The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) Program is the benchmark of excellence in the investment industry.
To gain your CFA charter you need to succeed in three levels of the CFA Program. The exams cover analytical tools (such as quantitative methods and accounting), asset valuation, portfolio management and ethics. The knowledge you gain while studying for the CFA Program will be invaluable to your financial career.
At Quartic we understand the challenges you may be facing, whether the content seems daunting or you have a busy working day. All of our CFA learning materials and question banks have been carefully compiled to inspire you to study at your own pace, fully supported by our faculty and our state-of-the-art learning portal, Quartic Online.
The Quartic CFA faculty is run by CFA charterholders, each with at least a decade of experience teaching for the CFA Program. Not only have we passed the exams ourselves, but we know how to make even the toughest concepts intuitively easy to understand.
CFA Level I candidates with any Quartic CFA packages (Core, Premier, Mentoring – please see details below) receive the following learning resources:
For CFA candidates with non-technical backgrounds we include introductory courses on Financial Maths and Accounting.
CFA training on demand means that you can study when most convenient, in any time zone, on mobile, tablet or desktop. Training is divided into small modular sections to help fit the learning around a busy schedule.
Life doesn’t always go to plan and sometimes an exam can go wrong.
Quartic will help to soften the disappointing news with a Lifetime Pass Guarantee if you studied with us, and a Resit Discount if you didn’t.
If you have studied CFA Level I using any of our Core, Premier or Mentoring training packages and your exam result was unsuccessful then we will let you continue to study with us for free until you succeed.
All we ask of you is that you show us your Level I result and a new registration for an exam within a year, and we will grant you continued access until your next attempt.
We honestly believe that if you follow our CFA instructors’ guidance then this guarantee is unlikely to be used … however it’s here for you as a safety cushion.
Please see here for more details.
We offer an unconditional 25% discount on any Core, Premier or Mentoring package if you have been unsuccessful in your CFA Level I exam in the last year and are now resitting.
This offer is “no quibble” and applies whether you studied with other training firms or not.
Quartic has been supporting CFA candidates successfully through their exams since 2007. Our tutor support is second to none, with the faculty responding to most technical questions within one working day.
All of our CFA tutors are CFA charterholders with at least a decade of experience teaching for the CFA exams.
Support can be by e-mail, by one-to-one Zoom sessions or by regular structured mentoring sessions. See Training Options below.
Helpful Information
The Level I exam is a computer-based test with four available testing windows in each year, during February, May, August and November. The duration of the exam is 4.5 hours in item set format. The exam is split across two sessions and covers all ten topics.
| Exam name | Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) Level I |
| Examiner | CFA Institute |
| Exam level (RQF) | Level 5 |
| Study time required | Typically at least 300 to 350 hours |
| CFA exam length | Total of 4 hours 30 minutes, in two sessions each of 2 hours 15 minutes |
| CFA exam style | Computer-based testing, using three-part multiple-choice (selected response) questions; 90 seconds allocated per question; total of 180 questions across the two sessions |
| CFA exam marking | One mark per question, no negative marking |
| CFA pass mark | The minimum passing score, or MPS, is not published |
| CFA pass rate | The pass rate varies but is published for each exam window; this has varied from 22 to 49% in the last decade |
| Exam dates | Exam windows in February, May, August and November each year |
| Curriculum period | Updated each calendar year, with all exam windows in the year using the same curriculum version |
| CFA exam venues | At Prometric examination centres around the world |
| CFA exam fees (2026 exam prices) | Early registration fee US$1,140; standard registration fee US$1,490 |
| CFA study support packages | Core: on-demand classes, question banks, mocks and a range of studying tools, plus unlimited e-mail support
Premier: all of Core, plus unlimited Zoom tutor support Mentoring: all of Premier, plus regular scheduled tutor coaching sessions |
Quartic candidates studying for CFA Level I receive our comprehensive suite of on-demand online classes, question banks and mock exams, as well as a range of Education and Revision study tools. These are provided via QO, our Quartic Online portal. The training options are:
Other studying options are:
The CFA Level I Curriculum consists of the following ten topics. Note that the topic bands are approximate, based on 180 questions across two exam sessions:
| Topic | Exam weight | No of questions |
| Ethical and Professional Standards | 15 to 20% | 27 to 36 |
| Quantitative Methods | 6 to 9% | 11 to 16 |
| Economics | 6 to 9% | 11 to 16 |
| Financial Statement Analysis | 11 to 14% | 20 to 25 |
| Corporate Issuers | 6 to 9% | 11 to 16 |
| Equity Investments | 11 to 14% | 20 to 25 |
| Fixed Income | 11 to 14% | 20 to 25 |
| Derivatives | 5 to 8% | 9 to 14 |
| Alternative Investments | 7 to 10% | 13 to 18 |
| Portfolio Management | 8 to 12% | 14 to 22 |
Note that there are two sessions, each taking 2 hours 15 minutes and including 90 questions.
Session 1 contains questions on the first five topics, i.e. Ethics, Quants, Economics, FSA and Corporate Finance (Issuers). Session 2 questions are on asset valuation (Equity, Fixed Income, Derivatives and Alternative Investments) and Portfolio Management.
To enrol in the CFA Program, you need to have at least one of the following:
You will also need a valid passport for the actual CFA exam.
If you are an undergraduate student (i.e. route (2) above) then the exam window, not the date you start studying, must be no more than 23 months before expected graduation.
To put another way, if you are doing a three-year undergrad course you can enrol into the CFA Program part-way through your first year, provided that the exam itself is at least a month after the end of your first year.
Once you have passed Level I, the requirements for progressing to Level II are similar: routes (1) and (3) are unchanged. But if you are still an undergraduate, your Level II exam window must now be within 11 months of graduating, i.e. a year later than the Level I requirement.
For Level III you must have received your degree or have the work experience, i.e. route (1) or (3).
For route (3) the work experience and higher education cannot overlap, but you need 4,000 hours between them. Work experience must be paid (internships or family firm work is fine, provided it’s paid); the higher education can be in any area.
You should be aware at this stage that to receive your CFA charter you will need investment-related work experience: see the Level III page for more details.
The Quartic philosophy is one of inspirational education, dedicated candidate and client support, and flexibility in approach.
Inspirational education comes from experience: our tutor faculty consists entirely of CFA charterholders, each with at least a decade of teaching experience. We have sat the CFA exams and know how to succeed in this challenge. Our background work experience helps us to bring the topics to life.
On support, we aim to respond to all incoming requests by the end of the following business day – but we’re usually much faster. As a CFA exam window approaches, we appreciate the urgency with which candidates need responses.
Our flexibility means that we treat each candidate as an individual. If you have a particular requirement, then we will go out of our way to accommodate your request.
For corporate clients we provide you with a single point of contact and streamlined administration. You will receive a range of benefits including group pricing, regular reporting, portal administration access and firm-specific additional support for your candidates. Speak to us too regarding in-house bespoke training solutions.
Level I covers the foundations of finance with a significant emphasis on the analytical tools, especially accounting and quantitative techniques. Although the depth of these topics may seem challenging, the benefit to candidates is the ability to “uncook the books” and get behind the published numbers.
What’s Included?
What’s Included?
What’s Included?
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At Quartic we teach investing with a passion, inspiring delegates of all levels. From exam courses to bespoke executive programmes, the Quartic team prides itself on making our courses highly interactive and enjoyable to attend, whether in person or online.
Quartic played a key role in helping me pass CFA Level II. Mr. Blain is highly knowledgeable and supportive, and their clear, well-structured materials made even the most complex topics manageable.
CFA preparation was the toughest challenge I’ve faced, and Quartic’s guidance made all the difference. Highly recommended to anyone pursuing the CFA designation.
Your online platform and study materials were absolutely instrumental in my preparation. The comprehensive content, practice exams, and especially the insightful explanations provided a solid foundation for my understanding. I truly believe that without the support and quality of Quartic's resources, this achievement would have been much more challenging to attain.
Thank you for your dedication to creating top-notch educational tools that make a real difference in the lives of students like me. Your commitment to excellence has paid off, and I am incredibly grateful for the knowledge and confidence I gained from using your platform.
I used to be a Quartic student, and I remain deeply grateful for the foundational training I received. I still vividly remember Mr. Nicholas Blain’s teaching, which not only laid a solid foundation for me but also sparked my enduring interest in the industry.
Today I passed my CFA level 1 exam and wanted to thank you for your great materials and your passion for sharing the knowledge. I really enjoyed watching your videos 😃
The tutors were enthusiastic, the classes enjoyable, the explanations clear and intuitive, and with excellent teaching materials Quartic helped me to pass each level at first attempt.
Nicholas is one of the best tutors I have ever studied under. His unique ability is to explain complicated concepts in simple words and graphics, passing on his excellent grasp of the subject.
A big thank you to Quartic without whose help I would not have passed CFA Level I first time. Classes were interactive and entertaining, the material easily digestible and very relevant to the exam, and the videos were extremely useful too. I would definitely recommend Quartic.
Interested in learning about course pricing or curious about group discounts? Please provide details of your inquiry, such as the specific course or course type, pricing request, etc. Our dedicated team will be happy to assist.
