CFA Level 1 study schedule

Three schedules depending on how much time you have. Each one assumes you are starting from scratch. If you already have a finance background, you can move faster through the topics you know.

All three plans follow the same structure: learn the material first, then shift to practice questions, then finish with mock exams. The ratio changes based on how much time you have.

6-month plan (10-12 hours/week)

The most comfortable timeline. You will have time to read the material properly, do questions, and still have a full month of review at the end.

4-month plan (15-18 hours/week)

The most common timeline. Tight but doable if you are consistent. You need to be disciplined about study time - missing a week is harder to recover from.

3-month plan (20+ hours/week)

Aggressive but possible if you have a finance background or can commit serious hours. Not recommended if this is your first exposure to the material - you will not have enough time to let concepts sink in.

Tips that apply to all three plans

Do questions from day one. Even if you have only read one chapter, do the end-of-chapter questions. Active recall beats passive reading.

Track your accuracy by topic. Know which topics are dragging your score down. Spend more time on those, less on the ones you are already passing.

Do not skip mock exams. They are the closest thing to the real experience. Take at least 3 full mocks before exam day, ideally under timed conditions.

Ethics in the last two weeks. Re-read the Standards of Practice Handbook. Ethics questions test judgement, not memorisation - you need fresh exposure.

Formulas on paper. Write out every formula from memory. Do this daily in the last two weeks. If you cannot write it, you do not know it.