Practice Smarter.
Understand Every Answer.

Start by building a study plan around the ten Level 1 topic areas, weighting your time roughly the way the exam weights them — Ethics and Quantitative Methods first, since they underpin the rest of the curriculum. Read the curriculum for a topic, then immediately test yourself with scenario-based practice questions rather than re-reading passively; getting a question wrong and understanding why is far more effective than another pass through the notes. In the final weeks, take a full-length, timed CFA Level 1 mock exam to build stamina for the real testing format. OGExamPrep's CFA exam questions cover all ten subjects, including a dedicated Ethics and Professional Standards bank, with a written explanation for every option.

The CFA Level 1 exam runs 4 hours and 30 minutes in total, split into two 135-minute sessions with an optional break in between. Each session contains 90 questions, for 180 questions overall, covering all ten topic areas. Because the sessions are timed independently, pacing matters — you get roughly 90 seconds per question per session. OGExamPrep's full-length CFA Level 1 mock exam reproduces this exact structure — two timed 135-minute sessions and a full score report at the end — so you can practice the pacing, not just the content.

CFA Level 1 exam questions are independent, three-option multiple-choice items (A, B, C) — there's no partial credit and no penalty for guessing, so every question is worth answering. Many are scenario-based: a short vignette describing an analyst, a portfolio, or a company situation, followed by a question that asks you to apply a concept to that specific scenario rather than recall a definition. That scenario-driven style is why memorizing formulas alone isn't enough — you need to recognize which concept a scenario is testing. Every CFA exam question on OGExamPrep is written in this same scenario-based format, with an explanation for why each of the three options is right or wrong.

Work through each paper in syllabus order rather than jumping around, and start answering exam-style questions early instead of saving practice for the last few weeks. A workable routine is to study one syllabus area, immediately drill a set of practice questions on it, review every explanation — including for options you got right by guessing — and then move on. In the final stretch before test day, switch from topic-by-topic practice to a full, timed mock exam so you get used to the pacing of the real computer-based exam. OGExamPrep's free ACCA question banks are built for exactly this: practice by paper first, then simulate the real thing.

It depends on the level. Applied Knowledge and most Applied Skills papers are computer-based exams built from objective test (OT) questions — multiple choice, multiple response, number entry, and drag-and-drop — often grouped into OT case questions, where one short scenario feeds several linked questions. Strategic Professional papers, such as Strategic Business Leader and Strategic Business Reporting, shift toward longer, constructed-response case studies that ask you to apply judgment to a detailed business scenario rather than just pick an answer. Every ACCA paper on OGExamPrep mirrors the question style used at that level, with a full explanation for each answer choice.

Split your prep between Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning rather than favoring the section that feels more comfortable — both count equally toward your application. For Verbal, build vocabulary in context through Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence practice rather than rote word lists, and read Reading Comprehension passages actively, summarizing the author's point before looking at the answer choices. For Quant, drill the underlying arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis skills first, then move to Quantitative Comparison and Numeric Entry questions, which reward careful reasoning about edge cases over quick calculation. In the final stretch, take a full-length, timed GRE mock exam to get used to the section-level adaptive format. OGExamPrep's free GRE practice questions cover every Verbal and Quant question type, with a full explanation for every answer choice.

GRE Verbal Reasoning uses three formats: Text Completion (fill in one to three blanks from a short list of choices), Sentence Equivalence (pick two choices that both complete the sentence and mean the same thing), and Reading Comprehension (answer questions about a passage, sometimes selecting more than one correct choice). GRE Quantitative Reasoning uses Problem Solving (standard multiple choice, sometimes with more than one correct answer), Quantitative Comparison (decide whether one quantity is greater, they're equal, or the relationship can't be determined), and Numeric Entry (type in a numeric answer with no choices given). Every GRE question type on OGExamPrep mirrors the real exam's format, with a full explanation for every answer choice — not just the correct one.