My books arrived today.  So did the study guides and DVDs, etc.....  Time to get crackin'!

I plan on easing myself into it today with Ethics, a fairly easy topic.  This weekend I'll be tackling the most hidious material - the dreaded Quantitative Analysis.

I can't believe I'm starting this process all over again..... 127 days -- stupid webpage tells me!!!!

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This morning I signed up for the Level Two study class... on their website they already have the coutdown until the June exam.  129 Days.  Yikes - I HATE that they have that!!!

Tonight is class..... the topic is one of the trickiest, so I figure I better not waste anytime and just go.  It's annoying though, because I won't have a copy of the handout with me.... I would have blown it off, but I'm missing next week because of a business trip.... 

I realized that I was going to have to scale back my life to stay sane.  So, no trip to Jersey this weekend -- very bummed!  I was supposed to go skiing with my cousin.  Also seriously considering whether moving in late March is a good idea for my sanity -- tough call though.  I AM ITCHIN' to get out of our current apartment building.  Especially on a day like today when I woke up to (MORE) jackhammering and no hot water.....  COLD SHOWER AT 6:15 is never fun.

Ugh.  I hope I can survive the next 129 days!!! 

Not off to a good start.  Didn't get out of work until well after 6pm today.  Back at the computer after some dinner and a glass of wine to prep for my meetings in DE tomorrow....  not feeling too bad about skipping class today - I realized it was unlikely I would retain much about my most troublesome topic without having done the reading beforehand -- that would have just frustrated me. 

Looks like I have a weekend of QUANT in my future.... regression analysis - what a hoot!

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I found out on Wednesday that I passed Level 1.  it was a little maddening, actually.  I was en route to Phoenix, so was trying to log in from my blackberry from the PHL airport and sitting on the tarmack.  When I landed, over 5.5 hours later, I STILL couldn't get on the site and realized that my password must be wrong (I figured it was an overload on the server in the morning). 

So, I'm sitting on the bus that takes you to the rental car lot in Phoenix, when I finally got the news.  Honestly, I don't know how they passed me.  I got less than 50% correct for two different sections - one of them was bonds, so much for having that one in the bag because of my live-in tutor!  I had been saying that if I did pass, it would be because I squeeked by.  Anyone who is on the fence between passing and failing usually gest decided by the Ethics section - which is seems is the only section that I clearly had a handle on.  The pass rate was 39% - yikes!

I had said that I would sit for Level 2 if I passed..... haven't been very enthused at the thought of that since I found out I passed.... That's supposed to be the toughest of the three sections and I clearly didn't have a good handle on the material in level 1, which level 2 builds off....  

Don't have much time to make a decision on this - If I am going to take it, I needed to start studying LAST WEEK ALREADY!

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Exam results come out in just over 24 hours...... the wait hadn't been too bad during the holidays and even into January.  Now I'm at the point that I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE..... TELL ME IF I PASSED!!!!

I'll be stuck in the airport waiting for a flight to Phoenix tomorrow when the results get posted online.... haven't decided yet if I want Adam to look up my results, or if I should just wait until I am settled in my hotel room to look them up myself.  The suspense is killing me, but I would really like to be the first person to know if my efforts paid off.

I have to admit, I'm a little scared of passing.  I still think its the right decision to move forward with the exam and sit for Level 2 in June should I pass, BUT, I know how much work that it going to entail, and can't say I am jumping up and down at getting that burden on my shoulders again. 

stay tuned...... 

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Found out that this is the day that they will post the results of my exam.....  Less than a week later study classes for Level 2 begin.  Wow, not much of a break between finding out your fate and decided what your next move should be.

I am pretty sure I won't repeat Level 1 if I did indeed fail, but don't know if I have it in me to sit for Level 2 in June.  Unfortunately, Level 1 is the only thing offered in December, so I don't opt to take it right away, I would have to wait a whole year and a half to have another chance....  Level 2 is the hardest of the three levels.  UGH.  I have a few friends that plan on sitting for it, so that makes things slightly less bad. 

One step at a time.... let's see if I passed first.  FINGERS CROSSED!!!!

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Painful exam was on Saturday...... glad that's over!!!

I thought I did pretty well in the morning section.  I was pretty methodical, thought I did a good job of narrowing down my choices when I had to guess, and managed my time well.  I was disappointed that so many questions seemed to focus on theory instead of application (meaning using the calculator).  I left the morning session feeling like the test was hard, but I had done fairly well.  The afternoon session was a different beast entirely.  Much more difficult, more vague theory questions and many more instances where I had to guess without being able to eliminate any answer choices. 

I was feeling bad going in to the exam that I hadn't studied on Friday and had instead spent the afternoon in bed trying to recover from this nasty cold..... its unlikely that I any amount of studying on Friday would have helped, since my studying was much more application-based and not so concentrated on the theories..... oh well. 

Won't know the results for at least 4 weeks, probably not until mid-January.

In the meantime, I have a million things I have ignored that I finally get to tackle: selling my beloved Honda, Molly; learning Quicken; SHOPPING (I haven't been clothes shopping in ages); cleaning the fridge (which has been bothering me for weeks); hanging Xmas decorations, and oodles of other things....... 

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This is where I have spent the better part of this week:  The library in my apartment building..... (notice my one-liter tea thermos -- my most important study-aid!!!)

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Study, study, study.... some days have been better than others, both productivity-wise and confidence-wise... seems my cold has come back - hasn't helped things as I enter the home stretch. 

I'LL BE SO HAPPY WHEN THIS IS FINALLY BEHIND ME!  And to think that I'm still considering sitting for Level 2 should I pass -- I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment.... one step at a time - need to pass this test first.  

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As a nice little treat after one of the weeks when I had been studying diligently, Adam bought me a "Marvelous Morning" Spa Package.  I called up today and made arrangements to have it the day before the exam.  I'm getting a manicure, a facial, and a swedish massage.  Yeah!!!

This will be a nice way to de-stress the day before the test..... this, and a little Ethics reading - that's what's on the agenda for next Friday. 

TEST IS NOW ONLY 10 DAYS AWAY!!!!

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20 days until I take this test!!!!   My brain was mush this weekend and I really didn't do much studying.  I got less than 2 hours in this weekend.  Not good.  Not one bit.  Even my "down time" was stressful, because I was thinking about how I SHOULD be studying....

Tomorrow will be a busy work day, but afterwards, it should get slower.  I am going to start studying a few hours at work and then another 1.5-2hrs at night... no other way to do it if I want to pass....   

If there was ever a time to kick it in to HIGH GEAR.  IT'S NOW!!!  I can kiss my life goodbye until this test is behind me. 

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I studied like a mad-{wo}man this weekend... and have resigned myself to not having a life for another three weekends as well (with a fun wedding vacation slipped in).  Friday, I took a vacation day - I have lots of days I won't be able to use up, so I figured I might as well get some study time in ahead of my busy season (which starts Thursday).   I only got in about 3 hours of studying, but I got in a workout and some much needed sleep too.  And, I caught up on some TV (bad vice, must stop watching TV until the exam is over!!!)

Saturday, Adam and I played some tennis - such a nice way to start the weekend!!!  AND, no construction noises because of the rain!  In the afternoon, I hid out in my office's employee lounge (where I was last weekend) and got in about 4 hours.  Sunday, after some NY Times reading and a tasty-breakfast sandwich, I headed BACK in to the office.  I probably got 6 hours of studying in, plus an hour or so of work.  {Patting myself on the back.}  I was hoping to do a little more that evening, but my brain was shot.  Who was I kidding?

I've been trying taking time at lunch to squeeze in some studying, and I hope that will make a difference.... If I can find time to get in an hour a day at work that would add 5hrs/week - I think that could be a big help.  Unfortunately, its not always easy to find the time and/or make studying a priority.... and sometimes, when I go upstairsthe TV is blaring or people are super loud (hey, it is their break), so I can't concentrate. 

What's my life like for the next few weeks?  Well, plenty of more weekends of studying await.  And in two weeks, I get to juggle the dreaded earnings season into my studying routine - can't wait.....  Unfortunately, December is shaping up to be a busy month at work..... I plan on ducking out early when I can for the next couple of weeks ahead of the exam, but I am really going to have to kick it up a notch afterwards. 

Assuming I PASS, WHICH I BETTER!!!!   I will need to start studying for the Level 2 Exam, which takes place the first Saturday in June, around the end of January -- not much of a break at all.  Now at the end of my study time, I have finally found my groove, and I hope that makes a difference the next time around.  One thing at a time, need to pass in December first.

Cross your fingers for me!!!

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