About CFA Institute and the CFA® program

• CFA Institute is based out of Charlottesville, Virginia
  • Formerly known as AIMR
  • Global, Non-profit organization
  • Over 90,000 members world-wide
  • Leads the investment profession globally by setting the highest standards in ethics, education and professional excellence

• CFA Designation - Globally recognized gold standard in investment management
  • Global in design and outlook
  • Rigorous broad based intensive self study graduate level program

• Benefits include:
  • International recognition and competitive advantage in job market
  • Solid knowledge base and skill sets
  • Respect and Credibility
  • Connections – over 83,000 charterholders across the globe!

   

• India/ Asia perspective
  • Designation widely recognized across Asia (Singapore/ HK/ Dubai/ etc.)
  • Growing candidate body in India fueled by the rapid entry of multinational organizations seeking to tap into India’s huge analytical talent pool

• Exam consists of 3 levels, sequential program, self study driven, based on reading assignments designed by CFA Institute

• Format of the exam varies by level
  • Level I is 100% objective type, i.e. multiple choice (1.5 minutes per question, total of 240 questions in 6 hours)
  • Level II is 100% item set (short case study, each case has 6 questions and 10 cases per session)
  • Level III is 50% item set and 50% essay type

• CFA Candidate Body of Knowledge™: Grounded and shaped by current practice – through rigorous analysis and periodic surveys of charterholders

• CFA Curriculum includes the following topic areas: TVM, Stats, FSA, Bonds, Stocks, Derivatives, PM, Alternative Investments, Economics, Ethics

• Eligibility: Education that is equivalent to US bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement for signing up for Level I exam. Also students in the final year of their studies are eligible to take the exam. Normally it takes 4 years to complete the requirements for a Bachelor's degree in the U.S. as compared to 3 years for a B.A or B.Com degree in India. However CFA Institute has stated that if the India degree leads to similar job opportunities then it wil be considered equivalent to a U.S. Bachelor's degree, even if it does not encompass 4 years of study. We advice India students (with 3 year degrees) to drop an email to CFA Institute and get written email confirmation on thier eligibility.

• Fees: Candidates in the CFA program pay an initial Enrollment fee (approx. US$400) and then pay a Registration fee (approx. US$ 600 for first dateline) for each of the three levels of the exam that they sit for. The initial registration fee is a one-time fee (that is valid until you complete the program.) For current/ detailed fee schedule please visit the following link:

CFA Institute - Fee Schedule

• Weightage of Topics: The chart below provides rough guidance around topic area weights for each of the three levels of the CFA exams. The items that have been highlighted are areas of focus for that level. Since the weights can vary year to year please visit the following link for current/ official weights:

CFA Institute - Topic Area Weights