Breaking Barriers: How Meetika Managed CFA Level 1 While Juggling Work and Motherhood

This is the story of Meetika Gupta, who has cleared CFA Level 1 with a score of 1755. She works at Crisil, manages a full-time job, and takes care of her family. Her background is in engineering, and she has nine years of work experience. Finance was not her field, but her interest in understanding sustainable finance brought her to the CFA program.

For Meetika, the beginning of this journey was full of unknown terms and new concepts. Reading from Schweser books felt like reading a different language. But with the guidance of Karan Sir she started understanding the concepts in a better way.. His classes gave her a clear base and made learning possible even after long work hours.

Balancing work, study and family became part of her daily routine. She studied late at night after finishing office work and household responsibilities. Her progress came from steady effort, family support and faith in her mentor. Her impressive score is the outcome of that steady work and guidance.

Here’s what Meetika shared about her CFA journey and preparation in detail.

1. So, tell us a bit about yourself. What’s your background, and how did you end up choosing finance as your career path?

I am a working mother at Crisil with nine years of experience. My work area is ESG. Over time, I started exploring sustainable finance and wanted to move in that direction. I come from an engineering background, so I needed a course that could give me a clear understanding of finance. CFA looked like the right option because it connects financial knowledge with practical application. That was my reason for taking this path.

2. What got you interested in pursuing the CFA qualification in the first place?

CFA is a recognised course with strong content. It gives a wide understanding of financial concepts, investment processes and business frameworks. I wanted structured knowledge and CFA provided that structure.

3. Thinking back to your CFA Level 1 prep, what would you say was the toughest part of the journey?

I come from a non-finance background, so every topic and every section of the syllabus felt new. Each line required focus and repetition. During that time, Karan Sir played a big role. His teaching method built understanding from the base. He explained topics in a way that connected one concept to another. With that clarity, the syllabus started making sense, and studying became smoother.

4. Be honest, was the CFA course as challenging as you imagined when you started out?

Yes, it was. The syllabus needed time and effort. The main challenge was managing work and study together. After long office hours, sitting down to study required discipline. The reading material was vast and the concepts needed repeated revision. Some topics like quantitative methods and financial reporting were completely new to me, so I had to spend extra hours understanding them. There were also days when work pressure made it hard to stay regular with studies but I tried to make up for it over weekends. Balancing family responsibilities and study schedule was not easy, but steady effort helped me continue.

5. How did you go about preparing for the exam and what kind of study routine or strategy worked best for you?

My main focus was consistency. I had to balance office work and study. My job often went on till 7 or 8 in the evening, after which I would sit to study. I reduced distractions and gave fixed time to reading, revision and question practice. Every day of study added up. That regular approach helped me complete the course on time.

6. And lastly, how did coaching or mentorship help you along the way? Did it make a big difference in your preparation?

Yes, it did. Coaching played a major role in my preparation. I credit this success to Karan Sir. He explained concepts in simple terms and I followed his classes completely. I built my preparation around his guidance. That made understanding possible and built my confidence for the exam.

Meetika’s journey shows that steady effort and clear guidance can make even a difficult path possible. Her story reflects the value of consistency, focus and trust in the right mentorship. She now plans to continue her CFA journey with the same approach and hopes her experience encourages other working professionals to take that first step toward learning finance.