Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)

About Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)

CFA Institute or the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute provides distinctive and most diverse programmes for candidates who want to become investment professionals. Through its programmes and exams, the CFA Institute offers quality investment education.

The flagship course offered by the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute is the CFA Programme for aspiring financial analysts. The institute conducts exams for these programs and the candidates are offered Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) credential on clearing these exams.

The credential offered by CFA institutes is globally recognized and is one of the most respected designations in the world. The CFA Program has been designed to provide you with a strong foundation of advanced investment analysis along with the real-world portfolio management skills. The programme is meant to enhance your career prospects in the investment analysis field.

CFA Programme Highlights

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for the CFA course is mentioned below.

• Min. Qualification Required: Graduation (Full-time any field)
• For every next level, one must have passed the last level of the course. 

CFA Selection Process:

• In order to appear for the Level I exam, candidates must either be in the final year of their graduation or must have completed graduation. Only those candidates who have pursued graduation will be able to take the CFA Programme Level II programme. OR
• Candidates must have work experience of at least 4 years in a professional environment. OR
• Candidates must possess a combination of education and work experience that sums up the duration of four years (part-time jobs are not evaluated).

Note: Candidates must have a passport in order to appear for the CFA programme exams.

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Syllabus

The CFA Programme comprises three levels and each level comprises a six-hour exam. Candidates have to pass these three extensive exams in order to get the CFA credentials. There is a specific weightage given to every subject at different levels of the course. Following are the levels and subject weightage:

Level I: Basic aspects of the investment analysis are covered at this level. The level comprises a total of ten topics that will be covered using investment tools.

Level II: This phase comprises the application of investment tools and topics that are focused on the valuation of different types of assets.

Level III: In this level, an emphasis is laid on synthesizing all of the concepts and analytical methods in order to learn their applications for wealth planning and effective portfolio management.

CFA Subject Weightage:

Note: CFA Institute may change or update the syllabus depending on the requirements of the industry and suggestion of investment professionals. Students are notified regarding all changes and recent practice analysis methods.

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Career Options and Job Prospects

Chartered Financial Analysts attract a lot of job opportunities as their credentials are well-identified across the world. Global recognition also opens up international opportunities and chances for a better salary. Depending on the talent of the candidate, CFA certified professionals can earn an annual salary varying from Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 12 lakh at the beginning of their career. Salary prospects improve after gaining a certain amount of experience. Some of the top job profiles and salary package offered to CFA certificate holders are mentioned below.