CFA Level I – 3 months of prep, stuck in low 40s on mocks. Need honest feedback on my study method
Hi everyone,
I’m trying to get honest feedback on my CFA Level I study approach because I feel like something in my method isn’t working. I’m a May candidate unlikely to pass who will move on to the November 2026 session.
I’ve been studying for about 2.5–3 months using Salt Solutions as my main resource. My approach was mostly Q-bank driven. Instead of setting fixed study hours, I set daily question “quotas” and worked through the material that way; doing questions by topic, reviewing explanations, and then moving on once I hit my target.
I didn’t really structure my study around consistent reading or videos in a traditional sense, so most of my learning came through attempting questions and reviewing them after.
Right now, I’ve only done two full Salt Solutions mocks, both scoring in the low-mid 40% range, and I haven’t seen meaningful improvement between attempts. I can often recognize concepts when reviewing answers, but in mixed or timed conditions I struggle to apply them consistently. It feels like my knowledge is fragmented rather than stable. I also recognize I may not have done enough mocks at this stage, but after my second attempt dropped despite a few weeks of additional study, it made me question whether my approach is fundamentally off.
My concern is that I may have relied too heavily on hitting question quotas instead of building a stronger conceptual base first, and now I’m paying for that in exam performance.
At this point I’m wondering whether:
- My entire study method (Q-bank driven, quota-based approach) is flawed and I should rebuild from the ground up with more structured reading/videos first, or…
- This is still salvageable with more time, mocks, and better review habits without a full reset.
I’m 22 and just finished my final semester at a non-target state university (non-finance / accounting major). During the last month of studying, my consistency also dropped (slightly, lost a week + affected sleep) due to finals and family commitments that pulled me away more than expected. I’m feeling pretty discouraged because I spent a lot of time in the library during my last semester and made sacrifices, but it doesn’t feel like it translated into the progress I was hoping for, and I’m struggling with whether my current approach is fundamentally flawed. Like all I’ve been able to think about before I fall asleep for the last week is how I feel like this was all for nothing.
Would really appreciate blunt feedback from people who’ve been through Level I or understand the exam well.