Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®)

Gain international recognition

Take the next step in your career with the CFA® Program. This prestigious qualification covers a broad range of investment topics including:

• asset valuation
• financial maths
• corporate finance
• portfolio management.

There's a strong emphasis throughout on building analytical skills, underpinned by strong ethical principles.

There are three levels to the qualification, all of which must be sat and passed in succession. To go on to gain the CFA Charter, you must also pass the CFA Institute's requirements for 4 year's work experience.

Gaining the CFA Charter allows you to use the CFA designation, and connects you as a CFA Institute member to an invaluable global network. Crucially, it earns you international recognition as having reached one of the highest standards of achievement within the investment industry.

For more information on the syllabus, entry requirements, or work experience, please see the CFA Institute website.

Please see our 2012 brochure for more information on our course content and structure.

CFA Institute

The CFA examinations are administered by CFA Institute, which has nearly 110,000 members and 136 societies around the world. As a measure of its global credentials, over 144,900 candidates from 162 countries registered for the CFA exam in June 2011. 

Pass the CFA examinations and as a CFA Institute member you'll be able to tap into an exclusive network and uncover unique employment opportunities worldwide.

How the CFA Program can enhance your career

Dedicated tutor support

We can guarantee that our experienced tutors have already sat and passed the exams they will be teaching you towards and they understand the challenges of balancing work and studying commitments. That's why they've created a proven study programme that helps focus your studies on the areas of the syllabus you really need to pass these challenging exams.

Outstanding flexibility and study options

You can choose from classroom courses or our online classroom – whichever you choose, you benefit from the same dedicated tutor support and course materials. Our taught plus revision courses ensure you have both the knowledge and application skills to success at these challenging exams.

The latest learning materials

Throughout your exam training, we'll provide the most up-to-date study materials and guides. We'll give you recorded lectures, downloadable to mobile and tablet devices, daily emails, PowerPoint course slides and tutor support via phone and email. Crucially, all students will receive the BPP Exam Navigator suite of supporting learning material – including passcards, mock exams and an extensive online and physical question bank.

Dates and prices

Face-to-face tuition 

• Level I June – London City, Canary Wharf, Edinburgh 
• Level I December – London City, Canary Wharf, Edinburgh 
• Level II – London City 
• Level III – London City 

BPP Online Classroom

For all three levels, cohort 1 starts on 9 January and cohort 2 starts on 6 February. 

• Level I – £760 exc VAT (£912 inc VAT) 
• Level II – £805 exc VAT (£966 inc VAT) 
• Level III – £915 exc VAT (£1098 inc VAT)

The links above will open as a PDF. To save directly to your computer, right-click the link and select 'Save Link As'. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to open it.

Pass assurance

With expert tutor support and outstanding learning materials, we’ll give you the best possible chance of success. However, should you fail your exam, you can sit it again free of charge – see terms and conditions below. 

To qualify you’ll need to provide: 

• Proof of exam result 
• A full attendance record 

Please note, new learning materials are not included but are available at a discounted price. A deferral is not eligible. Pass Assurance can only be redeemed once per each participated training course. The course must be completed within the next available sitting by applicable delegates. Proof of exam result required. A full attendance record is required.

Learning materials

We appreciate these exams are tough, which is why we provide everything you need to help you pass first time.

Whether you’re taking a classroom or online classoom course, you get the same outstanding physical and digital course content. 

BPP Exam Navigator study materials

BPP's Exam Navigator is our full suite of learning tools specifically designed to guide you through the syllabus. These materials are included as standard in the BPP course or available to buy separately from our online store. 

The CFA® Institute provides comprehensive materials and a mock exam as part of your exam fee. If you prefer to use Schweser for more condensed coverage of the syllabus, you can order a tailored package including the study texts and mock exams through BPP for a specially discounted price. For more information please contact customer services. 

Studying for your exams 

You’ll get a combination of up-to-date study guidance, online tutorials, recorded lectures and classroom slides. 

Our new tutorial podcasts are compatible with the latest iPods and iPads, so you can learn on the go. Whatever the format, you’ll find our material practical, easy to read, and packed with examples, subject reviews, exam tips and more.  

Preparing for your exams 

We have a long and successful history of preparing students for these exams – which means we know what you need to help you pass. So, we’ll give you plenty of practice questions in hard copy and online, plus the option to take refresher courses and tests. You’ll also get three mock exams: one based on the early phases of your course and the other two covering the full syllabus. For Level III you can submit questions and your final mock exam for tutor marking. 

Course materials

You’ll get a comprehensive toolkit that includes everything from an exam-approved calculator and guide to a formulae sheet to help you memorise the formulae you’ll need for the exam. 

We’ll also provide study guides to help you focus on the key aspects of the syllabus, along with pocket Passcards that give you a visual summary of the syllabus (also available as apps for download from iTunes). 

Introductory modules 

If you are new to accounting, economics or financial maths, our unique online refresher materials will help bring you up to the level required for CFA® Level I. 

Level I

Taught course: Study over eight days or 16 evenings

Choose from weekdays (four phases of two days, which can be combined as two phases of four days), Fridays, Saturdays or evenings. We also offer one-day introductory courses in financial maths.

Revision course: 3 days (6 evenings) plus one mock day

You can choose between weekdays, Fridays, Saturdays or evenings. If you book a revision course you will be notified of mock dates nearer the time.

All course dates are interchangeable, so if you want to attend phase one on Saturdays then switch to evenings for phase two (or even just one evening), you can. Please call customer services on +44 (0) 20 8746 4178 if you wish to take advantage of this.

Level I course structure

Level II

Taught course: Study over seven days or 14 evenings

Choose from weekdays (phases of three days + two days + two days), Fridays, Saturdays or evenings. You can also take a one-day refresher course to ensure that the foundations of Level I knowledge are solid before moving on to Level II.

Revision course: 3 days (6 evenings) plus one mock day

Our 3 day revision courses run on weekdays, Fridays, Saturdays or evenings. All courses include a mock day with tutor debrief session. You will be notified of the mock dates later in the course.

All course dates are interchangeable, so if you want to attend phase one on Saturdays then switch to evenings for phase two (or even just one evening), you can. Please call customer services on +44 (0) 20 8746 4178 if you wish to take advantage of this. Please note that all online classroom resources are also provided to classroom students.

Level II course structure

Level III 

Taught course: Study over six days or 7 evenings

Choose from weekdays (phases of three days + two days + two days), Fridays, Saturdays or evenings. You can also take a one-day refresher course to ensure that the foundations of Level I and II knowledge are solid before moving on to Level III.

Revision course: 3 days plus one mock day

Our 3 day revision courses run on weekdays, Fridays or Saturdays.  All courses include a mock day and the opportunity to have your essay paper tutor marked. You will be notified of the mock dates later in the course.

All course dates are interchangeable, so if you want to attend phase one on Saturdays then switch to evenings for phase two (or even just one evening), you can. All online classroom resources are also provided to classroom students.

Level III course structure

Financial Maths Booster Course

We highly recommend sitting this one-day course to prepare you for some of the financial maths that you will encounter within the syllabus. 

As well as enhancing your maths skills, it will give you confidence in using the Texas Instruments BAII Plus calculator, which you need for your exam.

Topics covered are:

• Location and Dispersion (measuring averages, standard deviation)  
• Compounding and Discounting (time value of money, applying formulae, common mistakes)
• Project Appraisal Applications (NPV and IRR) 
• Investment Valuation Applications (using discounting)  
• Risk and Return (calculation methods) 

Take a quick maths test – and if you score less than five, we strongly recommend you attend this course.

Flexible learning

You can study towards the CFA® Program through our face-to-face or online classroom course options. You can also add a revision course to the online classroom course to benefit from a combination of flexible learning and the focused, interactive classroom experience. 

Whether you're taking a classroom course or using the online classroom, we've made sure your course is flexible enough to fit into your busy lifestyle. All classroom and online classroom students have access to our bank of pre-recorded lectures, and you'll get hard copies of our popular summary course slides.

With our pre-recorded course lectures, if you want to work at home for particular sessions and attend classes for others, then you can.

Face-to-face classroom training

Our classroom courses begin with optional introductory sessions, followed by the taught phase where we teach you the core syllabus content in a structured, engaging and interactive way. In the month before the exams you can attend our revision courses, which focus on application and exam practice. The revision courses comprise 3 days of structured tuition and one mock day.

We strongly recommend that you attend the taught and revision phases for full exam preparation, but the courses are modular, allowing you to pick the phases that work best for you. Classroom courses are available in daytime, evening, weekend and Friday course options for both taught and revision phases.

For more information on the course structure see the Level I, Level II and Level III pages.

Online classroom

Our online classroom enables you to study at a time, pace and place that suits you – with the same learning materials, syllabus and quality support you get from the classroom course.

Throughout your studies, you'll receive expert support from a nominated tutor who will monitor your progress week by week.

You'll also study with a group of classmates – your 'cohort' – with a dedicated forum where you can chat together, ask questions and exchange tips. You'll also be able to compare your progress to your cohort's with our online benchmarking charts.

Any further questions?

See our frequently asked questions page.

Entry requirements

The Chartered Financial Analyst Program (CFA®) has specific entry requirements.

To enrol, you must meet one of the following:

• have a Bachelor's degree or be in the final year of your bachelor's degree

Or

• have four years of qualified, professional work experience

Or

• have a combination of work and college experience of at least four years

In addition you must:

• meet the CFA® professional conduct admission criteria
• be prepared to take the examinations in English
• have a valid international travel passport.

Further questions?

See our frequently asked questions page.

CFA® disclaimer

CFA® Institute does not endorse, promote or warrant the accuracy or quality of the products or services offered by BPP Professional Education. CFA® Institute, CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are trademarks owned by the CFA® Institute.

BPP courses and study materials are developed to complement the core curriculum and to facilitate the learning process and are not to be used as a substitute for study of the prescribed curriculum.

For more details, please see CFA Institute website.

Study locations

You can study towards this qualification in the following locations:

• BPP London Liverpool Street
• Edinburgh
• London, Canary Wharf