With CET just a month away we wanted to share a few study tips coming straight from our experts who have been there done that.

TIP #1: Focus:

Before you start to pick up those huge books and start to scribble just wait there. First things first, set the environment where you study. Today we live in the world with numerous distractions and our addiction towards smartphones and those apps are great time killers. So just shut it. Remain focussed and start with a goal in mind “to get into a top B-school”.

#determination #dedication

TIP #2 Basics:

Get through the basics quickly, remember the difficulty level of the questions is very low in CET so get through the syllabus. You have been doing it for a year or so now, so this should not take time. The syllabus is very basic with most of the concepts taken from the 10^th grade.

#revision #syllabus

TIP #3 Study with a pal:

Studying together with someone who is going to take CET is quite helpful. You can discuss your doubts, challenge each other and work together to achieve the common goal. If you haven’t found one yet, you’ll surely find one at Studypal.co

#teaming-up #Study-partner

TIP #4 Speed and Mocks:

CET is a time based exam. You need to work hard to improve your speed of solving and calculating. You may gain it by doing speed drills, just set the time and always better it. Vedic maths may also help. You should be able to solve a question in about 30-35 seconds. We recommend you to at least take 20 mock exams so that you get the timing right. If you haven’t started on your mocks yet just log on to oliveboard.com and start taking mock exams.

#30seconds #mocks

Final Tip:

Remember that being well hydrated is essential for your brain to work at its best. Make sure you keep drinking plenty of water throughout your revision and eat healthy.

Good luck!

Enrolling the CFA program will have an impact on your private life and relationships with your friends, partner and family. If you want to successfully complete the program you will have to dedicate a significant amount of time and effort to the learning process. The CFA program is not very demanding in terms of new knowledge, but it takes a lot of time to go through the entire curriculum and solve decent number of practice problems. You will have to spend certain amount of your free time on the CFA program and make clear cuts in your social life.

Although many people will say that if you organize yourself well, you will manage to achieve both personal and professional goals, it rarely happens that you are a successful business man, the best friend always ready to jump in and an incredible boyfriend/girlfriend or a family man at the same time.

It always helps to find a study partner for the CFA, someone who is going through a similar situation as you and can motivate you for the exam. You can find one on StudyPal.co

On the other hand, it is crucial to find the best possible work-life balance and organize the learning process so you can still spend some time with your friends. The most important step is to “negotiate” certain terms with the most important people in your life, before you enrol the CFA program. You have to explain in detail what does your new obligation mean for them, warn them in advance that you will not be available all the time and get their support. True friends and loving partners/family will understand. Try to negotiate certain number of hours or certain periods (e.g. Friday from 7pm-11pm) in the week when you will dedicate your time to people you care the most about, and don’t cheat. When it comes to family or girlfriend/boyfriend time, relax and dedicate a quality time. This is where TimePrep helps a lot – dedicating regular study time cannot be made easier.

Since you have to dedicate certain fixed and, more or less, consistent blocks of time on a weekly basis you will have to cut some other activities off in order to successfully complete the program. An average CFA candidate works in the financial industry which is known for long working hours. Unless you can spend some time learning in your office, you will have to study after or before work. That means you will have to reduce time you spend on other activities such as sports, going out, hobbies, travelling, etc.

Make a list of priorities, and don’t entirely cut off activities that are very important to you. In addition, get rid of less important but time consuming activities, hobbies and habits – just make a clear cut.

You are a human being and you need support from people you care the most. Their support will motivate you and give energy to push forward through the curriculum. There is no worse thing than to sit and learn while aware of the fact that someone is mad at you since you have not put him/her into your agenda.

Good luck!

Becoming a CFA charter holder gives you a certain level of personal satisfaction. Completing one of the most prestigious and demanding professional programs in business is certainly a distinctive characteristic that should make you proud. As a CFA Charterholder you will be among approximately only 110.000 professionals in the world who share this designation.

CFA Charter will certainly open some doors in the investment/financial industry. It doesn’t mean that you will be instantly promoted at your current workplace, but it definitely makes you a person of choice for lead expert or managerial position. The key competitive advantage compared to your peers is certainly the knowledge you have gained in the process of obtaining the charter. However, do not neglect the opportunity for further education given by CFA charterholders by CFA Institute via magazines regularly shipped to charterholders’ address, as well as other professional programs – education is the lifetime long process.

According to some researches CFA charterholders get better paid jobs than non-CFA charterholders. The connection is probably not linear and the fact that you have the ability to complete such a demanding program also enables you to climb in the corporate organization. However, CFA Charter definitely gives you some bullets for your career talks with your superiors. Your knowledge will be recognized and you will be professionally more satisfied than before.

On the private side, you will have surprisingly more time for private stuff. During preparation for the CFA exams, you wanted to make use of your time as efficiently as possible – you can use TimePrep and also form a study group on StudyPal.co So, if you keep the discipline, after the program, you will have much more free time to spend with your family and friends.

Finally, don’t forget an important thing. CFA charter gives not only benefits but also some requirements. Strict professional and ethical standards oblige you to certain level of professionalism and adherence to the high ethical standards. Make sure you promote and adhere to these standards in your everyday business.

Good luck!

Hari Krishnan, Managing Director, Asia-Pacific & Japan at Linkedin tells us about his global MBA experience at INSEAD and how to leverage your network.

1. You have worked in different organizations – Large companies, Fast growing Silicon Valley Companies and Start Ups. What have you learned from each?
   
   My aspiration has always been to be a business builder and leader. To do so, I needed to work at different companies, different industries and companies at different stages of development.At Cisco, I worked for a large company at the peak of it’s powers. To be in the Silicon Valley during the dotcom boom and bust periods was a very educational lesson which has served me well. Above all, I learned how good companies manage employees, take strategic investment decisions and build business.I worked/co-founded 2 separate startups – Travelguru and Stylkist. While one exited successfully through an acquisition, the other one grew well but eventually was sold after breaking up its core assets. I learnt how to build an industry (E-Commerce in India) and build a company from the ground up. Struggles such as figuring out how to make payroll, manage cashflow, hive off business lines etc are so much more existential in nature at that stage of a company’s existence.I also helped 3 American digital companies enter India – Yahoo, MySpace and most recently LinkedIn. I learnt the challenges of being an MNC subsidiary, setting up tax entities, and managing expectations across cultures and geos.All of this has allowed me to be better at prioritization, focus on talent and growing businesses.
   
   
2. How has your MBA from INSEAD enabled you to lead?
   
   It opened me up to cultural differences especially in the professional context. It allowed me to face up to and conquer my own biases and understand how to be successful in global settings. It also showcased the strength of a strong network and good old fashioned hard work.
   
   
3. You have studied on three continents. What would you say to students looking for a global experience?
   
   Be flexible in your approach, open-minded in your thinking and let the experiences wash over you. You will be so much better as a person and a professional once you have done this. But do not underestimate how uncomfortable the actual process of studying in another culture may feel. Its character building stuff!
   
   
4. Business today is becoming social. How would you encourage students to foster social engagement at school and at work?
   
   Professional networks are about making yourself more successful and productive, if they are done well. I would encourage three things:
   • Be authentic: be yourself, don’t pretend to be something/someone you are not.
   • Share more freely: The more you contribute, the more value you will get out of your network.
   • Quality over quantity: A network of trusted, high quality people is worth much more than just arbitrarily networking with all and sundry.
     
     
5. Any tips for our aspiring MBA’s ?
   
   Understand WHY you want an MBA. It can be a wonderful experience, but don’t expect a silver bullet. It will not make you a superhero, just a little better at things like time management, people management and perhaps fill skill gaps like finance, negotiation ability etc.
   
   
6. Can you tell us a bit about Linkedin University?
   
   LinkedIn has 238M+ members globally and this means we have a large number of career paths and we know the career outcomes for the alums for thousands of schools globally. We believe we are uniquely positioned to help university students build a path from college to their career. In the future, you could also foresee a time when highschool students apply to colleges and specific programs using the career outcome data of alums of that college/program, which they will find on LinkedIn. We are only just getting started with services for this key stakeholder group.

Group studying is a common approach used in almost all educational systems around the world. From school to college, students organize themselves in groups for homework and exam preparation. The reason behind the activity is that a group of people is smarter and more productive than an individual.

If you study in a group you will solve problems more efficiently. Sometimes you will contribute to the group and at times the group will clarify certain topics or queries you may have. Teamwork makes the whole process less stressful and more pleasant because you meet people with similar interests and backgrounds who will motivate you to achieve common goals.

A very important aspect of studying is time management. If someone in the team takes care about the progress of the group, the group can leverage on its teamwork and complete the process on time. It is advisable that the entire group has a single agenda and an appointed team member to monitor the progress of the group. This team member should use various time management tools such as TimePrep iOS apps for the CFA Exam to ensure that the team’s goals are met in a timely manner.

While a team approach to studying can yield numerous positive effects you should refrain from excessive socializing, talking about non CFA topics or just networking. The common goal in fact will only help you in staying focused and being sensitive to other team members’ aspirations. You will be encouraged to come prepared  for the study sessions and help the group stay on schedule.

In order to successfully prepare for the CFA exam, we would suggest the following:

• Find a small team of candidates with similar motivation, background and same level of preparedness, on www.StudyPal.co
• Organize either on-line or physical space for study sessions.
• Never meet without an agenda – discussion about certain topics (pages or sections/practice problems).
• Dedicate one person for process/time management in order to be both effective and efficient.
• Ensure the group discipline and manage time carefully.

Good luck!

 TimePrep for CFA