{"id":10337,"date":"2024-10-25T16:11:19","date_gmt":"2024-10-25T10:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/blog\/?p=1642"},"modified":"2024-10-25T16:11:19","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T10:41:19","slug":"what-is-cfa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/stg-new\/what-is-cfa\/","title":{"rendered":"CFA Course Details &#8211; Full Form, Eligibility, Syllabus, Duration &#038; Fees [2024 Updated]"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"post-content description cf entry-content has-share-float content-spacious-full\">\n<p>Chartered Financial Analyst, in short CFA is one of the most coveted certifications which is meant for professionals looking for a job in CORE finance domains. The Core Finance domains include Portfolio Management, Valuation, Corporate Finance, Equity Research and Investment Banking.<\/p>\n<p><strong>All the above are also known as High End or Elite Finance Job roles.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span id=\"CFA_Exam_Eligibility_Requirements\"><strong>What is CFA (Full Form)<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>CFA stands for Chartered Financial Analyst, is a highly respected certification course centered around the field of Finance. It is administered by the CFA Institute based in the US and is aimed at individuals who want to advance their careers in finance.<\/p>\n<p>This certification is specifically designed for people who want to boost their knowledge and skills in finance, with the goal of earning a valuable certificate that can open doors to great career opportunities. The CFA designation is held in high esteem within the finance industry and is sought after by professionals aiming to work with prestigious companies like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, McKinsey, and Merrill Lynch, among others.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The CFA course is divided into three levels: <\/strong><br \/>\nLevel 1 &#8211; Exams are available twice a year, in June and December.<br \/>\nLevel 2 &#8211; Exams are held once a year, specifically in June.<br \/>\nLevel 3 &#8211; Exams are held once a year, specifically in June.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span id=\"CFA_Exam_Eligibility_Requirements\"><strong>CFA Course Eligibility <\/strong><strong>Criteria<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>To enroll in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/cfa-coaching-program\/\">CFA Coaching Program<\/a> and register for your first Level I exam, you must have an international travel passport and one of the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Undergraduate education:<\/strong> The candidate must have a bachelor\u2019s (or equivalent) degree or be in the final year of your bachelor\u2019s degree program; or<\/li>\n<li><strong>Work experience:<\/strong> Four years of professional work experience (does not have to be investment related); or<\/li>\n<li><strong>A combination<\/strong> of professional work experience and education that totals at least four years (part-time positions do not qualify, and the four-year total must be accrued prior to enrollment).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-131\" src=\"https:\/\/thewallstreetschool.com\/stg-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/CFA-Process-2-2.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1018px) 100vw, 1018px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/CFA-Process-2-2.jpg 1018w, https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/CFA-Process-2-2-300x135.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/CFA-Process-2-2-768x346.jpg 768w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1018\" height=\"458\" \/><\/figure>\n<h2><span id=\"Jobs_and_Careers_after_CFA\"><strong>JOBS AND CAREERS AFTER CFA<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Following are the Major Profiles that you can aim for, after getting the Charter<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Portfolio Manager<\/strong> \u2013 A Portfolio manager would manage and invest the funds of the client (Both individuals or entities) in a way to generate a required rate of return, keeping in mind the risk appetite of the client.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Equity Research Analyst<\/strong> \u2013 As the name specifies, an Equity research analyst conducts research on Industry specific Equity stocks and determines if they are worth investing in, by projecting their future values.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mergers and Acquisition Analyst \u2013 <\/strong>As the name suggests, a Mergers and Acquisition analyst (M&amp;A analyst) plays a role when there is a Merger of two companies, or when there is an acquisition<\/li>\n<li><strong>Credit Analyst<\/strong> \u2013 As the name specifies, a credit analyst is analyses the credit worthiness of an individual or an organization. In effect, he determines whether to extend credit to a particular entity or not.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span id=\"CFA_Exam_Curriculum\"><strong>CFA Curriculum (Subjects &amp; Updated Syllabus)<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Given below is the detailed breakup of the syllabus for <a href=\"https:\/\/thewallstreetschool.com\/stg-new\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-cfa-exam-structure-fees-and-pattern\/\">CFA Exam<\/a>, along with weights (Percentage) assigned to each topic.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For Level 1 and Level 2 exams, there are 10 subjects covered, and the questions are in a multiple-choice format.<\/strong> Level 3 exams, on the other hand, focus mainly on Portfolio management and consist of 7 subjects. <strong>The morning session of Level 3 involves Constructed Response questions, while the afternoon session is in multiple-choice format.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On average, candidates are expected to dedicate around 300 hours of study for each level, although the actual preparation time may vary based on individual circumstances. Among the three levels, <a href=\"https:\/\/thewallstreetschool.com\/stg-new\/cfa-level-2-exam-structure-syllabus-fees\/\">CFA Level 2 exams<\/a> are widely recognized as the most challenging.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-regular\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Topics<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Level I<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Level II<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Level II<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ethical and Professional Standards<\/td>\n<td>15%<\/td>\n<td>10-15%<\/td>\n<td>10-15%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Quantitative Methods<\/td>\n<td>10%<\/td>\n<td>5-10%<\/td>\n<td>0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Economics<\/td>\n<td>10%<\/td>\n<td>5-10%<\/td>\n<td>0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Financial Reporting and Analysis<\/td>\n<td>15%<\/td>\n<td>10-15%<\/td>\n<td>0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Corporate Finance<\/td>\n<td>10%<\/td>\n<td>5-10%<\/td>\n<td>0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Portfolio Management<\/td>\n<td>6%<\/td>\n<td>5-15%<\/td>\n<td>40-55%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Equity Investments<\/td>\n<td>11%<\/td>\n<td>10-15%<\/td>\n<td>10-15%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Fixed Income Investments<\/td>\n<td>11%<\/td>\n<td>10-15%<\/td>\n<td>10-15%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Derivatives<\/td>\n<td>6%<\/td>\n<td>5-10%<\/td>\n<td>5-10%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Alternative Investments<\/td>\n<td>6%<\/td>\n<td>5-10%<\/td>\n<td>5-10%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span id=\"CFA_Exam_Dates\"><strong>CFA Exam Dates<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>The exams consist of two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, both conducted on the same day.<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-regular\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Particulars<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Level I<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Level II<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Level III<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>May<\/td>\n<td>18 &#8211; 24 May<\/td>\n<td>25 May &#8211; 1 June<\/td>\n<td>25 May &#8211; 1 June<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>August<\/td>\n<td>13 &#8211; 30 August<\/td>\n<td>31 August &#8211; 4 September<\/td>\n<td>1 &#8211; 8 September<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>November<\/td>\n<td>16 &#8211; 22 November<\/td>\n<td>26 &#8211; 30 November<\/td>\n<td>23 &#8211; 25 November<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<h2><span id=\"CFA_Exam_Pattern\"><strong>CFA EXAM PATTERN<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-regular\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Particulars<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Level I<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Level II<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Level III<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Format<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>100% MCQ<\/td>\n<td>100% MCQ<\/td>\n<td>50% item set, 50% MCQ<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>No. of question<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>240 MCQ<\/td>\n<td>120 MCQ<\/td>\n<td>10 item set 60 MCQ<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Topic focus<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Investment tools<\/td>\n<td>Asset valuation<\/td>\n<td>Portfolio management<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Duration<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Two exams on same day of three hours each<\/td>\n<td>Two exams on same day of three hours each<\/td>\n<td>Two exams on same day of three hours each<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span id=\"Exam_Center_Locations\"><strong>Exam Center Locations<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>244 Countires across the globe \u2013 Including Major countries such as India, USA, UK, Japan, Australia, Canada etc.<\/p>\n<p>Check out the test locations in your country on the official website of CFA institute<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn kt-btn-align-center kt-btn-tablet-align-inherit kt-btn-mobile-align-inherit kt-btns-wrap kt-btns_df7f16-13\">\n<div class=\"kt-btn-wrap kt-btn-wrap-0\"><a class=\"kt-button button kt-btn-0-action kt-btn-size-large kt-btn-style-basic kt-btn-svg-show-always kt-btn-has-text-true kt-btn-has-svg-false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cfainstitute.org\/en\/programs\/cfa\/exam\/test-center-details\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"kt-btn-inner-text\">CHECK EXAM CENTER<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span id=\"CFA_Exam_Scholarships\"><strong>CFA EXAM SCHOLARSHIPS<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>At present, following scholarships are offered by CFA Institute:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Access Scholarship<\/strong>: For those who may be unable to afford the full price for the CFA Program enrollment and exam registration.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Women\u2019s Scholarship<\/strong>: For women who do not qualify for other scholarships and have not yet registered for their next exam.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Student Scholarship<\/strong>: For students who attend one of our Affiliated Universities.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Professor Scholarship<\/strong>: For full-time college or university professor.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Regulator Scholarship<\/strong>: For full-time, qualified employees of non-profit entities.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Media Scholarship<\/strong>: For full time employees of media organizations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"Salary_of_a_CFA_Charterholder\"><strong>SALARY OF A CFA CHARTERHOLDER <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Salary of a CFA Charterholder Varies across countries, Industries and Designations. The Average Salary of a CFA charterholder in Major countries is as follows \u2013<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>India \u2013 Rs 914K<\/li>\n<li>United States \u2013 $89K<\/li>\n<li>United kingdom \u2013 \u00a349,355<\/li>\n<li>Singapore \u2013 S$98K<\/li>\n<li>United Arab Emirates (UAE) \u2013 AED 207K<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Source : <a href=\"https:\/\/payscale.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Payscale<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Frequently_asked_Questions_FAQs\"><strong>FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS) \u2013<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1579608972604\" class=\"schema-faq-section\">\n<p><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What is the Salary of a CFA?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Salary of a CFA Charterholder Varies across countries, Industries and Designations. According to Payscale, the Average Salary of a CFA Charterholder is $89,000 in US and Rs.9,14,000 in India.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1579609172267\" class=\"schema-faq-section\">\n<p><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What are the Job opportunities after CFA?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">The CFA charterholders majorly work in profiles such as Credit Analysis, Equity Research, Mergers and Acquisitions, Portfolio Management etc.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1579609271020\" class=\"schema-faq-section\">\n<p><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">How to get the CFA charter?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A CFA Charter is offered by the CFA Institute to a candidate who has successfully passed all the three levels of CFA exam, and has at least four years of professional investment experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1579609359782\" class=\"schema-faq-section\">\n<p><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What is the fees for CFA exam?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Initial enrollment fees for CFA Exam is $450 USD. The additional fees for each Level of CFA is <strong>$700 USD<\/strong> for Early Registration, <strong>$1,000<\/strong> <strong>USD<\/strong> for Standard Registration and <strong>$1,450 USD <\/strong>for Late Registration.<\/p>\n<h4><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What is better CFA or ACCA?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><strong>\u2022 Focus:<\/strong> ACCA is more focused on accountancy and finance, while CFA is centered around portfolio management and related areas like equity research, fixed income research, and economics.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022 Career Goals:<\/strong> The decision between ACCA and CFA should be based on your long-term career goals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022 Suitability:<\/strong> If you envision yourself enjoying tasks such as preparing accounts, implementing internal controls, and leading finance and accounting divisions in large corporations, ACCA might be the better fit for you.<br \/>\nOn the other hand, if you are more interested in analyzing financial and operational data from various companies and identifying investment opportunities in global equity and fixed income markets, then CFA might be the right choice for you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022 Syllabus:<\/strong> To gain a clearer understanding of each qualification, take some time to review the syllabus guidelines for ACCA&#8217;s skills module and CFA&#8217;s level one.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022 Job Roles:<\/strong> Research the potential job roles that each qualification can open up to help clarify your long-term professional objectives.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022 Difficulty Level:<\/strong> Keep in mind that CFA is generally considered more challenging than ACCA and requires a higher level of commitment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022 Personal Alignment:<\/strong> Ultimately, choose the path that aligns with your passions and aspirations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>We have a complete article where we have provided a detailed <a href=\"https:\/\/thewallstreetschool.com\/stg-new\/acca-vs-cfa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">comparison between CFA and ACCA course<\/a>, students can refer to it for understand which one is more suitable for their career growth.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chartered Financial Analyst, in short CFA is one of the most coveted certifications which is meant for professionals looking for a job in CORE finance domains. The Core Finance domains include Portfolio Management, Valuation, Corporate Finance, Equity Research and Investment Banking. All the above are also known as High End or Elite Finance Job roles. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":9042,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[688],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cfa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/stg-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/stg-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/stg-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/stg-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/stg-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/stg-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10337\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/stg-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/stg-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/stg-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewallstreetschool.com\/stg-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}