Candidate Success Stories

The CFA exam preparation with IFT exceeded my expectations. One of the standout features of their program is the highly structured approach to the lectures; the comprehensive coverage of every LOS and a blue box question ensured a thorough understanding of the curriculum, not simply learning how to pass the exam. What truly set IFT apart for me was Arif's insightful guidance throughout the lectures. He consistently highlighted nuanced concepts frequently tested during the exam, providing invaluable clarity on areas that often posed challenges for candidates. Moreover, Arif's ability to identify topics with a lower probability of appearing on the exam day proved to be a game-changer during my preparation under time pressure. The mock exams offered by IFT were instrumental in gauging my readiness for the actual exam, I found them to be an accurate reflection of the real exam, both in terms of content and format. This helped build my confidence, and on exam day, I was well-prepared and finished each section with time to spare (throughout all 3 levels). I'm thrilled to share that I successfully passed all three levels of the CFA exam, being in 95% percentiles in the first two and I attribute a significant part of my success to IFT's exceptional exam preparation resources. If you're looking for a provider that not only covers the essentials but also goes the extra mile in preparing you for the nuances, I highly recommend IFT. Read More

My Profile : https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-k-korotkova/

As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) hailing from the Philippines with an extensive 12-year tenure at Deloitte in audit & assurance, IT audits, and data analytics, my professional path has been both diverse and challenging. In addition, my over 9 years of experience in the oil & gas industry, particularly in financial reporting and statutory audits, has further enriched my understanding of the financial world's complexities.   Of the many prep materials I utilized while working full-time, I found IFT's completely comprehensive content unmatched—covering every reading, curriculum blue box examples, curriculum end of chapter questions, and abundant practice reflective of real exam items. IFT enabled deep mastery of the entire curriculum.   I also appreciated IFT's talented instructors, whose teaching style aligned well with how I learn most effectively. Their guidance and infectious energy inspired me daily towards success.   Ultimately, through hard work and IFT's fully complete training, I passed all three level of CFA exams. With my strong finance background plus reliance on multiple prep providers, I firmly believe IFT was instrumental to conquering this challenging program. For comprehensive mastery, I enthusiastically recommend them to all CFA candidates. Read More

My Profile : https://www.linkedin.com/in/gil-martin-iv-manalo-cfa-697b6647/

IFT tutors are super helpful and their videos/notes/mocks have definitely helped clear my concepts! Would definitely recommend IFT!  The team has been very professional and supportive of me during my whole CFA journey, e.g. offering me prompt replies whenever I have any inquiries on the materials.

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For those students who want to ensure that they stick to the CFAI curriculum text, IFT is the perfect compliment. While you are provided the usual video lectures and study notes in a similar fashion to other study providers, what really makes IFT stand out is their rigor to go through every single EOC question and blue box examples. This provides you with a wider understanding of the actual question and what the examination is looking to test – you’ll be taught to actually understand the curriculum text, rather than just taught to pass. I also found 2 further products fundamental to reinforcing my learning. Firstly, the IFT High-Yield Videos were a superb addition for my train commute into work, having bitesize videos reinforce learnings over the past weeks, while for Level 3, IFT’s commitment to go through over 10 years of past papers and pull out relevant questions that remained as part of the current curriculum is another example of them going beyond their needs for their students to ensure they are provided with the necessary tools to pass. With thanks to Arif, Nabeela, and the wider IFT team for the support over the years! Read More

My Profile : https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexsmirnoffnorth/

If you really want to crush the Level 3 exams, especially, the morning session then please choose IFT. I had used 2 different prep courses prior to signing up for IFT and I can say unequivocally that IFT is the best in the world. By following their materials and study plan, I was able to finish the morning session 15 minutes before time. The Q&A with IFT Instructor is the finest on earth as IFT gives you timely and detailed responses. Many Thanks to Arif, Nabeela, and the entire IFT team.

My Profile : https://www.linkedin.com/in/kujo-osei-cfa-cpa-b50680100/

My Challenge with CFA exam is time. Having a family and a full-time job, it is not easy to get ready for an exam that requires you to read 6 books for each level of the exam. IFT helps me a lot to save time, since the videos are very to the point, neatly summarizing what you need to know for the exam. The videos are also covering each topic/learning outcomes with Blue Box examples of the CFA curriculum. I also highly recommend to get solution videos of past CFA exams. IFT teaches you how to approach CFA questions and trains you on how to respond to essay type questions. Very valuable.

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When I first enrolled in the CFA Program I felt like the textbooks and practice tests provided by the CFA Institute were more than enough for my preparation. I didn’t understand why people would pay for a prep provider that creates its own textbooks because I believed that it could partly drive me away from the CFA Learning Outcome Statements (LOS). I also thought that taking a prep provider would only mean more reading, which although could be helpful, may not be the best investment of time to help me pass the exams. But once I had finished to go through all the chapters and wanted to review, I realised the depth of material covered was very large. It had taken me almost 200 hours and I didn’t want to go through all the material again to hunt through the thousands of pages for to revise and to answer the specific questions I had. So I started to look for help on the Internet on how to manage the rest of my study time and was so blessed to find IFT High-Yield Videos. It was exactly what I was looking for! Unlike most other prep providers, it follows exactly what the CFA Program covers by reviewing each chapter and helps you orientate your effort on most likely subjects to be asked. This is what made IFT so invaluable to me. So when came level II and III it was clear to me that IFT would be a very important partner to help get through that journey. Having passed all three levels on first sittings, I can strongly affirm that IFT helped me clear the CFA Program, and while in itself it should not be a goal to aim for, in the shortest period of time possible (one year and a half). Thank you to Mr. Irfanullah and all the team behind IFT. Hope you all the best in earning the Charter! Read More

My Profile : https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-antoine-g-17a84382/

When I started the CFA Program back in 2013, I was not clear as to how long the journey would take me but I was determined to make the most of that journey. As a Chartered Certified Accountant and CPA along with practical accounting and finance experience, I already had some knowledge to effectively assimilate at least half of the CFA Level 1 curriculum. However, I felt the hurdles getting higher as I moved into unfamiliar territory. After rigorously researching and considering third-party CFA Program prep providers, I came across IFT. I think at the time IFT was still in its infancy stage but already I felt comfortable with the way Arif approached every concept. So I began by getting a couple of the training materials for level 1. After I found out I passed the December 2013 exam, I decided I would enroll in the June 2015 CFA Level II exam. Without hesitation, I bought IFT's full coverage training materials to prepare for CFA Level II. I passed firsthand with the help of the rigorous technical approach adopted by Arif in his training material. For me, the content of CFA Level II curriculum was by far the most complex and quantitative intense out of all the levels of the CFA Program. I ended up significantly relying on IFT's training materials for preparing for CFA Level III after I had enrolled in the June 2016 exams. Despite the busy life I led, with changing jobs, long commutes, and raising my children, I was able to manage my CFA Level III exam preparation effectively thanks to the structured preparation program offered by IFT. Arif adopts a very professional and technical approach in breaking down key and complex areas of the CFA Program and passing his knowledge effectively. Through IFT's help and support, I enjoyed my CFA Program journey all the way and passed every level on the first attempt. Read More

My Profile : https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudybiblicalcreole

I was working in an Investment Banking setup where I didn't have sufficient time to read through the entire CFA curriculum. The biggest challenge for me was balancing my commitments at work with the study schedule. I tackled them by planning things well in advance and making sure that I stick to the plan. I also made sure that I gave up other activities, hobbies etc during my course of preparation. IFT video lectures by Arif Irfanullah came as a blessing in disguise. Arif synthesizes complex concepts (or concepts that are presented in a slightly complicated way in the curriculum) and explains them in a simple way. Most importantly, his lectures were to the point and follow the flow in curriculum. His tips (Like importance of practicing curriculum examples, reading the curriculum summary, time-management, etc. ) turned-out to be crucial. Here are tips which others to consider while preparing:

1. Prepare a daily study schedule. Monitor your progress with an excel sheet.
2. Complete easier topics first.
3. Complete the entire syllabus three months before the exam and study the entire syllabus again after attempting a couple of  mock exams.
4. Take detailed notes as you listen to video lectures and pause the lecture to work on curriculum examples. These notes will be extremely helpful in the last few weeks during which we may not have the time to listen to videos.
5. Have a separate formula sheet.

My Profile : https://www.linkedin.com/in/satheesh-j-cfa-cipm-65352663/

I was in my late 30s, when I decided to upgrade my existing knowledge of finance and investments. I had an MBA degree then from LUMS with more than five years of work experience. I would say each of the level of CFA is difficult in its own capacity: level 1 has a lot of breadth, Level 2 has a tremendous amount of depth and material to master, and Level 3 focuses on application of finance and investment concepts, assuming that the candidate is a portfolio manager. Given I do a high pressure job and have two kids, a disciplined effort over a longer period of time - pre-requisite to pass the exam - seemed challenging. My modus operandi was to ONLY read CFAI curriculum, do grey box and EOC questions, do topic tests and then finally do mocks / past exams. I preferred to read the curriculum on account of two reasons: 1) I wanted to get firsthand knowledge without rely on any prep-provider text, and 2) curriculum is very interesting with loads and loads of knowledge. I would say not only Arif Irfanullah’s lectures helped me understand the curriculum efficiently at my own pace, but also his advice and crash courses, particularly that of Level 3, ace the exams. I literally felt that I was over prepared when I wrote each of the exam, and whenever, I got a chance to communicate with other fellow candidates. I can never thank IFT team enough for the help that they have provided. I strongly recommend IFT to all CFA candidates. Read More

My Profile : https://www.linkedin.com/in/muhammad-asim-qureshi-cfa-6a020716/