Hi All,

First, happy to share that I cleared Level 1 on 5 May 2012.

Experience wise, quite a bit:

1. Writing a useful exam after about 11 years now so it was reading serious material towards exam writing after a very very long time.

2. As I started reading, I became happier and happier that I had decided to do the exam. Irrespective of the result of the exam, it was clear to me that I was gaining new insights and that it would pay off in my trading and teaching.

3. If you are new to the markets then reading the books once will certainly not be sufficient to pass. Ideally one should have some market experience to really understand the concepts properly.

4. The books (as already mentioned on the MTA Pedagogy initiative) are NOT really designed for folks to learn a new subject. They are written by subject matter experts to share their insights. Hence, it will be a challenge for an absolute newbie to pass.

5. For all practical purposes, I found it a challenge to read more than 50-75 pages per day. With about 2,400 pages to read in Level 1, it will take 30-50 days to read; i.e. if you spend 5-6 hours per day. That is almost like a full time activity for 2 mths. If you are preparing part time, then start as early as possible.

6. I liberally used to mark the important points for me on the text. It makes a lot of difference when you want to do a quick recap a day before or a few hours before. I am sure this will help a lot when I want to prepare for Levels 2 and 3.

7. The exam itself was an altogether a good experience. It was for me, tougher than I expected. Tough in terms of it is NOT like our Indian exams. The questions are really designed to test your understanding.

8. Level 1 exam tests WAY MORE than just one definitional understanding. It certainly checks to see if you have a REAL GRASP of the concepts.

9. How they do the above is by having a good number of trick questions. On more than a few occasions, I felt the questions were just wrong and / or none of the answers made any sense. And it took 2-5 mins of really careful reading to properly figure out the Qs or As. After really careful reading, it all made sense! Such Qs can really take away A LOT of your time and suddenly you feel you don't have enough time!

10. The Booklets A & B that were circulated give you a very different feeling of the exam. In some ways, it was better just NOT to do those booklets. I finished the Booklets in half the time that one needs (2 hrs) and so felt confident that I could do the real test well. However, it took the full 2 hrs 5 min (out of 2 hrs 15 min) to really finish and review the entire exam. Maybe I am dumb.

11. I am sure forming a group to study would help but unfortunately, was not able to do that in Bangalore. On the other hand, doing it alone has its advantages. It makes you really FOCUS in a way that would perhaps not be possible when one has a lot of support.

Finally, I am glad that I did the exam. I am glad that MTA has these exams at these level. I am glad the pass is around 70%. I am glad that there are many surprises in the exam. I am glad it really test's one's understanding. I am glad you get the results instantly. I am glad I passed.

I would like to place on record my thanks to Mr. Sushil Kedia for his constant encouragement and advisories on doing the CMT. It really is a privilege to be a part of this august group.

Wishing everyone the very best for their future CMT attempts. And hope I clear Level 2 six months down the line. (Definitely starting with the preparations earlier).

Wishes n Riches to all,
musa

Hi All,

Yesterday many of us appeared for different levels of the much desired CMT designation level exams. God willingly i cleared my level 1 after a good 75 days of reading .The quality of the questions asked in the exams were commendable. It was a feel good moment once the exam result were announced. One sincere suggestion for aspirants of level 1 is to go through the required reading material ateast twice

Looking forward to preparing for the level 2 at the earliest


Would sincerly like to thank Gunjan dua sir, Dr Musa Kaiser and Dr Bhooshan Shanbhag for their timely assistance and inputs and special thanks to Shri Sushil kedia sir for keeping the atma going stronger day by day..

Good to know you have benefitted from some. Now multiply that benefit and give back to all others you would know.

Dear could you kindly give details of all the books for Level 1

Dear Mr Mayur .

Kindly go through the link pasted below to check the reading list for level 1. It is always better to check the website for any further addition to the reading list

docs.mta.org/cmt/reading/cmt-level1-fall2012.pdf

Dear Srikanth,

Congratulations on passing Level 1 and thank you for the acknowledgements. It has really been good chatting with you on FB. Hope to see you in person at the earliest! All the best for Level 2 & 3.

Wishes n Riches,
Dr. Musa R