HOW I PASSED CFA LEVEL 2 (after failing)

www.audibletrial.com/joemaule Get 1 free book from Audible
CFA Level 2 is an extremely difficult exam. I failed it the first time I took it, but then went on to pass all the CFA exams to become a charterholder.
It's easy to underestimate the difficulty of the CFA level 2 exam. There is just so much information to learn. While it covers similar topics to Level 1 - Ethics, Equities, Fixed Income, Derivatives, and more, it goes a lot deeper.
The only way to pass the exam is to stick to a consistent schedule, stay focused, and work through as many practice problems as you can. It is especially important to understand all your mistakes, and redo any questions you've gotten wrong.
The CFA Level 2 format uses a vignette, or page of information, followed by a series of questions related to that information. I recommend reading the questions first so you can answer them as you read the vignette, and you know what information you're looking for.
Be sure to understand all the important functionality of your calculator.
The final month before the CFA exam, do as many practice exams as you can, The test should be your primary focus. Remember to take breaks, get enough sleep, and exercise to relieve stress and stay focused.
During the exam, always skip questions that are difficult, or that you don't know, and come back later. you don't want to miss easy questions at the end because you didn't have time to finish.
Good luck on the exam!
#cfa
#cfaexam
#cfalevel2
- TIMESTAMPS -
0:00 Intro
0:24 Level 2 Difficulty
1:10 How much time to Study
2:34 Learn from Mistakes
3:17 Study Materials
4:16 Level 2 Format Tips
5:25 The Final Month
7:01 General Advice

[@JoeMaule]

Good luck on Level 2!

[@tianp736]

My L2 exam is tomorrow and I have been studying after my young toddler goes to bed. Thank you for the tips and I'll be chill today as much as possible - I've handled enough stress from the past few months!

[@JoeMaule]

Good luck!

[@typicalgamer5560]

Did you pass?

[@stevennguyen100]

awesome video. this will be my 5th time taking cfa 2 this 11/2022. this is more than a test but a life discovery. cheers, gl, and go cfa!!

[@JoeMaule]

Thanks, and good luck! It takes a lot of persistence to go through that many attempts

[@jessemilligan1645]

Pass? Any tips?

[@toshunyuu]

Thank you ! I found myself in here a lot. I especially like the part: " after a while, you came back and forgot everything, don't panic". haha that was me. So it is not only me, so relieved. :D

[@JoeMaule]

We've all been there haha

[@anjalibinjve]

Thanks Joe. I’m starting for L-2 tomorrow. This video was pretty insightful 🌟

[@brians4640]

I like this video because you didn't just regurgitate what every other video says, the failing fast tip is especially useful. While doing level 1 i had to to force myself to do thsoe questions which i had low percentages on even though i far preferred to do those topics i liked because the hit you get from getting those correct questions was so alluring.

[@calla5828]

This is a great video!

[@mashfintech]

Thanks Joe. Writing end of August this year.

[@STS-Patrimonio]

Thanks for your tips ! Best regards

[@andaeae]

I took Level 1 exam this Monday and it‘s strange not having to learn each day 😂 So I decided to glimpse a bit into Level 2 prep, as e.g. your video - very valuable advices, thanks!!

[@JoeMaule]

Thank you for the comment Andreas, it does feel strange having so much free time after taking one of these exams

[@user-xy8xh1zg2e]

Thank you! To be honest, Yyou gave awesome advices!

[@JoeMaule]

Thank you, I'm glad you found the video helpful

[@abheetjain9819]

THNX FOR THE INFORMATION BRO...HOPING TO KILL IT IN LEVEL 2!

[@lilonkenkana196]

Great video mate

[@JoeMaule]

Thanks! Glad you found it helpful

[@FazlulKarimChowdhury]

Thanks Joe!

[@JoeMaule]

Anytime!

[@ericgregorious7047]

Hi Joe just failed my L2 yesterday. I looked at my son felt guilty for failing...But re watching this energise me to give it another shot and start practicing...will aim for a retake in November again.....so thank u

[@JoeMaule]

Sorry to hear you didn't pass Eric, but it's great you're motivated to give it another shot! Remember that most people fail at least one level, it's all part of the process. Focus on your weak areas for next time and you'll have a good chance. It's also important not to beat yourself up about it and take care of yourself. You can set a good example for your son about how to work through challenges and bounce back from a setback. Just being there for him is what truly matters. Best of luck in November, you got this!

[@ericgregorious7047]

​​@@JoeMaule Hi Joe I do owe you for your kind words. I took L2 again and passed....whats funny is that the fixed income, alt investment and FRA this time carried me trhough the finish line (was my weakest during my 1st attempt) derivative I got 50% lol....another funny thing is that L1 I only just touched the line...but this L2 I was at 80th percentile. Is not brilliant but a pass is a pass

[@typicalgamer5560]

@@ericgregorious7047👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@sayyedfarhan6396]

Thanks for sharing 😊

[@s.m.hassan3887]

i will be taking L2 third time this nov. i can relate to many issues u discussed here like social media and solving Qs with solutions open.

[@JoeMaule]

It's not easy, thanks for sharing!

[@Bluemoonrealtygroup0617]

I have failed the CFA Level II exam three times using Kaplan. Never came close to passing. Passed the CPA exam on my first attempt.

[@haydenT8]

just completed the exam , wish me luck!

[@JoeMaule]

Nice, good luck!

[@damisiayoola4362]

Thanks for sharing

[@JoeMaule]

You’re welcome!

[@ALFilm]

Hey mate, I’ve got the L2 next week… doing mocks, the results are mixed with some passing and some failing. (As you can imagine I’m here after failing one).. do you recall how you did on the mocks before the exam?

[@JoeMaule]

I had some mixed results as well going into it. Do your best to understand any questions you got wrong, and manage your time on exam day. Good luck!

[@KingBeatsOPS]

Hi Joe, I unfortunately did not pass my May 2023 Level II exam (barely touching the MPS). Now registered for November 2023, I remember most of the material, should I go over the whole material again or just do a slight review of weak points and the rest is rigorous practice? Thanks for the video!

[@JoeMaule]

For the sections you had the toughest time with last time, a full review of the material could help. For sections you know really well, I'd focus on problems to keep your knowledge fresh. If you run into problems you aren't as familiar with, review the material from that section. It's an iterative process based on where you're at personally with each topic. Good luck!

[@alam4877]

Hi.. I failed Nov 23 L2 exam.. when giving next exam make sense?

[@Tan92lfc]

August 2022 MPS is 60/88Q; I passed with 61/88Q.

[@JoeMaule]

Congrats!

[@suli609]

How do you know the MPS?

[@harsh132india]

Thank you very much

[@aartij3331]

Hi, thank you for the insights. Just one question, out of 1800 odd LES questions on CFAI’s website, how many did you solve?

[@JoeMaule]

I don't remember exactly, but I'd do as many as you can!

[@magnesiumiia4624]

How many mock exams did you take before the actual exam?

[@JoeMaule]

Around 6, the more the better assuming you're comfortable with all the topics. Focusing on weak areas and understanding mistakes is more important than getting to a certain number of mocks in my opinion.

[@pfrazeto]

Hello, is there any way you can share your mock exams with me?

[@riyagrover1749]

I failed yesterday! I was not prepared nicely. Do you think I should re-attempt in Aug'23? around 6-7 months left

[@JoeMaule]

Sorry to hear that Riya. I think 6 months is plenty of time if you want to give it another try.

[@riyagrover1749]

@@JoeMaule Since I am working full time, how many hours a week would you suggest? Are 2-3 hours a day fine?

[@nitish31ful]

I'm scared of Ethics

[@user-ng2zz4fp8k]

thanks joe，就是听不太懂。

[@magnificencetv7424]

My exam is nxt month on 31 august. I have ~800 EOC questions and 10 mocks to do. I dont know how I'll manage. And this is my second attempt. Any recommendations?

[@JoeMaule]

That's a lot to get through in only a month. I'd set a goal of getting through a certain number of EOC questions per day that's realistic for you and at least a few of the full mocks before the exam.

[@magnificencetv7424]

@@JoeMaule hi man, it's been a while haha. First thanks for the reply. Second I did the exam yesterday and man am I shocked. I am still god damn thinking about the exam. So let me tell u wat I did since ur reply. I ended doing 9 mocks in total with avg 64-65% score. I also managed doing almost 80% of the EoC questions. In the mocks, I once got 73% but imagine this.. 1 week before the exam I got the lowest 57%. That crushed me so hard I decided to sleep 1 full day 6 days before the exam!!!. So then came exam day. Overall, I have mixed feelings cz of 4 reasons: 1) my brain was extremely stupid on test day that I thought in the AM session that if u reach 100% completion bar means u finished the first session. So I remember having finished only 38% with 40 min left. I told myself how am I done with less than half of the exam with 40 min left. HOW??? I panicked so hard I had to do 3 full vigenttes in 20 min. I did awful in them cz I had zero concentration. When i finished them i saw that i finished the exam with 50% in the bar and I'm like: Omg i totally misunderstood that. 50% means ur done with AM. So i had 20 min left. So wat i did was go bk to these 3 vignettes and redo them. I read the cases this time (not skim) and changed many answers. But tbh the effort i kept was 90% not full 100% cz of the demovitation i felt after wasting 20min on a simple misunderstanding. 2) in general, half of the exam was brutal other half was beyond easy. 3) I know I got 2 extremely silly mistakes on the other easy half part. 4) I had to completely guess 6-7 questions. So overall, I feel bad not bcz of the brutal questions nor the questions i guessed and not even the ones i did silly mistakes on, but i feel bad mainly cz of the damn stupid percentage of completion misunderstanding thing i had. I never encountered this in all the mocks i did. But exam day, ofc, as usual, my brain shuts down, and a really stupid misunderstanding occurs. Man do I want to kill myself. That said, I think I failed with extremely little hopes of passing. I'm really hoping for a surprise pass. Share ur thoughts and experience if u dont mind. I'd like to hear

[@koto-krollik7003]

@@magnificencetv7424 hi, i take exam 31 august 2022 and i have the same. i made several very stupid mistakes too. I know with 100 % confidence i did about 10 bad choices because of stress. The rest i hope is OK but i have a margin for 10 additional mistakes about which I do not know. Im waiting for a result. Im very smart Person but maybe i have the problem with myself and I should fix it so as not to make stupid mistakes in the future.

[@suli609]

​@@magnificencetv7424 so did you pass in the end 😮

[@magnificencetv7424]

​@@suli609 i did yes - ended up getting 90th percentile as well - dont even ask me how lol - i have my level 3 exam in sep 3 and i'm going crazy again