The first Monday after the 2018 CFA June Exam

Monday, June 25^th, 2018

Yes, you did it. You just completed one of the CFA exams after months of preparation. Give yourself some credit as such an exam is tiresome. It is normal to be overwhelmed. You are more likely to go home with a natural stupid smile on your face that you have no control over (trust me I know). You did your best and now the wait for the result is here.

First of all, congratulations for taking the exam. Hopefully once the grades are out you will not be disappointed.

You might be asking yourself this question: What to do after the CFA exam?

Step 1: Take a reflecting pause, relax & enjoy your time

You deserve this. Go out, do things that make you happy. Enjoy your time with your families and friends as it won’t be long till you start preparing  for the next level (unless you just took the Level 3 exam).

Step: 2: Do not share & solicit any CFA exam related questions & material

Guys you studied this: Standard VII-A: Conduct as Members and Candidates in the CFA Program. Ethics is taken very seriously by the CFA community. Since you are a member of that community do not solicit material and exam questions to anyone. Otherwise, you know the consequences.

Step 3: Do not let the doubt & questioning eat you alive

You just completed a very taunting exam the last thing you want to do is drain yourself psychologically. Do not start questioning your performance or whether you will fail or not.  Enjoy the time you have before the results are out.

Step 4: Results are out

Alright, things seem real right now. The exam results are out and let’s hope this is a good one. If you did not make it through, it is not the end of the world. Analyze your results (even those who passed) know your weak and strong points. Check how far are you off and decide accordingly if you want to re-do the exam. On the other hand, for those who passed, analyze your results. Put equal emphasis on topics you passed and on those you failed. If you believe that you struggled with a specific topic, make sure to review the topic so you are better prepared to face the level 2 exam. This is important because the next level always builds up on the one before it.

Finally, make sure to start preparing early for the next exam and build on what you did wrong in the previous level, as by now you know better.

Good luck on your CFA journey and hopefully you will reap the rewards of all the hard work.

Yazan Rai

Institute for Financial Analysts- IFA