CFA Peak Week

Two main things matter to you right now:

1. Studying as effectively as possible between now and Saturday
2. Using that newly gained knowledge on Saturday to pass this godforsaken exam

I wanted to do the research outside of simply studying, I wanted to become a better learner, a better performer, I wanted to become the very best (there ever was). That’s why I looked into all the authors who were writing, not just on how the mind worked with learning, but also how the best go out there and perform...I had to catch them all

This course is based on such mental giants as Jim Kwik, Barbara Oakley, W. Timothy Gallwey and the list goes on and on.

And this is a process I didn’t just do before level 1, but after I passed level 1 then repeating the same deep dive into learning between exams 2 and 3 that allowed me to pass through them with confidence.

So let’s get into it because nothing else matters right now, you’re off work, your parents are watching your dog and you’ve temporarily suspended your Netflix account. All that’s between you and passing the CFA Exam are these final couple study days and then performing your best come Saturday.

(don’t worry, Oatmeal is going to be just fine with the ‘rents)

Let’s dig in to that first part, your few remaining study sessions.

Depending on when you’re reading this you’re going to have anywhere from 3 to 8 remaining sessions left and to get the most out of them you’re going to need to do what the best studiers do. You know, those ridiculously elite people in class that seem like they have some superhuman ability? Of course you do, and they actually do have a superpower by the way. The good news for you is that you also have this superpower, it’s called the human brain (it’s pretty dope). Those elites work WITH their brain and not AGAINST it.

Now.

How do you do that?

What you have to realize is that you aren't just your thinking mind, there’s also your unconscious mind and that’s where the connections of knowledge are made. Most people, those who will probably fail this Saturday, only think of their thinking mind, but the elite learners KNOW that there unconscious mind is the real MVP of this squad.

You can actually learn things while you’re not studying, while you’re out for a run, even (especially actually) while you’re sleeping. It gets 24 hours every single day to do this…IF you design your studying properly. Puny old thinking mind is only putting in 10 hours a day max and it’s way better at calling you a dummy then it is at making connections that are going to allow you get through this nigh-impossible test. This is what the best studiers have all been doing these months and it’s what I did to pass all 3 levels of the CFA.

AND! Most importantly, it’s what this course is going to teach you in a quick, concise and actionable way.

(actual image of your brain doing its thing)

Okay, now on to the exam day stuff, the act of actually taking the exam.

The thing to understand is that taking an exam isn’t simply about how much you know, I know it seems that way, but it’s not, it’s about what you can recall. Most people are going to know roughly the same amount for this exam, they, just like you, have been slaving away for months, shunning daylight and fun in the name of the CFA gods.

However, the amount you all recall come this Saturday is going to vary, because not everyone is taking advantage of this skilled recall, and that my friend (and soon to be student) is the difference between triumphantly passing and crushingly failing.

When does recall come at its fastest? When your thinking mind isn’t getting in the way of the supercomputer, that’s what a flow state is, it’s unconscious, not thinking, it’s like tapping into the matrix, it’s you seeing through those trick answers and systemically decimating this 6 hour beast, not rethinking the same question for 10 minutes at a time like it’s the first time you’ve ever taken an exam.

Sounds easy right? Almost too good to be true? Well, it’s not that simple if you don’t know how to quiet the thinking, talking, nagging, anxious mind. You see, your anxious mind creeps up on you, first it’s just second guessing a previous answer, then it’s chastising you for how little you studied ethics and finally it’s convincing you that all this was a waste of time and that you’re not that smart and WILL FAIL.

This guy though, this talking mind, this voice is FULL OF SHIT.

Which is why this course is going to strap a big piece of duct tape over it's mouth before not so politely kicking it out the exam room door.

A Few of Those Kinds of Duct Tape in This Course

• Focus-Diffuse (Barbara Oakley)
• Quieting Self 1 and Listening to Self 2 (W. Timothy Gallwey)
• Gratitude (Tony Robbins)
• Daily Architecture (Josh Waitzkin)