On your marks ... get set .. GO !!!

Today was the first day of my CFA Prep .. phew what a day !

Started my day at 7:15 .... After a brief intensive debate with a self-proclaimed IPad "Power User", I freshened up and bolted oatmeal with a not-so-delicious protein powder milk shake . ( I realized that heating up whey protein milk shake is a not so good idea, the hard way ! ).

I reached my office OLC - Open Learning Center (just a fancy word for a library at the 28th floor of my company) at 11:00 and was pleased to find a couple more dedicated exam candidates - GMAT , CFA Level 1 June'11 and Series 78 and many more I guess ( figured out the exams they were preparing for looking at the study material on their desks.

Picked the desk that looked the most spacious, the one where can have my study material strewn around .. i like it that way :) and the best part is ..it's right next to the window with a view so magnificent - towering skyscrapers and The river . It took a lot out of me to stop staring and lower the blinds so that I don't get distracted during the study however I promised myself that I would get back to it during my breaks .

I started with Study Session 1 - Ethical and Professional Standards . It was not intensive and as I progressed through the material , I noticed that a lot of the laws and regulations are overlapping but are given separate Roman Numerals ( if you know what I mean ). The 'Guidance' sections are very time consuming but it is important that you go through them at least once . Make notes with a highlighter or red ink as it would make things a lot easier during the forthcoming review phases . I did take a couple of look-out-the-window and walk-around breaks and ofcourse, a lunch break ; these were short but revitalizing breaks that I feel are absolutely necessary to keep my mind alert and energized .

Finally, after a little over 16:00 , I felt that I've had enough for the day . I had finished the last section of Standard V and that was it , I didn't feel like reading any more . Shut my books , packed my bags and after one last look out the window, I headed to the elevator ... to the subway ... and finally to the gym for a quick cardio workout .

Loved today !

Level 1 : The journey has just begun ...

Finally after all these days .. the big day has arrived !! I realized not too long ago that I would take this exam seriously and start my "intensive" preparations , only after I register for this exam .

The following are the materials I've decided to use to study for Level 1's Phase One - The Review Phase :
* CFA Schweser 2011 Video Instructions
* CFA Schweser 2011 Notes
* CFA Curriculum
* CFA Schweser Pro

( By now you should have realized that I love the Schweser material . I did do quite a bit of research on Schweser vs Stalla Study Materials and came to the conclusion that the Schweser notes are brief and terse when compared to the Stalla study materials . I would however in the 2nd Phase of my study - the Reinforce Phase ; try out the problems from Stalla study notes and go through the Passmaster )

The 9th of March ( March being my favorite month ) ... I decided , would be the day I take the big step towards taking the Exam - I am gonna REGISTER for the exam !! Will do it tonight after I get home from one of the American Red Cross Town Halls . Really Excited ! I am even planning to read the first LOC - forget what it's called .. ummmm .. it's something about the Structure and ethics concerning the CFA Program.. I guess :p

I also have created a Microsoft Project for this Exam :) This is the first time I am using Project , but it is a nice application to project the time you would take to finish the Review Phase given a typical "Working Hours and Days Off" calendar . My Gantt chart says I should be done with the 1st phase (Review) by the end of July . It also does take into account the times I have "allotted" in my future hectic schedule to hang out with friends . Pretty neat huh ?!

Will post again once I have kick started my study ... Can't wait to get started !