Klugy Mathurin, CFA, CPA, CAIA on LinkedIn: Students often message me asking which is harder: the CPA exams, the CFA… | 19 comments (2024)

Klugy Mathurin, CFA, CPA, CAIA

Corporate Attorney at Kirkland & Ellis

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Students often message me asking which is harder: the CPA exams, the CFA exams, or the bar exam? Considering their pass rates—approximately 50% for the CPA exams, around 13.5% for candidates completing all three levels of the CFA exams, and roughly 70% for the Florida bar—statistics would suggest that the CFA credential is in fact the hardest. However, these exams are uniquely different as they all tests a distinct set of skills and knowledge areas. So I can never give a straight answer to this question!But, if we're just talking about the sheer volume of material, then I'd have to agree with the statistics.

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Klugy Mathurin, CFA, CPA, CAIA

Corporate Attorney at Kirkland & Ellis

5mo

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I also get asked the question of MBA vs. CFA and which one well better serve students pursuing a career in investments. Here, I believe the CFA credential can serve as an equalizer especially for students who didn’t attend a top MBA program.

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Nick Miller, J.D.

Sr. Attorney Search Consultant at Wegman Partners | National Search | Coast to Coast "Attorney Agent”

5mo

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Agreed, but as we all know, the California bar exam is/was a BEAST. Especially pre-2015 when it was three days. 6-1 Hour essays, 2-3 Hour Performance tests, along with the 200 MBE’s that everyone in the US also takes on day two of the bar exam.

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Ryan Buzzelli

Senior Manager | Indirect Tax | Unclaimed Property and Escheat Services at EY | Certified Accounts Payable Professional | Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt

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Your laundry list of certifications is wildly impressive - CPAs are some of the most sought after professionals on the planet - when they are a CFA/JD that’s some serious juice

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Jake Gawlak, CPA

Associate at Akin, Corporate Finance | Financial Restructuring | Advising Institutional Investors

5mo

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Also, each person is unique, so the CPA might be harder for some and the BAR may be harder for others. Also, I wouldn’t say that pass rates directly reflect the difficulty of the exams. Since the Bar is only administered twice a year, and job positions are reliant upon passing, graduates may put a greater emphasis on passing; whereas the CPA exam can be taken multiple times with little downside to a non-passing score on one section. Really interesting, thanks for sharing.

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Duane Barrett, CFA, CPA

CFA exam coach. CPA exam coach. Investment Committee educator and consultant. Duke University Dad!

5mo

When asked this question, I often tell prospects to go for the 1 that they love and dream of the most. I agree with your general assessment however I caution everyone to go into profession based on the “ease” of the exams.You can’t go wrong in upskilling. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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Stan Veliotis

Associate Professor at Fordham University Gabelli School of Business, Chair of Accounting & Tax Area, MS Tax Director

5mo

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IMO (tho take with a grain of salt as my exams were in the last century): Bar exam is far broader set of topics. Vs the cpa exam, which has far more drill down into the details.

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David S.

Senior Manager of Project Planning and Reporting

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I wish I had taken statistics recently, but if the CPA exam is a 50% pass rate per test (4 tests), would that make it a 6.3% pass rate for all 4 parts together?

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Doug Sandler

CEO at Turnkey Podcast | Helping leaders and entrepreneurs launch podcasts that convert relationships into business so they can spend less time prospecting.

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How do you compare the unique challenges of CPA, CFA, and the bar?

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Bruce L.

Technical Project Manager | PMP | SAFe Agilist | AWS Cloud Practitioner

5mo

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Thank you for insight. We need more content like this!

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Klugy Mathurin, CFA, CPA, CAIA on LinkedIn: Students often message me asking which is harder: the CPA exams, the CFA… | 19 comments (2024)

FAQs

Which exam is harder, CPA or CFA? ›

CFA vs CPA Exam difficulty

Both are challenging and require gaining skills and knowledge in complex topics. However, the CPA Exam generally requires less studying - around 80 to 120 hours per section compared to 300 hours per section of the CFA Exam, and the CPA Exam also has a higher pass rate.

What is the hardest section in CFA? ›

Having said that Fixed Income, Derivatives, and FSA are the hardest level 1 CFA exam topics, it's time to rank all of the 10 level 1 topics by difficulty. Difficulty is a subjective criterion but this hard-to-easy topic hierarchy is meant as a guideline to help you approach CFA exam topics sensibly.

Is the CFA harder than the bar? ›

With a pass rate of less than 11% for all three levels, the CFA passage rate is lower than most state bar exams. Virtually everyone who has taken all three exam levels will tell you it is one of the most time intensive and difficult exams they have ever sat for.

Is the CPA exam harder than the bar? ›

Yes, the CPA Exam is harder than the Bar Exam.

Both the CPA Exam and the Bar exam are notoriously difficult exams that require months of rigorous study and cover very different material. However, if you look at just the exam pass rate for first-time takers, then the CPA exam is harder, with only a 14 - 20% pass rate.

Who gets paid more, CFA or CPA? ›

CFA vs CPA Salary: Everything You Need to Know. The average salary for a CFA charterholder ranges anywhere from $51,000 to over $274,000, while CPAs may earn an annual salary ranging from $50,000 to upwards of $240,000.

Which CPA is hardest? ›

CPA Exam sections—hardest to easiest
  • CPA Exam sections—hardest to easiest.
  • Among the three core sections, FAR has a reputation for being the hardest, and it typically has the lowest pass rate. AUD and REG tend to be middle of the road. ...
  • Scoring weights. ...
  • Scoring Weights by Section.

Is CFA harder than med school? ›

CFA exams are considered the most challenging out there—even harder than medical school or law school exams—with pass rates under 50%.

What is the salary of CFA in USA? ›

CFA Salary in USA depends on the work experience and job roles. The average salary of a Chartered Financial Analyst is USD 108,855 per year (INR 90.63 Lakhs Approx). This is just base pay and does not include other benefits of total compensation.

Which is harder, MBA or CPA? ›

An MBA can be harder depending on the program, but usually entails completing coursework in areas such as marketing, management, and financial analysis. Moreover, it takes approximately 1,000 hours to become a CPA, while an MBA usually takes two years to complete.

Is the CPA harder than medical boards? ›

The CPA Exam. You've heard the horror stories: It's derailed the careers of promising professionals. It's definitely harder than the BAR exam and maybe even some medical board exams. And it's nearly impossible to pass once you're a working professional.

What is the hardest exam in America? ›

1. The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) takes the top spot as the most challenging exam in the US, with an average preparation time ranging from 200 to 400 hours for each of its three steps.

Is CFP harder than CPA? ›

Comparatively, CFP is easier than CPA. The historical pass rate has been above 60%, which indicates that the tests are of a difficulty level that is considered to be moderate. Within the testing period from October 31 to November 7, a grand total of 3,386 individuals sat for the CFP® Certification Exam.

How hard is the CFE exam compared to CPA? ›

Although every candidate is different, most people need about 330-440 hours of studying to pass the CPA Exam. Overall, the CFE exam requires much less total study time, at around 60 total hours.

What's the hardest professional exam? ›

What Is the Most Difficult Professional Examination?
  • United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) ...
  • Master Sommelier Diploma Exam. ...
  • Mensa IQ Test. ...
  • French Foreign Legion Basic Training. ...
  • Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N1. ...
  • California Bar Exam. ...
  • Gaokao. ...
  • Indian Civil Services Examination.

What is harder, CFA or CFP? ›

While both the CFA and CFP exams are quite difficult, the CFA exam is known to be one of the most, if not the most, challenging certification exams in the financial industry. It consists of three 6-hour exams that must be completed and passed in sequential order.

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