chartered financial analyst (cfa) course overview by knowledge varsity

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Agenda01 Overview CFA Institute

02 The CFA® Programme

03 CFA Benefits

04 Work Profiles

05 Employers

06 Industry Recognition

07 Fees and Deadlines for June 2011

08 Knowledge Varsity Offering

09 What it takes to pass the exam

10 Contact Information

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CFA Institute : Overview

• CFA Institute is based out of Charlottesville, Virginia• Formerly known as AIMR (Association of Investment Management and Research )• Global, Non-profit organization• Nearly 108,000 members world-wide• Leads the investment profession globally by setting the highest standards in ethics,

education and professional excellence

• 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 95,000 charter holders across the globe!

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The CFA® Programme : Overview 02

3

EXAMINATIONS

CURRICULUM

BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

PRACTICE ANALYSIS

GRADING

MINIMUM PASSINGSCORE (MPS) -CFA INSTITUTE GOVERNORS

CCC

COE

Practitioners at every step of the process

EXAMINATIONADMINISTRATION

Source: CFA Institute Website

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The CFA® Programme : The 3 Levels

• CFA Charter consists of :• 3 Exams also called 3 Levels• Sequential program: Candidates have to pass Level 1 before Level 2• Self study driven, based on reading assignments designed by the CFA Institute

• Level 1 : Foundation • Focus is on the knowledge of the Investment Tools

• Level 2 : Valuation• Focus is on understanding of the Asset Valuation techniques

• Level 3: Application• Focus is on Portfolio Management

• Exam Type• Level I is 100% multiple choice• Level II is 100% item set• Level III is 50% item set, 50% essay• Exams is conducted in two sessions of 3 Hours each (Morning and Afternoon)

• Eligibility• Graduate from any discipline• Final Year students may also register to give the Level I exams• No Work Experience requirements for appearing for the exams• Minimum of 48 months relevant experience to receive charter

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Course Structure02

5

Topic Areas Level I Level II Level III

Ethics/ Professional Standards 15% 10% 10%

Quantitative Methods 12% 5 - 10% 0%

Economics 10% 5 - 10% 0%

Financial Statements Analysis 20% 15 - 25% 0%

Corporate Finance 8% 5 - 15% 0%

Equity Analysis 10% 20 - 30% 5 - 15%

Fixed Income 12% 5 - 15% 10 - 20%

Derivatives 5% 5 - 15% 5 - 15%

Alternative Investments 3% 5 - 15% 5 - 15%

Portfolio Management and Performance Presentation

5% 5 - 15% 45 - 55%

Source: CFA Institute Website

Investment Tools

Asset Valuation

Portfolio Management



CFA Benefits03

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• Current & Application driven• CFA Program is developed by practitioners. At the end of the program, candidate

should be ready with knowledge and skills required to perform professional responsibilities such as constructing a portfolio or conduct valuations independently.

• Global scope and Opportunity with global firms:• CFA Program is global in scope and not country specific. Candidate should be in a

position function in markets across the globe. This further opens up job opportunity.

• Life Long Learning Program• Once a student acquires a CFA, then he/she can access all of the materials developed

over time from CFA website such as videos, research articles, conferences etc.

• Regulatory Waivers• The Monetary Authorities in Singapore, Greece, Turkey, Hong Kong, Thailand, the

United Kingdom, and in seven Canadian provinces• U.S. SEC grants blanket exemption for CFAs from passing licensing examination.



Work Profiles04

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• The work performed by a CFA can be extremely challenging and rewarding in

monetary terms and in terms of professional satisfaction.

• The areas where a CFA can use his skills are: • Security Valuation • Portfolio Management• Investment management• Venture capital management• Credit rating • Corporate Finance• Risk Management• Financial Management • Business Analysis• Operations Analysis• Analytics• Consulting• Project Management• Information Technology



Employers05

8

• An increasing number of employers worldwide are requiring the CFA charter (or at least participation in the Programme) for hiring and promotion

• An increasing number of employers worldwide are substituting the CFA charter for graduate degrees when establishing job specifications.

• Employers with largest number of charter holders• Bank of America Merrill Lynch• Barclays• Morgan Stanley• Citigroup• Prudential • Goldman Sachs• J P Morgan• Deutsche Bank• Credit Suisse• Fidelity Investments• Northern Trust• State Street

• Most of the above firms have their offices in India hence providing attractive employment opportunities for the CFA candidates



Industry Recognition06

9

• CFA Charter has been around for 50 years and is considered as the “gold

standard” in financial education and has wide industry acknowledgement

• A Russell Reynolds study quoted on the CFA Institute website talks about CFA-

charter holding individuals out-earning their peers by over 50 pc across

experience levels.

• The study also mentions that between a CFA and an MBA it is the CFAs who

demand a higher average salary

• The study also mentions that the combination of the charter and an M.B.A.

ultimately proves to the most lucrative educational mix

• The Financial Times in an article mentions that the value of the charter is even

higher in Asian economies like India and China because of the credential oriented

culture.

• MBAs looking to enhance their finance credentials almost always end up taking

CFA route as an entry strategy in to I-Banks



Fee Structure & Deadline for June 201107

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Source: CFA Institute,


Payment deadlines

CFA Registration

(new candidates only)

+ Exam Fees - E book discount

= Total cost

22 Sep 2010: $405 + $630 $40 = $995

16 Feb 2011: $405 + $720 $40 = $1085

16 Mar 2011: $490 + $970 $40 = $1420

June 2011 CFA Exam - Level I

Payment deadlines

CFA Registration

(new candidates only)

+ Exam Fees + Shipping Charge

= Total cost

22 Sep 2010: $405 + $630 $20 = $1055

16 Feb 2011: $405 + $720 $20 = $1145

16 Mar 2011: $490 + $970 $20 = $1480

June 2011 CFA Exam - Level I


Knowledge Varsity Offering08• Comprehensive coaching

• Covers entire syllabus for Level 1 CFA (USA) exam• Get Certification in Financial Analysis from Knowledge Varsity

• Excellent Faculty• Cost Effective• Flexible Learning

• Contact classes on Sunday• In each class key concepts and problems will be discussed• Around 50-75 questions per topic area will be given as home work• Candidates are expected to complete the homework before the next class• Online sample test for each topic area to be completed by candidates• Interactive and collaborative environment

• High Quality Content• Class handouts and notes which focus on key points • Homework assignments (in total more than 1500 problems)• Topic wise mock tests with feedback for improvement• Full length offline tests – Detailed analysis & comparison • Pre-class video content• Review Notes – Condensed notes for review



What it takes to pass the exam09

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• Hard Work• All of us are employed, but to grow in our career effort is required• 10 – 12 hours of work per week is the minimum requirement• CFA Institute recommends 250 hours of preparation – In our view you

would need around 400-500 hours for preparation

• Planning• Identification of strength and weak area topics by weight• Master the area that carry higher weight and excel in easy topics

• Review the concepts covered in class• Focus on what the instructor is stressing, read the concepts• Get your doubts covered in class – no doubt is silly• Work in a team to understand the difficult and tricky area

• Solve exam questions• Fully understand the concepts and their application to problem solving• Without solving questions, it is very difficult to pass CFA

• Practice makes man perfect!• Complete the online sample examination• Take 2 offline tests to ensure that you are geared for the grueling 6 hours• Take CFA mock exam paper



Contact Us!10

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Should you require more information on

CFA Program

or

Our Coaching Classes

Reach us at +91-94487-06666

Or

Mail to [email protected]


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