CFA® Level 1 Final Review: A Six-Week Plan for the November 2026 Exam

The November 2026 Level I window runs from November 11 to 17. If your appointment falls in that window, you have roughly six weeks left as of early October. That is enough time to focus your review, as long as the hours go where the points are.

This plan is built for exactly that: a diagnostic first, then a simple table that tells you which topics are worth your time, then full-length practice, then a quiet exam week.

One detail makes this window different from most. According to published exam calendars, November 2026 is the last Level I window based on the 2026 curriculum. February 2027 sittings move to the 2027 curriculum, which revises several topics, including Quantitative Methods and Equity. That matters if you are thinking about pushing your date back (more on that in week four).

Week 1: Sit a timed diagnostic before you study anything else

The first week has one job: find out where you actually stand.

Sit a full, timed mock under real conditions. A real Level I exam session is 90 questions in 135 minutes, so a 90-question mock at that pace matches the timing of one session. Do it in one sitting, with your calculator, without notes, and without pausing the timer.

Then score it by topic, not just overall. Your overall percentage tells you how you feel. Your topic scores can help you decide what to review next.

Week 1, part two: Build your points table

It is tempting to spend the last weeks on your weakest topic. That feels productive, but it is not always where the most questions are. A weak score in a lightly weighted topic can be worth less than a mediocre score in a heavy one.

Start with how many questions each topic is likely to be worth. The Level I exam has 180 questions, and CFA Institute publishes a weight range for each topic. Multiply the two and you get a rough question count:

| Topic | 2026 weight | About how many of 180 questions | |---|---|---| | Ethical and Professional Standards | 15 to 20% | 27 to 36 | | Financial Statement Analysis | 11 to 14% | 20 to 25 | | Equity Investments | 11 to 14% | 20 to 25 | | Fixed Income | 11 to 14% | 20 to 25 | | Portfolio Management | 8 to 12% | 14 to 22 | | Alternative Investments | 7 to 10% | 13 to 18 | | Quantitative Methods | 6 to 9% | 11 to 16 | | Economics | 6 to 9% | 11 to 16 | | Corporate Issuers | 6 to 9% | 11 to 16 | | Derivatives | 5 to 8% | 9 to 14 |

Now add your mock results. For each topic, take the middle of its question range and multiply it by the share of questions you missed. That number is a rough estimate of the questions at stake.

Here is a hypothetical example. A candidate scores 55% on Ethics, 50% on Fixed Income, and 40% on Derivatives. Derivatives looks like the emergency. But Ethics, at about 31 questions, puts roughly 14 questions at stake. Fixed Income, at about 22 questions, puts roughly 11 at stake. Derivatives, at about 12 questions, puts roughly 7 at stake. In this example, the weakest score is not the topic with the most questions at stake.

Sort your table by questions at stake. The top three or four rows are a reasonable starting point for the next three weeks.

Weeks 2 and 3: Work the heavy topics, questions first

Spend these two weeks on the top of your points table, which often means some mix of Ethics, Financial Statement Analysis, Fixed Income, and Equity.

Work questions before you reread anything. Do a set, then go back to the material only for the questions you missed or guessed on. Rereading a chapter you half know is comfortable, but it is slow. Missed questions show you exactly which page to reread.

Keep an error log. For every miss, write one line: the topic, what you chose, why the right answer is right, and what tricked you. By the end of week three, patterns often show up, such as the same kinds of question being missed more than once.

Give Ethics a slot every day, even a short one. It has the highest published weight, and its questions are scenario-based, so regular practice keeps the Standards fresh. If your days are full, the Totten Prep podcast works through the Standards one at a time, built for review during a commute or a workout.

Week 4: Sweep the middle topics and make your date decision

Week four is for the topics further down your table: Portfolio Management, Alternative Investments, Quantitative Methods, Economics, Corporate Issuers, and Derivatives. These are smaller individually, but together they are a large share of the exam. The goal is not mastery. The goal is to stop giving away easy questions: core definitions, the formulas that show up every time, and the standard calculator steps.

This is also the week to make an honest call about your date. Check your CFA Institute account for your exact rescheduling deadline; published calendars list October 31, 2026 for the November window. If you move to February 2027, remember that you will be preparing for the 2027 curriculum, not the one you have been studying. For some candidates that is still the right move. It should be a decision, not a default.

Week 5: Run a full exam day

Sit a full simulation: two 90-question sessions of 135 minutes each, with a break between them, starting at the same time of day as your real appointment. The second session shows whether your focus and pacing hold up over a long day.

Spend the next two days reviewing every miss and adding to your error log. Then reread the whole error log once. It is a study guide built from your own mistakes.

Exam week: Protect your score

Do not start new material in the last few days. Review your error log, your formula sheet, and the Ethics Standards. Confirm your test center, your route, your ID requirements, and your approved calculator. Rest is part of preparation too.

Where to start today

Start with the diagnostic. The free 90-question CFA® Level 1 mock exam at Totten Prep covers all ten topics, uses a 135-minute timer (the length of one exam session), and gives a score by topic with an explanation for every question. It takes a free account. You can use the topic scores to build your points table this week.

If Ethics lands at the top of your table, the free 10-question Ethics quiz and the Totten Prep podcast are good places to keep it fresh.

FAQ

When is the November 2026 CFA Level 1 exam? The November 2026 Level I window runs from November 11 to 17, 2026. Your exact date and time are on your appointment confirmation.

How many Ethics questions are on the CFA Level 1 exam? Ethics is weighted 15 to 20% of the 180 questions, which works out to roughly 27 to 36 questions.

Should I take a mock exam six weeks before the CFA Level 1 exam? A timed mock at the start of a final review can help identify higher-impact topics, based on the published topic weights and your own results.

If I move from November 2026 to February 2027, does the curriculum change? According to published exam calendars, November 2026 is the last Level I window based on the 2026 curriculum, and February 2027 sittings use the 2027 curriculum. Confirm the details for your registration with CFA Institute.

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