Before you enroll in the CFA Program and register for your first exam:
Meet the entrance requirements:Have a bachelor's (or equivalent) degree
- or be in the final year of your bachelor's degree program at the time of registration
- or have four years of qualified, professional work experience
- or have a combination of work and college experience that totals at least four years (Note: Summer, part-time, and internship positions do not qualify)
- If you initially enroll/register as a final year undergraduate student with a degree in progress, you may not register for the Level II exam until you have earned your degree, or obtained work experience that meets the program’s entrance requirements. At the time your degree is awarded, you may update your account education information to certify that your degree has been received.
Understand the professional conduct requirements (you will be asked to sign the Professional Conduct Statement and Candidate Responsibility Statement)
Be prepared to take the exams in English
Effective 1 January 2011: Have a valid international travel passport (required for enrollment and exam registration). Read the ID policy.
Note for new candidates: After you receive your registration confirmation e-mail, it may take up to 12 hours before your status on the My CFA portal reflects your candidacy.
Prepare for your exam: Successful candidates report spending an average of 300 hours preparing for each exam (we have plenty of tools to help you prepare)
When you register for the June or December 2011 exam, you can choose from three curriculum options (all fees are in U.S. dollars):
If you select the eBook version of the curriculum only, we offer a US$40 discount: Enrollment + exam registration - $40 = total cost.
If you select the printed version of the curriculum only, you do not receive the $40 discount: Enrollment + exam registration + $20 (shipping*) = total cost.
If you select both the eBook version and the printed version of the curriculum, you pay the cost of the additional curriculum ($30) plus shipping: Enrollment + exam registration + $30 (+$20 shipping for the printed version*) = total cost.