CFA Level 1 Writing Guide
Task types, scoring criteria, and strategies to excel in the writing section.
Writing Overview
The CFA Level 1 exam is the first step toward the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. It covers 10 topic areas including ethics, quantitative methods, economics, financial statement analysis, equity, fixed income, derivatives, alternative investments, and portfolio management.
Note: CFA Level 1 does not have a dedicated writing section. This guide covers general test preparation.
High-Score Strategies
- 1.Ethics is the highest-weighted topic — start and end your studies with it.
- 2.Use the CFA Institute curriculum or SchweserNotes; don't rely on third-party alone.
- 3.Do 1,000+ practice questions before exam day.
- 4.Master the BA II Plus calculator shortcuts (NPV, IRR, TVM, statistics).
- 5.Review wrong answers, not just right ones — understand the reasoning.
- 6.Take at least 3 mock exams under timed conditions in the final two weeks.