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Candidate Stories - The Road to Certification: Rupa Pereira's Study Plan

By Rupa Pereira posted 09-02-2021 08:10

  



Training for a marathon; solving a 1500 piece puzzle.

Daunting at first glance? A long road ahead?

I'd like to share my plan on passing the exam on the first attempt in March 2021, as an advanced career-changer with no prior experience in financial planning.

Liken it to a 26-week training schedule for a marathon. Liken it to your game-plan of solving the puzzle - piece by piece, pattern by pattern; first outline, then corners, then details.

Begin each day with the end in mind - and why CFP® certification is important to you. When nothing else makes sense at the time, begin with why.

1st 12 weeks (moderate) time: 10-12 hours per week

I had completed my education component in July 2020, but the concepts were still hazy and nowhere near an 80% confidence level to attempt the September/November 2020 cycle.

So, I began my study plan began by re-reading and reviewing education material, page by page.

There were days when I drew a blank on material I had previously 'presumed' mastered. That's quite normal is what I later realized. I just had to continue building impressions on my brain.

By Christmas time, I was warmed up and ready to go the distance.

Next 12 weeks (rigorous)

This is the time I signed up with my exam review provider - Brett Danko.

I timed my study schedule to up my study hours to 25-30 hours in the first 5 weeks of the last 13 week stretch.

Reading review material, re-reading education material, module by module, page by page.

I created a study plan - and stuck with it.

I joined a study group - for group sharing and some accountability – that was extremely helpful.

I wrote tons of index cards, filled up reams of sheets with my brain-dump - never to look at them again, but they were doing what they were supposed to - help me retain concepts.

The last 6 weeks were the most intense. My alarm moved to 4:45a from 5:30a, study hours upped to 6- 8 hours / day, answering questions, reviewing questions answered incorrectly and re-reading/note-taking cycle.

The pieces were falling in place, my mental stamina was growing, and I felt surer of my chances to pass than before.

2 weeks before exam

Reviews and mock exams and question bank.

CFPquestions.com is designed to apply your knowledge and it helped me think through my responses.

I took the free CFP Board Practice Exam.

1 week before exam – Rest and Recovery

I tapered off exam prep time. I reviewed questions that I answered incorrectly and focused on those areas.

I refreshed myself on Ethics content and calculator functions.

Day before exam

My exam was scheduled for Wednesday. I stopped studying Tuesday morning and sealed my brain.

I cooked a nice meal for my family, watched some TV and slept early.

My 12-year-old was more nervous for me the night before and penned me a nice card which turned out to be the motivation I needed for exam day.

Exam day

I left all my books behind; just my calculator and my lunch in the car ride.

I knew that nerves would hinder my confidence in the first few questions, so I marked them and moved on. As I settled in the exam rhythm and pace, the questions made sense. Mid-way through the exam I knew that the 200 odd hours in training/prep were going to carry me through the exam and it did. The puzzle was complete, and I could see the finish line.

The sheer delight in seeing the 'Preliminary Pass’ on the screen ended a long but worthwhile study process!
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01-13-2023 15:23

@Tara Davidson, so excited that you're embarking on this journey! Yes, I will confess, it's a long road ahead, and it's certainly not a linear path to being a Financial Planner, as I can attest. However, it's more rewarding and fulfilling than I have imagined it to be as I launch my solo RIA to serve first-generation and immigrant households like myself.
As you pour over your course-work, you're working through your muscle memory, building it through time. Don't lose heart when you have days when it doesn't make sense or when you doubt your abilities. We all have that little extra to give - it just needs a nudge and some encouragement. ​
Your lived experiences and prior career stories will play a pivotal rule in understanding human behaviors - which is such a critical aspect in personal financial planning. Don't discount that. 

As they say, the view from the top is the best,  and the climb seems all worth it.
Keep Marching on!

01-06-2023 12:33

Rupa- I enjoyed reading your blog post. I am a career changer too. Moving from the health and wellness industry while being a mom and growing my kids was perfect however, realising it is now my turn to finish my dreams and my desires. Holding a degree in business economics i made the decision to begin my CFP journey. I am currently on session 1 - Intro to Financial Planning of the education with the marathon date way ahead of me, it feels daunting and some days I ask myself what the heck have I done, ?! But I am doing it- one piece at a time, so to speak. 


I would love to connect and gain more insight and wisdom, inspiration and maybe some structure.

My email is tdthrive@icloud.com I would love to hear from you or comment reply. :)