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CFA Exam Registration: Step-by-Step Guide
CFA exam registration is relatively simple. However, I have put together a guide about registering for the CFA exam to get you started.
CFA Exam Registration Procedure
CFA candidates need to fulfill the following before they start the application process.
1. Education or Experience Requirements
CFA candidates should have a bachelor ‘sdegree from an accredited educational institution, or at least be in the final year of his/her bachelor program at the time of registration.
Alternatively, the candidate can have 4 years of professional working experience BEFORE the registering for the CFA exam.
A combination of the above education and working experience is allowed as long as the total number of years reach 4 years or more.
- The professional work experience does not need to be investment related.
- Part-time positions are not qualified.
- For CFA II candidates who took the CFA I exam while they are in their final years of university, they need to prove the completion of their bachelor’s degree in order to sit for the Level II exam.
2. Proper Identification
CFA candidates must have a valid international travel passport. The passport ID number should match the one you entered during the online application process. Note to dual citizenship holders: Double-check that the passport you are going to bring is the same as the one used in the registration.
The passport should have your name, date of birth, passport number, expiration date, and country of issuance.
Other requirements:
- Passport has to be current (i.e. not expired).
- Passport must contain a photograph.
- Your ID has to be a travel document. In other words, something you can use to travel abroad, and not just an ID card or driver’s license.
- This is obvious, but you need to bring the original passport and not a photocopy of it when you take the exam.
3. Signing of Conduct and Responsibility Statements
This is the easiest requirement as long as you have no problem signing the Professional Conduct Statement and Candidate Responsibility Statement.
What Should I Expect After Submitting My CFA Application?
If your application is approved, you will receive an official acceptance by email within 2-3 days. If you don’t hear from them after 3 days, contact the CFA Institute by email.
You will also receive the admission tickets in electronic format.
Please check out the link on CFA exam schedule for details.
Questions and Answers about CFA Registration
I normally use my English name as first name but in the passport the Chinese name comes first.What to do?
An example would be Mabel Chen Yi-Ning instead of Chen Yi Ning Mabel. This is considered an “acceptable name variation”. Please refer to the CFA Program Identification Policy for details.
2. Can I call myself a CFA immediately after passing the exam?
No, you have to fulfill the experience requirements and successfully apply for the CFA charter certificate before calling yourself a CFA.
3. Would CFA Institute send (snail mail) me an admission ticket?
CFA Institute does not distribute paper admission tickets. You have to print a copy (using one-sided, clean paper) and bring it along on exam day.
Next Step for CFA Exam Registration
In this post, we went through the registration process for the CFA exam. In the next post below, we will elaborate on the CFA exam requirements, and explain the experience requirement that is needed to ultimately get the CFA charter:
