Chartered Financial Analyst® Full-Time

Study specific FAQs

• How much preparation would I need for each of the CFA® examinations?
  CFA Institute recommends you devote a minimum of 250 hours study time to each level of the CFA Program. This will vary from candidate to candidate based on your familiarity with the curriculum subject areas.

• Does an accounting qualification help?
  An accounting qualification does help, as financial statement analysis has a weighting of around 25% at Level I, between 20% and 30% at Level II and up to 10% at Level III. You should also note that the curriculum in this topic area is based on US GAAP and candidates who have obtained their accounting qualification in other countries may still need to devote a considerable amount of study time to this topic area.

• What textbooks do I need to purchase to prepare for the exam?
  The study material that BPP provides has been written to comprehensively cover the entire curriculum at each level of the CFA Program. When you study with us, you don't need to purchase any extra material other than the CFA Institute Standards of Practice Handbook.

  As a CFA candidate you are obliged to follow the Standards of Professional Conduct detailed in the Handbook - it is an integral part of your exam preparations for all three levels.

• How long are your CFA courses?
  We offer an extensive range of course options and dates to suit your individual study needs and commitments. From weekday to Saturday, evening or even CFA Financial Maths Booster courses, you can create your own highly targeted programme of study by purchasing the course tuition you need.

• Do you produce a study guide to help me in my studies?
  We produce a study guide and study planner to help you structure your studies and revision.

• What exactly does the course cover?
  The study materials that BPP provides comprehensively cover the 10 topics of the Body of Knowledge and all the Learning Outcome Statements. They work through the curriculum in a logical and systematic approach, providing you with helpful explanations to key concepts and useful solutions to the more interpretative areas of the syllabus.

• What is the study period for each exam?
  There's a vast amount of information to learn and understand for your exam so you should start your studies as early as possible. We offer courses up to 6 months before the exam and, don't forget, we're always here to offer advice, guidance, support and tips from the day you first enroll with us.

• If I fail my exam do you provide a refresher course or will I need to take the whole course again?
  If you fail your exam for any reason, you can attend one of our many Revision Courses, in London or Edinburgh, towards the next exam sitting. These are designed to strengthen your knowledge of key curriculum areas, focus your studies on the subject areas you feel are your weakest and reinforce your exam technique with question practice and analysis.

  Depending on your time, knowledge and revision requirements, you can enroll on all 3 days or simply just those that are relevant to you. Our tutors will also be more than happy to work with you to try and establish areas of weakness before you re-sit your exam.