CFA® Program Level I Guides
The last four weeks before Level I of the CFA® Program
By PreparaioEditorial team & sourcesUpdated
The final four weeks are not for learning the curriculum again. They are for testing yourself under exam conditions, fixing the errors that repeat and arriving rested, with no logistical surprises.
This guide is independent educational content. Preparaio is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by CFA Institute. Rules change; check CFA Institute's pages for your window.
Contents
Where you should be four weeks out
Ideally all ten topic areas have had a first pass, your appointment is booked and the Practical Skills Module is done; results are only released once one is completed. If content is missing, finish the high-weight topics in the first week and accept a lighter pass on the rest.
A mock schedule with room for review
Registration includes two mock exams, released about 60 days before each window; the optional Practice Pack adds six more, one on the Prometric software. About three full mocks in four weeks is workable.
- Four and three weeks out: one mock each, then two or three evenings of review.
- Two weeks out: the last full mock, ideally at your appointment time.
- Exam week: short mixed sets only.
- Simulate the format: 90 questions in 135 minutes, optional break, another 90 in 135 minutes.
Keeping an error log
Record every wrong or guessed answer and review the log twice a week.
- Topic and subtopic, so clusters become visible.
- Cause: concept gap, calculation slip, misread qualifier such as "least likely", or time.
- The fix in one sentence of your own, and a date to retry a similar question.
Formulas and calculator
Keep your own one-page formula sheet and review it daily for ten minutes, pairing each formula with a quick calculator run. Practise clearing worksheets; at the test centre you must clear the memory when instructed.
Ethics in the final weeks
Ethical and Professional Standards carries 10–15% for 2027 and now follows version 12 of the Standards of Practice Handbook. Do a short set of case questions daily and re-read the Code and Standards weekly instead of cramming at the end.
Exam week routine
Shorten sessions, keep your exam-day sleep rhythm and stop new material two days before.
- Original, valid passport with names matching your CFA Institute account.
- Approved calculator and loose spare batteries; no watch of any kind.
- Water in a clear container without label; arrive 30 minutes early.
Pacing on the day
About 90 seconds per question keeps you on schedule. Questions are weighted equally and wrong answers carry no penalty, so make your best choice on stubborn items, move on and answer everything. The clock runs during unscheduled breaks, and after the tutorial take care not to end the exam by accident.
Frequently asked questions
How many full mocks in the last four weeks?
Around three is a workable number. The review after each mock matters more than the number.
Is there a mock score I need to reach?
No numeric minimum passing score is published, so no mock percentage is a reliable pass line. Use mocks to find weak topics.
Should I learn new material in exam week?
No. Use short mixed sets, your error log and formula sheet, and stop two days before.
Can I talk about the exam afterwards?
You may say how hard it felt, but not which questions, topics or formulas appeared. Under Standard VII(A) exam content stays confidential.
Sources & currency
- Exam version
- CFA® Program Level I, curriculum 2027 (from February 2027) (valid from )
- Editorial check
- Source check by the Preparaio editorial team ()
- Author
- Preparaio RedaktionEditorial team, fact-checking against official primary sources
- Reviewed by
- Source-checked by PreparaioSource comparison with the exam providers' own pages
- Fact-check status
- Checked against official primary sources ()
- Content version
- 2026-10-28
How we check: Every exam-relevant fact is compared with the exam providers' official pages (g.a.s.t./TestDaF-Institut, BAMF, ETS, IELTS Partners, telc). The check is editorial, supported by AI and automated test gates; it is not a review by certified examiners.
The hard exam facts in this article were verified against the official primary sources linked below on the date shown. This is not a review by an examination body and does not replace information from your test centre. Fees, dates and local procedures are set by the test centres themselves.
Official primary sources
- Level I exam — CFA Institute · cfainstitute.org · official primary source · checked on
- Exam-day preparation guide — CFA Institute · cfainstitute.org · official primary source · checked on
- Practical skills modules — CFA Institute · cfainstitute.org · official primary source · checked on
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