Once again, I found myself numb, wandering like a zombie thinking what went wrong. But rather than falling into the trap of self pity, I took a systematic review of my marks, and noticed some areas that dragged me away from the finish line. It took self-discipline and focus on the goal to ignore the pain of losing so many hours of study, and I started from page one.

The pages and contents were all too familiar from the past two years, but I greeted them as if learning a new concept. Then I discovered the underlying concepts. Level 2 throws the concepts at you at such a speed that you have to duck while attempting to catch them. Level 3 is the opposite, the subtlety of the logic is so well integrated in the concept, that you may think you know the syllabus, while the exam is ready to test whether you understand not just the ‘what’s’ but the ‘why’s’ too.

Soon, I was walking up the stairs of the exam center, with more humility and eagerness than the last attempt. The AM exam remained true to its fame, leaving the candidates breathless by the end of it. The PM exam was a leisurely affair, where they gave you a lot of time to really doubt all your answers and sometimes even existence. 

It usually takes ten weeks to get the results, but the computerized format has accelerated this time frame. The results would be out on 1st November, 15 days earlier than expected. This time, I had told absolutely no one about the result. I wanted to embrace the anxiety before sharing the result, whatever it would be. The day trickled by and I buried myself in work, while my smartwatch showed a consistently high heart beat throughout the day. It was around 5.30PM, an hour before the official announcement of results, that I got the congratulatory email. 

The journey I started in 2016 is now happily complete. The path to CFA is treacherous, littered with the broken hearts of the candidates who stopped their journey halfway. It is easy to get lost, or to lose hope. The journey itself is rewarding, but the tenacity required to reach the end is often challenged. Many times, it feels easier to just let it all go than to grasp at thin straws.

In the end, it comes down to how you want to remember your journey. I am humbled by this humongous journey, with complete recognition that the success belongs less to me and more to my supporting friends and family.