possible). Ask your boss early if this is possible. Do exercises.
Knowledge: It's a long exam and they ask everything. Study well and know the curriculum, you'll have 15 minutes on an average to answer each question, you have to be quick. To be quick, you will need practice and for that read the next point. For studying, I used Schweser's study notes, and for some specific readings also read the official curriculum, they also offer video classes and online courses. Know the different topic weights for the exam, also know the exam format.
Practice: You are not going to pass the exam if you read only. The truth of the matter is that it is a practical exam. You will learn, remember and get the required exam rhythm by doing exercises. Of course that you have to memorize some theoretical concepts, but you don't do that at the beginning (like ethics, and even in ethics you need to do a lot of exercises). You have to test yourself with exercises. The most important are the practice exams. If you get a package like Schweser, you'll have 6 exams. You should be able, at the end of your preparation, to do 3 exams in "real exam conditions", that is strictly by the clock, two blocks of three hours, no materials, no google, no phone, with the approved calculator and pencils and no interruptions. The similar situations to the real exam conditions.
Commitment: Make a study plan and commit to it. Follow it and make the correct adjustments when necessary. Try to be honest on when you can study and for how many hours and be real on your estimates. It's a long process and it is really easy to say once in a while "I'll check that later".
All the best.