The Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) exam is a grueling, three-part test that is infamous for its difficulty. The reward for passing is a coveted CFA® designation; however, fewer than half of test-takers pass the exam, and in the most recent first-round exam, only 22% of people passed — the lowest pass rate since the CFA Institute began administering the exam over 50 years ago. This article from the New York Times explains why passing grades are so few and far between, and what this could mean for the financial advice industry.
