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Narayani
30 December, 2025
CFA is one of the prestigious exams in the finance and investment industry. The CFA exam has three levels, of which Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 exams are conducted four times, thrice, and twice a year, respectively. CFA 2026 shall take place in February, May, August, and November. For February session, CFA entrance exam is scheduled to be held from February 2 to 8. The registration for the May 2026 schedule is currently ongoing.
Anyone who has not registered for the CFA 2026 may consider remaining exam periods across May, August, and November. This blog is an in-depth guide for the CFA 2026 exam. It discusses the CFA full form, exam fees, CFA 2026 exam dates, CFA exam 2026 schedule, registration process, eligibility, and much more. Let us begin with:
CFA full form is Chartered Financial Analyst. It is a globally recognised certification programme conducted by the CFA Institute. The objective of the exam is to help you become a CFA with global acceptance and thrive in a competitive investment and financial market worldwide. It helps you gain expertise across finance, portfolio management, investment analysis, and ethics. The path to becoming a CFA is a series of three-tier exams. You need to clear all three levels and meet specific work experience requirements to earn this certificate. Understand the structure of the CFA exam 2026 at a glance:
The CFA exam has three levels to qualify: Level I, Level II, & Level III. Passing all three levels of the CFA exam is mandatory to earn the certificate. Each level has different qualification requirements. You may take a look:
✅ Level I: Ensure the minimum enrollment requirements to apply for Level 1.
✅ Level II: Meeting the enrollment requirements of the CFA exam and passing the CFA Level 1 exam.
✅ Level III: Qualification of CFA Level 2 exam and meeting the crucial CFA enrollment requirements.
The CFA exam is conducted four times a year at more than 400 locations globally. The exam is organised at multiple venues during February, May, August, and November every year. However, you can only take the CFA exam twice a year. Additionally, candidates are not allowed to take the exams within consecutive windows. This means there must be at least a six-month gap between taking CFA exams for a particular individual. Here are the CFA 2026 registration dates for every level:
The CFA Level 1 exam shall take place four times a year in 2026. While the registration form February cycle has been closed, you can explore the CFA exam dates to choose the next one:
The CFA Level 2 exam would be organised in May, August, and November for the 2026 session. Take a quick look at the dates and select the one that matches your preferences:
CFA exam level 3 is known to be the toughest among all. The exam will be held twice in 2026, in February and August. Check out the CFA exam dates 2026 for the Level 3 exam:
The Chartered Financial Analyst or CFA exam follows a vigorous exam pattern. The format of the CFA exam differs for Level I, Level II, and Level III papers. Each level of the exam lasts 4.5 hours. Here is the exam pattern of CFA 2026: There are two sessions in each CFA exam level of 135 minutes.
CFA exam 2026 registration fees need to be paid at the time of application submission. The registration fee varies for all three levels of the CFA exam. You may take a look:
CFA is a three-tier CBT (computer-based test) exam, which is conducted at the designated test centres. The exam contains several MCQs, item sets, and essay sets, based on your exam level, covering a range of topics. The CFA exam syllabus differs for each level and may get challenging as you move towards advanced levels. Here is the general CFA exam syllabus 2026:
There are mainly 10 topics covered in the Level I paper. Additionally, you would be engaged in two skill-based modules. Here is the CFA exam 2026 level 1 syllabus:
Level 2 of the CFA exam covers the same topics as Level 1. However, the weightage of each topic modifies this level. It covers ten topics and three skills-based modules. Check out the CFA exam 2026 level 2 syllabus:
The level 3 of the CFA exam comprises seven topics. For this paper, the number of skills-based modules is 5. Take a look at the CFA exam 2026 level 3 syllabus:
CFA is a global-level exam that follows a critical eligibility criterion. As a fresher, you need to begin from the Level 1 exam and ensure that you meet all the key requirements of the CFA exam 2026. Candidates are advised to have a thorough understanding of eligibility requirements for a smoother exam journey. Here is the crucial CFA 2026 eligibility criteria:
✅ Educational Requirements: You must have a bachelor's degree, or you must be a graduate of at least 23 months of studying for a bachelor’s degree.
✅ Work Experience: Candidates with a minimum of 4000 hours of work experience over a period of 36 months can apply. Anyone who can fulfil the combined requirements of education and work experience. (Make sure that qualifications and job experience dates do not overlap).
✅ Additional guidelines are as follows:
You need to complete a thorough registration process to apply for the CFA exam 2026. The process can be done through the official website of CFA Institute: cfainstitute.org, and involves several crucial steps. Here is the detailed application process for the CFA 2026 registration:
📋 Ensure Eligibility: Firstly, you must have a bachelor's degree to be eligible for the Level 1 CFA exam. Make sure to meet the required eligibility criteria depending on your exam level.
📋 Create Your Account: Visit the official website of CFA Institute and sign up to make a user account.
📋 Register for the Exam: Log in to the website with the generated credentials and navigate to the “CFA Program” section. Click on “Enroll & Register” to fill out the required application form. Fill in the essential academic and work experience details and complete the Professional Conduct Statement (PCS).
📋 Pay CFA Exam Fees: The next step is to pay the exam and enrollment fee for the CFA exam that varies by selected levels. You can make the payment online via credit cards, debit cards, UPI, e-wallets, etc.
📋 Exam Scheduling: Once the payment is made, the option of “Schedule Your Exam” shall appear on your dashboard. Here, you can choose the date, time, and test centres from a list of available options. Moreover, the exam needs to be scheduled before the scheduling deadline.
📋 Practice & Take the Exam: In the meantime, before the exam date, you can practice at your pace. Appear at the exam centre on the scheduled date and time to complete the process.
CFA exam results are generally announced within 5-9 weeks after the exam windows are closed. The CFA Institute notifies you regarding the result announcement at your registered email address. The result showcases your “Pass” and “Fail” status. It also discusses the topic-wise performance of the exam. Moreover, anyone who has taken the CFA Level 3 exam would not receive a detailed result describing the performance of each topic. You may check out the pass rates of the CFA exam in past years:
The preparation of CFA exam can be done online with a self-paced learning approach. There are many exam preparation providers on the official website of the CFA Institute. You can search for your desired mentorship programme depending on your chosen level. You may also opt for third-party preparation providers. Here is how you can prepare strategically for the CFA exam:
✅ Create a comprehensive study plan for at least six months of preparation.
✅ Sign up for prep providers or study through your own collected learning material.
✅ Practice as many end-of-unit questions as possible on a daily basis.
✅ Take mock exams weekly after completing each unit.
✅ Analyse the accuracy and speed rate to track your progress.
✅ Prioritise high-weightage questions for each exam level.
You can apply for the CFA exam by fulfilling the minimum eligibility criteria. CFA 2026 would take place at over 400 locations worldwide. During the CFA exam scheduling, the test centres would be allocated based on a first come first serve method. It is advised to register at the earliest. We have covered the CFA exam 2026 dates for each level in this blog. While the February schedule is around the corner, you can consider other dates available to take the exam. Go through the important instructions and guidelines thoroughly to clear your doubts.
The CFA exam registration fees 2026 vary from USD 1,140 to USD 1,490 for Level 1 and Level 2 papers. However, for the Level 3 CFA exam, the registration fees range between USD 1,240 and USD 1,590, depending on early and standard registration fees.
Yes, a CFA at senior or top-level management, especially at the stage of leadership, can earn INR 1 crore and even more. However, the salary strictly depends on your company, location, and a particular job role.
The registration for the CFA Level 1 exam May 2026 has already begun from 12th August 2025. The last date of exam registration is 12th February 2026.
The CFA Level 1 exam is conducted four times a year, while the Level 2 and Level 3 exams are organised thrice and twice a year.
Generally, it is advised to prepare for at least six to nine months to qualify for the CFA Level 2 exam. The extended duration shall help you prepare wisely and strategically, so you can crack the exam even on your first attempt.
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