Thursday, August 26, 2010

CFA Payment options for Indian students.

Hi,
         I am a II level Passed CFA student and this is where I think I should put my experience with CFA. I want to be a torch bearer for my fellow students who have just started preparing for the exam. I will go step by step about the examination.
About CFA- CFAI is a USA based independent body who conduct this exam for awarding charter financial analyst designation. The Institute was started on the dreams of Benjamin graham the Investment Guru of all time. It’s a body formed to bring standardization in investment analyst industry and increase the practice standard of financial analyst.
Who is eligible- I will first elaborate from the Indian point of view, graduate of any stream is eligible for seating for the examination. Student appearing for last year examination are also eligible for the exam. But for awarding the charter one needs a full time work experience of 4 years in financial research related industry. Plus two recommendations are needed from CFA charter holders (one can be direct supervisor without charter).
            These are the requirements from CFA for becoming a charter holder, But these requirement are decided in USA context where students start working as soon as they finish their high school or graduation. Seldom people there pursue post graduation studies immediately after graduation. Said this necessarily Indian students needs to think from different point of view. CFA ideally need to be done after one starts working with a financial company or at lease gains some experience of corporate working.
            CFA as a exam is totally different from the what we as Indian are used to, CFA is totally inclined towards application rather than just theory (though one can pass all three exams by just memorizing everything) so I will definitely recommend appearing for exam either after 1 year of work experience, or complete level II exam till last year of MBA and finish last level exam once 2-3 years of experience is completed. But best way suggested is doing it after getting some work experience. It is more relevant that way.
Exam formats and Difficulty level.
First level of the exam is conducted twice a year in June and Dec, while 2nd and 3rd level are conducted only in June. In total passing rate for all three exams come around 7-8% per year, which is reducing every year. In that way the exam is way tough since many people appearing for the exam are experienced professionals in the industry. One has to pass all exams one after other as one of the criteria to get the charter.
Level I exam- This is a entry level exam which consists of 240 questions in total 120 in morning session and 120 in afternoon. 3 hours are given for each session to answer multiple (3 options) option questions based on all section of the syllabus. Exam encompasses introduction to investment management and has broad view compared to next level. Level I tries make base of student stronger by introducing them to various facets and options available with CFA.

Payment Options- Currently CFA gives only 3 options to the students 1. Either pay through international payment gateway using international credit card. 2. Pay by dollar bank draft at their office in New York. Or a wire transfer method where a candidate can ask a participatory bank to transfer amount to CFA.
             Many Asian students face the problem of not owning a international credit card. These students can follow the steps below.
1. Register on the CFA website and create credential.
2. on the page for pay CFA fees institute will give option to generate invoice or pay fees by credit card.
Select option generate invoice and pay and print a invoice with candidate details.
3. Take the printout to the local bank and ask them to make a wire transfer for the amount of $ written on the invoice.
4. Once transfer is made collect the necessary transaction number and send a scan copy of invoice and the transaction number to CFA institute by email.
The above said procedure is tedious compared to simple Credit card method, but still helpful for those who does not have the credit cards.

















           
           

10 comments:

  1. Hi..Can u spare a bit time to chat with me? i have some doubts regarding cfa course and also its oppurtunities. i have interest in it but am nt eligible its seeming. uu have fb account?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi YOu can contact me on my email which is dhrishi at gmail dot com.

      Delete
    2. Hi, Nedd to have a chat with you regarding the value of CFA level 1 in terms of professional career

      Delete
  2. Please let me know if we can make the payment with 2 credit cards. I mean , if we can pay Rs. 50000 on one card and the remaining from another card?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey can you please help me out with the payment. I don't have a credit card as well. I went to the bank with the invoice. They said they need bank details of CFA institute for wire transfer, and I don't have them

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @palash can u tell me how much did u shell out for fees in INR terms

      Delete
  4. I have made wire transfer for level 1 cfa. After transfering money i have mailed them the invoice and transaction details as well. Its been 2 days but there is no reply for the mail. So I have no idea if the payment has reached their account. What should I do ? Please help.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. At which email id did you send the details?
      And how long did it take the CFA Institute to confirm the payment?
      Thanks

      Delete
  5. Very Nice blog dear this article would be a torchbearer for all CFA students who have started preparing for the CFA exam. And If you are looking for the Best CFA Preparation Institute in India. I suggest you should go SSEI Institute for CFA | FRM
    CA, CS/CMA

    CFA Level 1 | CFA Level I
    CFA Level 2 | CFA Level II
    CFA Level 3 | CFA Level III
    FRM Part 1 | FRM Part I
    FRM Part 2 | FRM Part II
    CFA Online | CFA Videos
    FRM Online | FRM Videos
    CFA L 1 | CFA L 2 | CFA L 3

    ReplyDelete
  6. High Risk Gateways offer a eCheck Payment Gateway secure, efficient electronic check processing solution.

    ReplyDelete