CFA

EDUPRISTINE: Like you, even I had an impression that this is the only legit training center. But alas, they work like a Spoken English class Managing' part time faculties on weekends and expanding their Business'. They use cheap marketing gimmicks as well, such as, the impressive professor Amit Jain, VP Kotak, and probably IIM and IIT pass out, who took the demo sessions doesn't take many of the actual lectures.
Their infrastructure is good, their flexibility is very good and they've got a presence online. However, hardly anyone at Edupristine is into full-time teaching. Good professors get promoted at finance companies, where they are working. So, on weekends, they prefer leisure over work and rightly so. High turnover could be the reason for drastic teaching quality deterioration.
Results: Percentage of students passing from Edupristine were as good as 60% and also below 40%. It varies batch wise.
Their reply on why one should join Edupristine:
a) IIT IIM founders (They don't take the actual CFA lectures. Their office argues that how can we students expect IITian founders to go to Mumbai suburbs, and that too for just teaching' Its this attitude of considering teaching as inferior that results in the problem of Hyped Brand' but Poor Teaching Quality).
b) Another pitching point is that Edupristine is a big USA company basically, all Indian founders actually went to the USA to register their Company' (company as it is called & meant to be). There are still many Indians who feel all that is foreign is superior to the Indian born and bred!
2. V D SHAH: Lacks experience and Knowledge that one would expect from a professor. Makes mistakes in formulas and keeps his book open during formulas which are petty issues but overall sends a signal of low confidence. I must also admit that he, after that, logically derives every formula & also gives some practical valuation stories regarding it.
LIFE-SCHOOL: Might not come under the coaching class category, as they position themselves beyond a prep institute; an undergraduate students B-school as they describe. They shall push you the hardest to get all the three CFA levels done in eighteen months and will top it up with internships and WorkEx, but sadly a sophomore at Life-School has no life beyond its school.
As any and every business school would, Life-School does not even offer a certificate for the long hours you devote. They say it is to attract the crowd with a class, not the mass. The certificate shouldn't

Both courses have nothing to do with BBA. BBA is basically a course designed to equip students with the basics of management. As such, BBA graduates are not products that are immediately employable. A Masters, i.e. an MBA is desired to give any value as such. CFA are degrees that are completely independent of any graduate degree as such, in this case BBA. If you are a BBA. I would suggest you to take up a job at a bank and then pursue your CFA. Ideal would be a job in corporate finance (mergers, deal advisory) in consulting but your chances of getting through such firms with a BBA are close to 0 to 10% in India. Second option is to kick start an MBA and pursue your CFA side by side. If you want to further your career in any of the fields above (except finance Management, for which CFA is recommended), go for CA. Chartered Financial Analyst.
Topics Involved on an overall basis:
Equity
Alternate Investments
Economics (small portions at every level)
Quantitative Analysis (small but technical portions at all levels)
Financial Reporting and Analysis (includes US Gaap & IFRS reporting and analysis, does not need you to know the accounting as in CA)
Derivatives
Portfolio Management
Corporate Finance
Fixed Income (debts)
Professional Ethics (the Do's and don'ts, as a professional cum member of the Institute)
So, if you want to enter hardcore finance sector such as equity research, debt research, IB, MF etc. CFA would be the right choice. Having said the above, please refer some of my previous answers related to CA and CFA .
I would say, do CFA if you are completing BBA.

CFA focuses on Investment Management and covers topics in Finance like Corporate Finance, Ethics, Equity Investments, and Derivatives, Fixed Income while preparing you for careers in Investment Banking, Research, and Portfolio Management. CFA is a simple 3 year course of three levels. Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3.
All the levels are a course of 1 year each.
CFA is organized by The CFA Institute (American Based Institute) globally recognised.
CFA focuses on ethics, accounting, corporate finance, equity investments, fixed income and portfolio management.
To clear CFA, you need Level 1: 42%, level 2: 46% and for level 3: 54%. Only those who complete three graduate-level examinations, four years of work experience, and annual membership renewal (including an ethics and code of professional conduct attestation) are permitted to use the CFA designation. Complementary codes and standards (such as the Global Investment Performance Standards and Asset Manager Code) help enhance this professional distinction.

Step 1: Gather all the knowledge you can about the programme. (Don't worry I am not going to make you work so hard I will tell you all about it.)
Eligibility: The very first thing that you need to know is that whether you are eligible to take the exams or not. To be eligible for the exams you must:
Have an international travel passport and
An undergraduate education: A Bachelors (or equivalent) degree. You can be in your final year too while registering for the exam.
Or
Work experience: Four years of professional work experience.Or
A combination of both: Education and professional work experience that meets the minimum of 4 years. (Part time jobs and positions do not qualify). EXAMS: There are three levels of exams namely, level 1 level 2 and level 3. Level I CFA It focuses on Investment Tools whose learning focus lies on knowledge and comprehension. It consists of 240 multiple choice questions split among 3 hour sessions. It has no negative marking for an incorrect answer. It takes place twice a year in June and December. Level II CFA It focuses on Asset Valuation whose learning focus lies on application and analysis. It consists of 120 multiple choice questions with no negative markings. It takes place in June
Level III CFA It focuses on Portfolio Management whose learning focus lies on synthesis and evaluation. : It consists of 8-12 essay type questions that are conducted in the morning and 10 multiple choice questions that are conducted in the afternoon. The candidate is to appear for both. It takes place in June. Jobs that you can go for: It is very important to know what the end result of this certification is. It bags one of the best jobs in the world. It gives you designations such as:
Portfolio Manager
Research Analyst
Chief Level Executive
Consultant
Financial Advisory
Corporate Financial Analyst
Risk manager
Relationship Manager
Step 2: Be ready to take the exams in English. Step 3: Become a member of the CFA Institute. Enrol yourself for the CFA programme by paying a one-time enrolment fee of US $450 (INR: 28,309.70). Step 4: You have to pay a fee when you register yourself for the first level of exams. It is always better to register yourself well in time for the examinations. Keep yourself updated on the CFA Exam Dates.

Step 1: Gather all the knowledge you can get about the programme. (Don't worry, I am not going to make you work so hard. I will tell you all about it.)
Eligibility: The very first thing that you need to know is that whether you are eligible to take the exams or not.
To be eligible for the exams you must:
Have an international travel passport and
An undergraduate education: A Bachelor's (or equivalent) degree. You can be in your final year too while registering for the exam.
Or,
Work experience: Four years of professional work experience.
Or,
A combination of both: Education and professional work experience that meets the minimum of 4 years. (Part time jobs and positions do not qualify).
EXAMS: There are three levels of exams namely, level 1 level 2 and level 3. Level I CFA It focuses on Investment Tools whose learning focus lies on knowledge and comprehension. It consists of 240 multiple choice questions split among 3 hour sessions. It has no negative marking for an incorrect answer. It takes place twice a year in June and December. Level II CFA It focuses on Asset Valuation whose learning focus lies on application and analysis. It consists of 120 multiple choice questions with no negative markings. It takes place in June
Level III CFA It focuses on Portfolio Management whose learning focus lies on synthesis and evaluation. : It consists of 8-12 essay type questions that are conducted in the morning and 10 multiple choice questions that are conducted in the afternoon. The candidate is to appear for both. It takes place in June. Jobs that you can go for: It is very important to know what the end result of this certification is. It bags one of the best jobs in the world. It gives you designations such as:
Portfolio Manager
Research Analyst
Chief Level Executive
Consultant
Financial Advisory
Corporate Financial Analyst
Risk manager
Relationship Manager
Step 2: Be ready to take the exams in English. Step 3: Become a member of the CFA Institute. Enroll yourself for the CFA programme by paying a one-time enrolment fee of US $450 (INR: 28,309.70). Step 4: You have to pay a fee when you register yourself for the first level of exams. It is always better to register yourself well in time for the examinations. Keep yourself updated on the CFA Exam Dates.

The main differences between a CPA and CMA is that a CMA has mix expertise in financial accounting and strategic management. This certification essentially expands on financial accounting by adding management skills which enable CMAs to make strategic business decisions based on financial information. CPAs perform/sign audits and are involved in lots of tax work, especially representing companies during IRS audits. Make sure you know what you'd like to do in your career since both designations lead to different industry roles. Here are some other factors to take into consideration when deciding between the two:
Exam Length:
CMA 2 part exam
CPA 4 part exam Cost
CMA ~$900 (varies by state)
CPA ~$900 (varies by state)
Exam Pass Rate
CMA 35%
CPA 46%
Continuing Professional Education Requirement (CPE)
CMA 30 hours per year
CPA 40 hours per year
Experience requirements to become fully licensed
CMA 2 years
CPA 1-2 years (varies by state)
Average total compensation over the course of career
CMA $135,000
CPA $141,000
While all of these comparisons are great, the most important thing it does not factor in is the intangible value. We feel it's our obligation to remind you that most people outside of the accounting industry know what a CPA is. Although they might not know what the title stands for, they know the acronym mostly because it is one of the most recognizable professional certifications. It is rarer that someone will know what a CMA is, much less what they do. In addition, in our experience, most employers:
Prefer a CPA over a CMA
Pay more for a CPA over a CMA (as seen above)
Require a CPA more often than they require a CMA
Although, obtaining the CPA license is a bit more difficult and will take more time, you can see that it's definitely worth it. However, we revert back to our first point, which is to go with the certification that you know will serve best for what you want out of your career. Or, if would still like to obtain both, our advice is to do just that. Get your CPA license first and then your CMA afterward.

Both courses have different work profiles. Someone who is interested in Accounting, Auditing, Tax consulting, Book keeping should go for ACCA. Someone who is interested in investment banking, portfolio management, and equity research should go for CFA. Now, a quick comparison between the two.
Recognition- CFA is recognized in all 206 countries, as it is one of the best finance courses in the world. ACCA is one of the oldest and best accounting course with recognition in 170+ countries (as they claim on their website) it comes with certain limitations, which are due to varying accounting and tax laws in different countries. Also, ACCA is not accepted in the USA. CFA is accepted in the UK.
Scope - As mentioned above, ACCA work profile include jobs related to mostly accounting and auditing, in the coming years with advanced technology and automation, the accounting jobs are at risk and same is the case for some of the auditing jobs. CFA, on the other hand, gives you the ability to take better investment decisions both for the business and for an individual investor, even with automation or any upcoming technology, humans will be needed to take the final call.
Salary - Backward looking jobs (accounting/ bookkeeping) pay the least.
Second, the highest pay is in the jobs, wherein you work for the present (operations manager) and then comes the forward-looking jobs (General manager/CEO/MD/ Investment advisory) with the highest pay. Average Salary of a new CFA graduate in the USA is $49k/annum, average salary of new ACCA graduate in the UK is 30700 or $41000. So, all in all, I find CFA a better course to do, but for someone who is interested in both fields, he can go with a combo (ACCA + CFA).

To be frank, it is not that easy to get a call from outside India on the basis of CFA level 2. The majority of Indians who work in US are either Software Engineers or stay there on H1B visa or have done their Masters/higher education there and are placed through campus. I know lot of people who have completed CFA but aren't able to get into a relevant profile within India itself. On the other side, I have also come across people who are graduates and after working for more than 78 years in a descent profile at Investment Bank by starting from scratch and after getting promoted to senior roles have moved outside India by taking lateral movement. Secondly, moving to United States isn't that easy, because their H1B visa rules are very stringent. They will hire people from outside US only, if they can't find people with required talent within the country. If you are too keen to move outside India, I would suggest you to apply at any Investment banks like Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, Credit Suisse or Goldman Sachs in India. Work hard and prove yourself to an extent that your performance is visible and appreciated within onshore and the offshore team. Create good contacts and relationships with the higher management, which will help you to take a lateral movement whenever there is an opportunity outside India.

CFA focuses on Investment Management and covers topics in Finance like Corporate Finance, Ethics, Equity Investments, and Derivatives, Fixed Income while preparing you for careers in Investment Banking, Research, and Portfolio Management. CFA is a simple 3 year course of three levels Level 1, 2 and 3 all the levels are a course of 1 year each.
CFA is organized by the CFA Institute (American Based Institute) globally recognised.
CFA focuses on ethics, accounting, corporate finance, equity investments, fixed income and portfolio management.
To clear CFA, you need Level 1: 42%, level 2: 46% and for level 3: 54%. Only those who complete three graduate-level examinations, four years of work experience, and annual membership renewal (including an ethics and code of professional conduct attestation) are permitted to use the CFA designation. Complementary codes and standards (such as the Global Investment Performance Standards and Asset Manager Code) help enhance this professional distinction.