A top to bottom guide on CFA Course

Do you have any recent plans to enroll in a CFA certificate program? Well, if yes, there is no doubt that you are walking on the right track. But before you go further, you must follow a guide on the CFA course. 

If you’re interested, make sure to read this guide till the end and learn all about the CFA course. 

What is CFA?

CFA stands for Chartered Financial Analyst and is the number one financial course for Investment Management worldwide. For financing professionals searching for a suitable and high-end job role in the Core finance domains, going through a CFA course and having a CFA certificate is a must for them. 

By enrolling in a CFA institute in Mumbai, you can reserve a seat in the elite job posts offered by Portfolio Management, Valuations, Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, Equity Research, and more. 

Eligibility requirements 

For getting enrolled in a CFA program and appearing for CFA Level 1 examination, all candidates must have suitable eligibility. These include

• The candidate must have an international travel passport
• The candidate must have a bachelor’s or any equivalent degree or,
• The candidate should have enough work experience of at least four years or,
• The candidate must have a combination of educational and working experience of four years 

In short, if you have an international passport and any of the three mentioned qualifications, you can appear for the level 1 examination of CFA. 

CFA syllabus 

The entire CFA course contains a total of 10 topics, and the CFA course fees in India slightly vary from one institute to another. The CFA syllabus includes 

• Financial reporting analysis
• Ethics 
• Fixed income analysis
• Quantitative analysis
• Equity investment
• Corporate finance
• Economics
• Portfolio management and wealth planning
• Derivatives 
• Alternative investment

CFA exams and patterns 

A CFA certification program incorporates a total of three levels of examinations for all candidates. Here three of the examinations are briefly discussed below. 

• CFA Level 1 exam 

• Candidates have to appear for two examinations, each for three hours on the same day.
• Each set of paper contains a total of 120 MCQ questions, making a total of 240 questions 
• No negative marking
• This exam covers all 10 topics of the syllabus

• CFA Level 2 exam 

• Two 3 hours sessions containing a total of 21 case studies 
• 120 questions in total (18 case studies* 6 questions, 3 case studies* 4 questions

• CFA Level 3 exam 

• Two 3 hours sessions 

• The first session contains 8 to 12 essay types questions 

• The second session generally contains 10 to 11 case studies 

Job roles and career options 

After getting a CFA certificate successfully, this program opens a big door to high-end job opportunities. Some of them are mentioned below. 

• Portfolio manager
• Equity research analyst
• Credit analyst
• Mergers and Acquisition analyst

Conclusion 

Since the CFA field comes with high-end job opportunities and high-salary job roles, you should give it a shot if you are interested. So without wasting any more time, get enrolled in a nearby reputed institute and become a CFA soon.