Studying for the CFA® Exam without Knowing You Are Studying

This page is split into two clearly separated parts: FinQuiz Editorial Additions and the Original Guest Post (Text Unchanged). Ready to plan the real thing? Start with How Many Hours to Study for CFA Level 1.

Read the Original Guest Post Level I Resources FAQ
On this page FinQuiz Editorial Additions (2026 update) Recommended Level I resources Original Guest Post (Text Unchanged) FAQ

Disclosure

  • The guest author does not endorse FinQuiz products.
  • FinQuiz editorial additions are separate from the original guest post.
  • One product link that had been inserted into the guest text pointed to a page that no longer exists and has been removed; the author’s words are otherwise preserved exactly, with no links added. His links to CFA Institute resources are kept as written—the Enterprising Investor blog is still live, but the Publications & Multimedia page it links no longer resolves.

FinQuiz Editorial Additions (2026 Update)

This section is written by FinQuiz editors. The guest post below comes from the paper-exam era—its opening line about June and December exams dates it—and pitches an idea Joseph calls “stealth studying”: staying sharp between exam seasons without formally studying. The idea aged beautifully; only his bookmarks went stale.

Where his resources live now: the Enterprising Investor blog is alive and still publishing—his link now lands at its current home inside the CFA Institute Research and Policy Center. The Publications & Multimedia page he cites is gone; its modern successor is that same Research and Policy Center (rpc.cfainstitute.org), which hosts CFA Institute research, the Financial Analysts Journal, blogs, and podcasts—the very “seemingly infinite” library he describes, reorganized.

What has changed since this post was written

  • The June/December rhythm is gone: all three levels are computer-based at Prometric test centers with multiple windows per year, so the “waiting period” he fills with stealth studying is now a window you choose yourself. His deeper point—stop dividing the year into study season and off season—fits the modern calendar even better than his own.
  • His CFA Institute links: kept exactly as he wrote them. The Enterprising Investor one still works (it redirects to the blog’s current home); the Publications & Multimedia one no longer resolves—use the Research and Policy Center instead.
  • His book picks need no update: Graham’s “The Intelligent Investor” remains the standard recommendation, and Blinder’s financial-crisis account now reads as the history it analyzed.
  • Stealth studying got easier: free video barely existed as a prep medium when he wrote. Our Level I full course playlist is exactly his “presentation-type material” idea—curriculum coverage you can absorb on a commute, free.
  • His society advice is untouched: local CFA societies still run the events, and the networking function he describes works the same way it did then.
  • One link was retired: a product link that had been inserted into the guest text pointed to a page that no longer exists; it has been removed (his words are unchanged).

Recommended Level I resources (FinQuiz)

Only Level I resources are promoted in the editorial areas of this page.

  • Level I Full Course Playlist (Primary) — free video-led curriculum coverage: the modern stealth-study tool, watchable anywhere.
  • Free Full-Length Mock Exam — one complete 180-question mock (two 90-question sessions) free with any account—sit it cold to mark the switch from stealth to real studying.
  • Level I Summary — high-yield review for when the formal study clock starts.
  • Level I Question Bank — topic drills once you’re studying in earnest. An optional extra alongside the official practice included with your CFA Institute registration.
  • Level I Notes — LOS-aligned coverage for the full first pass.
  • Level I Formula Sheet — ten minutes of recall a day keeps formulas warm between seasons.
Practical pairing: run the playlist during your stealth months, then sit the free 180-question mock cold on the day you decide to study for real. The score tells you exactly how much the stealth phase banked—and where the formal plan should start.

Original Guest Post (Text Unchanged)

Disclosure: The guest author does not endorse FinQuiz products. The content below is displayed with no edits, no paraphrasing, and no reordering. No links have been added into the author’s text; one previously inserted product link that no longer resolves has been removed (the words it wrapped are unchanged), and his links to CFA Institute resources are kept as written—note the Publications & Multimedia page no longer resolves. The post dates from the paper-exam era of June and December exams—see the editorial update above for today’s calendar.

It’s not even June yet and the last thing many of you want to think about is studying for the CFA Program exams in December.

I always liked to start early and set a relaxed CFA study schedule but I’m not going to tell you that you need to get busy studying immediately.

What I can tell you is that there is a way you can actually keep your skills fresh while waiting for later to really start studying.

It’s a little thing I like to call stealth studying and everyone should work it into their daily routine.

CFA Institute Resources

Your first stop will be some of the great resources on the CFA Institute website and the Enterprising Investor blog.

The Institute’s Publications & Multimedia page sports a seemingly infinite amount of research and resources.

Resources are indexed by asset class and topic area with separate sections for career advice like networking, management and current topics.

A lot of the resources are quick presentation-type material so you can look through it within a few minutes to get the general idea. It’s a great way to generate ideas for your own work.

Must Read Books

The Enterprising Investor blog also offers regular reviews for books related to the industry. Within the reviews, you’ll find a mix of educational books to further your skills and books that will entertain.

I just finished Alan Blinder’s, “After the Music Stopped,” after reading the review on the site and really enjoyed the insightful analysis of the financial crisis.

Of course, Graham’s timeless book, “The Intelligent Investor,” is always a good start for those that haven’t yet read it.

After months of detailed and rigorous study of the CFA curriculum, it’s nice to sit down with a relatively straight-forward and simple tome.

Networking with colleagues

Readers of the blog will know that I’m a big advocate of active involvement in your local CFA society.

Most likely, you are going to want to approach these people for a job opportunity in the future so it’s best to get to know them first.

Networking with other candidates and charterholders serves another function, getting some of the best insight from some of the best minds in the business.

So stealth studying isn’t really anything new, it’s just keeping involved in your industry.

Reading books, whether for information or entertainment, watching presentations from other professionals and connecting with others in the field will all help to keep your mind sharp.

Whether you are working in investment analysis and management yet or not, it’s best to start thinking of yourself as a professional.

You’ve committed to one of the most difficult professional designations out there and just the Level I CFA curriculum puts you well on your way.

As a professional, it’s also best to stop thinking in terms of a period to study for the exams and the rest of the year in which you get to relax.

Being a professional is about constant improvement and keeping up to date with the industry.

The resources above will not only help you prepare for your next CFA exam but will help you become a better professional.

‘til next time, happy…studying!

Written by Joseph Hogue, CFA

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FAQ (Global candidates)

Do the June and December CFA exam dates still exist?

No—the calendar he’s writing around is gone. All three levels are now computer-based at Prometric test centers with multiple windows per year. The remaining 2026 windows are Level III August 13, Level I August 18, Level II August 25, then Level I November 11 and Level II November 18. That actually strengthens his point: with no single exam day, the line between “study season” and “off season” is yours to draw—always confirm dates and deadlines in your CFA Institute account.

Are the CFA Institute resources he mentions still available?

Mostly, in new homes. The Enterprising Investor blog is alive and still publishing—his link now lands at its current home inside the CFA Institute Research and Policy Center. The Publications & Multimedia page he links no longer exists; its modern successor is that same Research and Policy Center (rpc.cfainstitute.org), which hosts CFA Institute research, the Financial Analysts Journal, blogs, and podcasts. His habit translates perfectly—only the bookmarks changed.

When should I switch from stealth studying to real studying?

Work backwards from your chosen exam window. The standard guidance is still roughly 300 hours of preparation per level, which most working candidates spread over 4–5 months. Pick your window, count back, and let stealth studying fill the months before that start date. Our post on how many hours to study for CFA Level 1 turns the arithmetic into a weekly schedule—and a free full-length FinQuiz mock exam is a natural way to mark the switch: sit it cold, see where you stand, and start your plan from the results.

What does stealth studying look like in 2026?

His three pillars—reading, watching practitioners, and CFA society involvement—haven’t changed; the toolbox got bigger. Free video is the easiest modern addition: the FinQuiz Level I full course playlist covers the curriculum in video form you can watch on a commute, and podcasts from the investment industry do the same job his “presentation-type material” did. Local societies still run events and remain the networking channel he describes. None of it feels like studying—which was exactly his point.