With the aim of maintaining the program's excellence and accuracy to the market changing needs, CFA® Institute conducted a large survey among companies, candidates, and students, and decided to propose a two-year evolution of the program. In 2024, major changes are planned for the Level I curriculum, and practical skills modules are being introduced for Level I & II.
A complete review of the program
For Level I, a large part of the program has been moved to pre-requisites and will no longer be tested on the exam, as it was considered too redundant with candidates’ knowledge learned during their time at university or during their professional life. Study time is still estimated at 300 working hours, but the idea is to devote more time to the most difficult concepts and to practical modules.
Introduction of Practical Skills Modules
To make the exam as relevant as possible, CFA® Institute has decided to add Practical skills Modules on the following topics: "Financial Modeling", "Python Programming Fundamentals" at level I. Level II candidates will have to choose among : "Python Programming Fundamentals", "Analyst skills", "Python data science & AI". These modules will not be included in the exams directly but will need to be completed online – one at each level - so that candidates can get their exam results. The module subject can be chosen after registration, at any time during the exam preparation period, and must be completed before results are published. Each module takes between 10 and 15 hours to complete.
In 2025, Level III will also get major changes: with a revised syllabus featuring specialized pathways in addition to practical skills modules.
Our preparation schedules for 2024 exams are already available.