CHARTERED FINANCIAL ANALYST

(CFA®)

"Believe You Can And

You're Halfway There"

- Theodore Roosevelt

About The CFA® Program The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) credential, which was introduced and is administered by the CFA® Institute, is the globally recognized mark of distinction and benchmark for measuring the expertise, experience, and ethics of serious investment professionals. It is an advanced certificate that equips the holder with a strong foundation and mastery of a wide range of investment analysis and portfolio management skills. The CFA® Institute is an association encompassing a network of more than 125,000 investment professionals spread across the globe and known for their expertise and integrity.

Why Choose The CFA® Program? Most graduate school programs cover a broad range

of topics; the CFA® Program focuses specifically on investment knowledge.

Employers know the CFA® Program provides the skills needed in today's global, dynamic marketplace and that earning the CFA® charter demonstrates the commitment to excellence required of today’s investment professionals.

Benefits of The CFA® Designation Real-World Expertise and Professional

Excellence - Demonstrate you have the knowledge, skills, and experience needed for investment analysis and management in today’s dynamic global markets.

Knowledge and Confidence - Broaden your perspective and understanding of the industry, and gain confidence in your analytical capability, with an advanced investment management and analysis curriculum that leverages current best practices and the experience of practitioners around the world.

Worldwide Recognition - Gain instant credibility with peers, employers and clients, and stand out in the competitive global industry.

Ethical Behavior and Reputation - Learn how to uphold and apply the best practices of ethics, gaining the needed skills to demonstrate a high level of commitment to the standards of accountability and integrity.

Connections - Become a part of a large network of investment professionals worldwide.

Waivers - Enrolling in or completing the CFA® program gives you the eligibility of waiving exams, courses and programs related to many universities, regulatory agencies and financial/investment-related certification organizations located across the globe.

Top CFA® Charterholders Occupations

Portfolio Managers 22%

Research Analysts 15%

Chief-Level Executives

7%

Corporate Financial Analysts

5%

Consultants 6%

Relationship Managers

5%

Financial Advisors

5%

Risk Managers

5%

*As of September 2014, job function is self-reported and not verified by CFA® Institute. The 30% not displayed are in job functions with less than 5% of members each.

Overview of The CFA® Examination The CFA® Program is divided into 3 levels exams

(i.e. Level I, II & III), which should be passed sequentially.

CFA® Level I exams are offered in June and December (typically on the first Saturday of the months).

CFA® Level II and III exams are offered in June only (typically on the first Saturday of the month).

Each CFA® level exam is 6 hours in total length; split equally between the morning and afternoon sessions (i.e. each session is 3 hours in length).

The exam content, learning focus, and question format increase in complexity with each level.

CFA® Level I Exam Structure The exam is composed of 240 multiple choices

questions split equally between the morning and afternoon sessions (i.e. 120 questions each covering all topics).

Candidates must attend both sessions to pass. The exam consists of basic knowledge and

comprehension questions focused on investment tools; some questions will require analysis.

On average, the candidate has approximately 90 seconds for each multiple-choice question. More or less time might be needed, depending on the question and level of mastery of the topic.

CFA® Level II Exam Structure The exam is composed of 20 item set questions split

equally between the morning and afternoon sessions (i.e. 10 each). Each item set is composed of 6 items each (i.e. in total candidate will have 120 items to solve).

The exam is worth 360 points, corresponding to the number of minutes on the exam. The 120 Level II items are equally weighted, 3 points each, with no penalty for incorrect answers.

Some topics are covered in the morning session only and other topics are covered in the afternoon session only.

The exam contains more complex analysis, along with a focus on asset valuation.

CFA® Level III Exam Structure The exam is composed of item set and constructed

response (essay) questions.

The morning session consists of constructed response (essay) questions (usually between 8 and 12 questions, each with several subparts) with a maximum of 180 points.

The afternoon session consists of 10 item set questions (with 6 items each).

The exam requires synthesis of all the concepts and analytical methods in a variety of applications for effective portfolio management and wealth planning.

Curriculum and Weightings

CFA® Institute 2016 Calendar

The curriculum is organized into 10 general topic areas as follows:

Topic Area Level

I Level

II Level

III Ethical and Professional

Standards 15 10-15 10-15

Quantitative Methods 12 5-10 0 Economics 10 5-10 5-15

Financial Reporting and Analysis

20 15-20 0

Corporate Finance 7 5-15 0 Equity Investments 10 15-25 5-15

Fixed Income 10 10-20 10-20 Derivatives 5 5-15 5-15

Alternative Investments 4 5-10 5-15 Portfolio Management and Wealth Planning

7 5-10 40-55

Total 100 100 100

How to Become a CFA® Charterholder?1) Become a CFA® candidate and enroll in the CFA® Program. To do so, you must:

a) Meet one of the following criteria: Have a bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree; Be in the final year of a bachelor’s degree program;

Have four years of professional work experience or;

Have a combination of professional work and university experience that totals at least four years. b) Be prepared to take the exams in English. c) Have a valid international passport. d) Meet the professional conduct admission criteria.

2) Pass the Level I Exam (June or December). 3) Pass the Level II Exam (June). 4) Pass the Level III Exam (June). 5) Have four years of professional work experience in the investment decision-making process

(accrued before, during, or after participation in the CFA® Program).

6) Join CFA® Institute as a regular member.

Date Event 15 Jan Mock exams become available

1 Feb Awareness scholarship application deadline

17 Feb Registration fee deadline 16 Mar Late registration fee deadline

21 Mar Final deadline for disability and religious alternate date testing accommodation requests to be received

19 Apr Test center change request deadline

May Exam admission tickets become available

4 Jun Exam day Jun–Jul

Exams graded

Jul Level I and II exam results become available.

Aug Level III exam results become available.

CFA® Program Fees Fees Type Amount (in USD) Deadline

Program enrollment fee 450 N/A Standard registration fee 860 17 February 2016 Late registration fee 1,280 16 March 2016

*These fees are paid to the CFA® Institute to register for the exam.

PBSI CFA® Program Unmatched, the CFA® prep-courses provided by PBSI are by far the best on the market in terms of experience

of instructors, quality of service and number of hours allocated to your learning and development. PBSI

strongly believes that just giving courses does not help the candidate in discovering the true value of the CFA®

program; it is about guiding the candidate on how to pass the exam from his first attempt and how to use the charter to advance in his career and make the right decisions.

PBSI put strong emphasis on the passing probability of the individual candidate and not the global passing rate of the institute, since each candidate comes from a different background and with a unique level of knowledge.

At PBSI, quality is not a one-time event; we strive at being consistent with the level of quality delivered through our services and products. “Quality is more important than quantity. One homerun is much better than two

doubles - Steve Jobs”.

The CFA® prep-courses provided at PBSI include the following:

For more information about the schedules and details for each level, and/or to request a private meeting with the team, please connect to PBSI through the contact details mentioned below.

About PBSI Professional Business Solutions Institute is specialized in providing professional certifications’ preparatory courses (such as CFA®, FRM®, CMA® and CPA®), training development programs, tailored seminars and customized business solutions. The institute is managed and governed by a team of highly professional individuals with extensive experience and knowledge in the fields of education, consulting, banking and entrepreneurship with a combined experience of more than 25 years.

Contact Details: Marwan Chbaklo: +961-3-246796/+962-77-7346372 Ghazi Homsi: +961-79-119381 Office Number: +961-1-425897 Website: www.PBSI.co E-mail: Info@PBSI.co LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/professional-business-solutions-institute-pbsi- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/PBSInstitute Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/PBSInstitute

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