CFA Designation
The CFA® charter is an elite designation. It is a benchmark for ethical standards and professionalism within the global financial community. Typical candidates include fund managers, analysts, investment bankers, portfolio managers and traders.
With only 99,000 investment professionals globally having achieved charterholder status to date, completion of the program puts you in an elite group. The designation is career-enhancing, well-respected, credible, globally recognised and globally relevant.
Gaining the CFA charter will show your dedication to achieving the highest professional and ethical standards in the industry and will showcase your extensive knowledge of the investment profession.
- CFA program curriculum
The curriculum is based on the Candidate Body of Knowledge, which is divided into four major areas:
- Ethical and professional standards
- Tools and inputs for investment valuation and management
- Asset valuation
- Portfolio management
View CFA syllabus coverage - CFA examinations
The CFA® program has three distinct levels, each culminating in an examination. The exams must be taken in order and each passed before moving on to the next level.
Information on how to book your exam can be found below. If you're the employee of one of our corporate clients, we may well book the exam on your behalf. Talk to your training manager about the process involved. Otherwise, follow the simple steps below to register yourself with the CFA® Institute.
| Level | Exam detail | Exam date | Exam results expected |
|---|
| I | Two 3-hour multiple choice papers. Each with 120 questions. All sat in one day. | June and December | Usually distributed within 60 days of the examination date |
| II | Two 3-hour papers of item set questions, "vignette style" (i.e. an extensive information set followed by multiple choice questions). Both papers sat on same day. | June | Usually distributed within 90 days of the examination date |
| III | Two 3-hour papers. One of constructed response questions, the other of item set questions. Constructed response questions are sometimes loosely described as "essay" questions. Answers are expected in short form bullet style, there's no need for full sentences or paragraphs. The item sets follow the same format as level II. | June | Usually distributed within 90 days of the examination result |
- Booking your exam with the CFA Institute
- Entry criteria
Before you can apply for the program, you must fulfill the following criteria set out by the CFA Institute:
- Have a US bachelor's degree (or be in the final year of your bachelor's degree) or comparable non-US degree. Or you must have at least four years' qualified work experience (not including summer, part-time or internship positions) - a combination of university and professional work is acceptable
- Meet the professional conduct admission criteria.
- Complete the registration and enrolment form and pay the required fees. Be prepared to take the examinations in English
- Please note that as of 1st January 2011, the CFA Institute's candidate ID policy has changed and in order to enroll in the CFA and to register to sit for the CFA exams, you must have a valid international travel passport.
- Gaining the charter
Having applied for and successfully completed all three levels of the exam, there are some other requirements to fulfill before gaining the charter:
- Have four years of acceptable work experience (gained before, during or after the exam phase)
- Join the CFA Institute as a member by:
- submitting a professional conduct statement
- providing current, completed sponsor forms
- signing a certification form agreeing to comply with the terms of the Members' Agreement
- exhibiting a "high degree of ethical and professional conduct"
- applying for membership with a CFA Institute member society
CFA Institute website
CFA Institute does not endorse, promote, or warrant the accuracy or quality of the products or services offered by 7city Learning. CFA Institute, CFA®, and Chartered Financial Analyst® are trademarks owned by CFA Institute.
