Overview

Testimonial

"The CfBS prep course helped me enormously to master the immense CFA curriculum. The excellently structured classes provided the necessary level of detail and clear explanations of the exam topics. The course material was an excellent starting point for my own summaries and the online review function allowed me to repeat the most challenging concepts."

Rui Ramires, CFA, Dreyfus Söhne & Cie. AG, Basle

Course Overview

  • Virtual Classroom

    Weekday Evening Courses in Zurich

    The courses offer comprehensive and detailed coverage of the exam material. They take place on weekday evenings from 18.30 to 21.15 hrs. (fee: CHF 3,940).

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  • Virtual Classroom

    Weekday Evening Live Online Courses

    The courses offer comprehensive and detailed coverage of the exam material. They take place on weekday evenings from 18.30 to 21.15 hrs. (fee: CHF 2,840) and can be attended from anywhere. 

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  • Private Online Tutoring

    The tutoring sessions are customized to meet your unique needs, ensuring an effective and efficient learning experience. Three course packages of 10, 20, and 50 hours are offered (fee starting from CHF 1,500).

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CFA® Program

  • The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) program is a globally recognized standard for professionals in the financial services industry. The CFA charter is awarded by CFA Institute. The first charter was presented in 1963 and more than 190,000 charters have been awarded since. Over 200,000 candidates worldwide participated in the 2022 exams.
  • The CFA charter is an elite designation and is a benchmark for ethical standards and professionalism within the global financial community. The CFA designation is career-enhancing, well-respected, gobally recognized and relevant.
  • To obtain the CFA charter, CFA Institute has set different requirements. One is that candidates have to pass three exams, referred to as level I, level II, and level III. Candidates can take only one exam at a time and are only admitted to take the next level exam after passing the previous level exam.
  • The CFA exams are computer-based and take place in the following exam windows for the year 2025:

Exam Windows     February   May        August    November 
Level I ExamExamExamExam
Level II  ExamExamExam
Level III Exam Exam 

 

Level I CFA Exam

  • The Level I CFA exam takes place four times per year in February, May, August, and November. Each computer-based exam will be offered in windows of up to 7 days. The 4 1/2 hours exam is a multiple-choice test consisting of 180 questions, split between two sessions of 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Topics  Exam WEight
Ethical and Professional Standards  15 - 20%
Quantitative Methods  6 - 9%
Economics  6 - 9%
Financial Statement Analysis  11 - 14%
Corporate Issuers  6 - 9%
Portfolio Management  8-12%
Equity Investments  11 - 14%
Fixed Income  11 - 14%
Derivatives  5 - 8%
Alternative Investments  7 - 10%
Total  100%

Level II CFA Exam

  • The Level II CFA exam takes place three times per year in  May, August, and November. Each computer-based exam will be offered in windows of up to 7 days. The exam will be 4 hours and 24 minutes, split into two equal sessions of 2 hours and 12 minutes. It consists of 22 item sets with a total of 88 multiple-choice questions. Each item set comprises a vignette with four multiple-choice questions.

Topics  Exam WEight
Ethical and Professional Standards  10 - 15%
Quantitative Methods  5 - 10%
Economics  5 - 10%
Financial Statement Analysis  10 - 15%
Corporate Issuers  5 - 10%
Equity Investments  10 - 15%
Fixed Income  10 - 15%
Derivatives  5 - 10%
Alternative Investments  5 - 10%
Portfolio Management and Wealth Planning  10 - 15%
Total  100%

Level III CFA Exam

  • The Level III CFA exam takes place twice per year in February and August. Each computer-based exam will be offered in windows of up to 7 days. The Level III exam will be 4 hours and 24 minutes, split into two equal sessions of 2 hours and 12 minutes. It consists of 11 constructed response (essay) questions and 11 item set questions for 12 points each. Each of the two sessions will have either 5 essay sets and 6 item sets or 6 essay sets and 5 item sets.

Topics  Exam WEight
Ethical and Professional Standards  10r - 15%
Economics for Portfolio Management  5 - 10%
Equity Portfolio Management  10 - 15%
Management of Fixed Income Portfolios  15 - 20%
Risk Management Applications of Derivatives  5 - 10%
Alternative Investments  5 - 10%
Portfolio Management and Wealth Planning   35 - 40%
Total  100%

For more information regarding the CFA® program, please visit www.cfainstitute.org.