What is the CFA^® Program?

The first charter for the Chartered Financial Analyst Program, or CFA Program, was awarded in 1963 and since then the Program has grown to become the benchmark of excellence in the investment industry worldwide. The Program now attracts more than 200,000 candidates (from over 160 countries) to the exam each year, and the number of CFA charterholders currently stands at around 80,000.

In three successive exams you will be assessed on a wide range of subjects including ethics, quantitative techniques, economics, financial statement analysis, corporate finance, equity, debt, derivatives, alternative investments and portfolio management. The knowledge you gain while studying will be invaluable to your future career and the CFA charter has become universally recognised by employers and investors as a mark of excellence and integrity within their profession.

For more information please see CFA Institute’s website at www.cfainstitute.org

What are the entry requirements?

In order to enrol on the Program you need to have either:

• a US bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) OR
• four years of professional work experience OR
• a combination of the two that totals four years

It is possible to enrol for Level I if you are in your final year of a degree course, though you will need to have received the degree before enrolling for Level II. As well as the academic or work experience you must sign a statement of professional conduct and pay the exam fees to CFA Institute.

How can CFA^® Institute be contacted?

By e-mail: info@cfainstitute.org
By telephone: +1 434 951 5499

For other CFA Institute contact details please see the contact page on their website.

What are the requirements to become a CFA^® charterholder?

In order to receive your CFA charter you must have achieved the following:

• You must pass all three levels of the CFA exam
• You need to have 48 months of relevant work experience
• You must become a regular member of CFA Institute.

The work experience can be gained before, during or after studying for the exams. This experience can be in a wide range of activities, including financial, economic or statistical analysis as part of the investment decision-making process, supervising staff who are performing these activities or teaching the skills involved. At least 50 percent of your time must be spent in these activities and part-time roles are excluded. Job titles themselves are less important than the nature of the activity when assessing work experience. See here for more details, including a list of sample job titles.

Isn’t it supposed to be really difficult?

Yes. You should aim to spend at least 250 to 300 hours studying for each level of the Program. Quartic will give you full guidance on how to study and candidates who show commitment from the start of the course have a far greater chance of success.

How quickly can I get through the CFA^® Program?

The Level I exam is conducted twice a year, in June and December, while Levels II and III are just once a year in June.

Hence for candidates sitting Level I in June of a particular year, the fastest route would be Level II in June the following year and Level III the June after that.

For candidates sitting Level I in December, the results will be known in time to register for Level II the following June, with Level III a year later.

 

Exam Dates and fees

For June 2012:

Deadline	21 September 2011	15 February 2012	14 March 2012
Program Enrolment Fee*	US$420	US$420	US$505
Exam Registration Fee**	US$610	US$705	US$965
Total Fee	US$1030	US$1125	US$1470

For December 2012:

Deadline	14 March 2012	22 August 2012	12 September 2012
Program Enrolment Fee*	US$420	US$420	US$505
Exam Registration Fee**	US$610	US$705	US$965
Total Fee	US$1030	US$1125	US$1470

* The Program Enrolment fee applies only to first time Level I candidates. Candidates for Levels II and III or candidates resitting Level I should pay just the Exam Registration fee.

** The registration prices listed are for eBooks only, for printed books instead add $60, and for both eBooks and print add $90.

It is not necessary to be registered with CFA Institute prior to enrolling with Quartic Training, though if you are in any doubt over your eligibility as a candidate we strongly recommend that you seek clarification from CFA Institute before committing to course fees. The CFA institute registration and fees page can be found through this link.

 

What courses does Quartic Training offer?

We offer a wide range of courses for the CFA exam. For part-time candidates please click here. Full-time candidates should click here.

Alternatively, you can find details of other courses in our IMC, Financial Modelling, or Financial Markets sections.