CFA Level I Syllabus and Topics
The CFA runs over three levels and the topic names repeat across all of them, but the depth and the question format change completely: Level I tests recognition, Level II application, Level III synthesis. The list below covers Level I. Ethics carries weight at every level and is worth treating as a subject in its own right rather than a formality.
Each heading below carries one question. Read them before you close this page: whichever one you stumble on is the part you still have to study.
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Ethical and Professional Standards
Can you explain Ethical and Professional Standards in your own words, in two minutes, without looking at the source?
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Quantitative Methods
Can you explain Quantitative Methods in your own words, in two minutes, without looking at the source?
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Economics
Can you explain Economics in your own words, in two minutes, without looking at the source?
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Financial Statement Analysis
Can you explain Financial Statement Analysis in your own words, in two minutes, without looking at the source?
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Corporate Issuers
Can you explain Corporate Issuers in your own words, in two minutes, without looking at the source?
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Equity Investments
Can you explain Equity Investments in your own words, in two minutes, without looking at the source?
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Fixed Income
Can you explain Fixed Income in your own words, in two minutes, without looking at the source?
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Derivatives
Can you explain Derivatives in your own words, in two minutes, without looking at the source?
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Alternative Investments
Can you explain Alternative Investments in your own words, in two minutes, without looking at the source?
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Portfolio Management and Wealth Planning
Can you explain Portfolio Management and Wealth Planning in your own words, in two minutes, without looking at the source?
What this page does not have
No past papers, no exam dates, no score calculators. All three are searched for constantly, but we do not hold reliable data on them, and a page with the wrong date is worse than no page at all. Check the awarding body’s own announcements for those.
Headings are kept at the top level. Sub-topics shift from year to year while the main headings do not, and a wrong sub-topic is worse than a missing one.
Frequently asked
What is the CFA syllabus?
CFA Level I Syllabus and Topics covers: Ethical and Professional Standards, Quantitative Methods, Economics, Financial Statement Analysis, Corporate Issuers, Equity Investments, Fixed Income, Derivatives, Alternative Investments, Portfolio Management and Wealth Planning.
What sections does the CFA have?
Everything above sits within a single exam: Ethical and Professional Standards, Quantitative Methods, Economics, Financial Statement Analysis, Corporate Issuers and the rest.
How should I study for the CFA?
Reading a topic creates familiarity, not knowledge. When you finish a heading, close the source and explain it out loud for two minutes. Wherever you stall is what you need to revisit; re-reading something you can already explain is wasted time.
Can I find past CFA papers here?
No. This page lists topics only. For past papers, exam dates and scoring, check the awarding body’s own site.
I have read the material. How do I know I actually know it?
Reading makes you feel like you know it. If you can close the source and explain the topic in your own words, you have learned it; if you stall halfway, you have not. That is exactly what Demostra measures.
Reading is not knowing
Reading something makes it feel familiar, and that familiarity gets mistaken for knowledge. The only thing that separates the two is explaining it: close the source, say it in your own words, and notice where you stall.
That is what Demostra does. You set a goal, the app builds a topic map like the one above, you explain each topic out loud, and every topic lands in one of three states: proven, blurry, revisit. No score, just a state.