Free tool · study planner
Pick your exam and weekly hours. Get a plan and a feasibility check.
The short version
Quick answer: Successful CFA candidates report over 300 hours per level (CFA Institute). Learn for a little over half your weeks, practise for a quarter, mock in the last 15–20%. Illustrative: 25 weeks × 12 hours = 300 hours.
Guide
How to turn hours into a plan
Plan for at least 300 hours per CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) level. CFA Institute says successful candidates report spending over 300 hours on average preparing for each level. Treat 300 as a floor. The FRM (Financial Risk Manager) exam is run by GARP, the Global Association of Risk Professionals. GARP says candidates spend about 240 hours on average. ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) publishes no official hours.
Think of the benchmark like the cooking time on a recipe. You can check early, but halving it rarely gives the same result.
| Exam | What the official body says | Planner uses |
|---|---|---|
| CFA, each level | "Over 300 hours on average" (CFA Institute) | 300 hours |
| FRM | "About 240 hours" on average; a survey range of under 100 to over 400 hours (GARP, not split by part) | 240 hours for the part you plan |
| ACCA, each paper | No official figure | Your own target |
In short: only CFA Institute and GARP publish a study-hours figure. For ACCA you set your own.
Already studied some topics? Tick them in the planner. It assumes covered work still needs half its usual time, for practice and revision. That is the planner's own rule, not an official one.
Split your hours by each topic's official exam weight. CFA Institute gives every Level I topic a weight range, such as 11–14% for Fixed Income. The planner takes the middle of each range and shares your hours in that ratio. No topic is skipped, because every topic can appear on the exam.
| CFA Level I topic (2027 exams) | Exam weight | Share of 300 hours (illustrative) |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical and Professional Standards | 10–15% | 36.5 h |
| Quantitative Methods | 11–14% | 36.5 h |
| Economics | 6–9% | 22 h |
| Financial Statement Analysis | 11–14% | 36.5 h |
| Corporate Finance | 6–9% | 22 h |
| Equities | 11–14% | 36.5 h |
| Fixed Income | 11–14% | 36.5 h |
| Derivatives and Risk Management | 6–9% | 22 h |
| Alternative Investments | 6–9% | 22 h |
| Portfolio Construction | 8–12% | 29.5 h |
| Total | 300 h |
In short: Ethics, Quantitative Methods, Financial Statement Analysis, Equities and Fixed Income take about 61% of your time.
This 2027 table applies from the February 2027 window. The November 2026 exams still use the 2026 table, where Ethics is 15–20% and Quantitative Methods is 6–9%. The planner picks the right table from your window. Levels II and III use the weights on CFA Institute's Level II and Level III exam pages.
A study plan works like training for a long race. First you learn the route, then you do practice runs, then timed rehearsals. The planner gives learning a little over half your weeks, practice about a quarter, and mocks the last 15–20%.
Divide 300 hours by the weeks you can study, after setting aside one or two buffer weeks. With 24 study weeks, you need 12.5 hours a week. With 12 study weeks, you need 25. That is hard beside college or a full-time job.
| Study weeks (after buffer) | Hours a week for 300 hours |
|---|---|
| 12 weeks | 25 |
| 16 weeks | 18.75 (about 19) |
| 20 weeks | 15 |
| 24 weeks | 12.5 |
| 30 weeks | 10 |
In short: starting 24 study weeks out keeps Level I near 12.5 hours a week. Starting 12 weeks out doubles it.
Windows and registration deadlines change each year. Check the CFA exam dates page before you lock in a plan.
Yes. For FRM Part I or Part II, the planner uses GARP's average of about 240 hours. GARP's topic weights sit in a downloadable document, so the planner spreads hours evenly. For ACCA, enter your own target hours, because ACCA publishes none per paper.
"Short" means your planned hours are below 80% of what you need. "Tight" means 80–99%, and "on track" means 100% or more. These bands are the planner's own rule. To close a gap, add weekly hours or use your buffer weeks. You can also tick topics you know, or pick a later window.
Example (illustrative): 17 weeks at 10 hours a week is 170 hours, 57% of 300. That is short. Adding 8 hours a week (18 in total) closes the gap. A window about 30 weeks away, at 10 hours a week, gives about 282 hours. You would still add an hour or so a week.
FAQs
CFA Institute says successful candidates report spending over 300 hours on average preparing for each level. Use 300 hours as your minimum. Add more if finance or maths is new to you.
At 12 hours a week, 300 hours takes 25 weeks, so start about six months before your exam window. At 20 hours a week, 15 weeks is enough. Add one or two buffer weeks on top.
GARP says candidates spend about 240 hours studying on average. In a GARP survey, study times ranged from under 100 to over 400 hours. GARP does not split the figure by part, so the planner uses 240 hours for the part you choose.
GARP publishes its topic weights inside a downloadable Learning Objectives document. We could not confirm them on GARP's open web pages in October 2026, so the planner splits hours evenly. Check GARP's document and move hours to heavier or weaker areas.
ACCA does not publish official study hours per paper. Enter your own target in the planner, based on your tutor's advice or your pace on earlier papers. The planner then checks whether your weeks and weekly hours reach it.
A buffer week is a spare week with no new topics. It absorbs illness, college exams or a busy week at work. The planner puts buffer weeks just before your mock exams, so anything that slipped gets finished first.
Yes. After the short form, download a calendar file (.ics). It has a milestone for every week, your exam date and key registration dates. It opens in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook. You can also download a PDF or share the plan on WhatsApp.
No. QuintEdge built this free planner from figures published by CFA Institute, GARP and ACCA, checked in October 2026. Always confirm exam dates and rules on the official websites before you register.
This free planner is not an official CFA Institute, GARP or ACCA tool. It uses figures published by those bodies, checked in October 2026. Exam dates and rules can change, so confirm them on the official websites. Study-hour benchmarks are averages reported by candidates, not a guarantee of any result. CFA Institute does not endorse, promote or warrant the accuracy or quality of the products or services offered by QuintEdge. CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute. GARP does not endorse, promote, review, or warrant the accuracy of the products or services offered by QuintEdge of FRM® related information, nor does it endorse any pass rates claimed by the provider. Further, GARP is not responsible for any fees or costs paid by the user to QuintEdge nor is GARP responsible for any fees or costs of any person or entity providing any services to QuintEdge. FRM®, GARP®, and Global Association of Risk Professionals™ are trademarks owned by the Global Association of Risk Professionals, Inc. ACCA® is a registered trademark of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
