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2. 2012 CFA Exam Level 1(SAMPLE)
by T.SMITH
Copyright 2010 T.SMITH
Smashwords Edition
Books are Available at
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3. The author successfully passed the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst), CPA (Certified
Public Accountant), and FRM (Financial Risk Manager) exams "WITHOUT ANY
RETAKES".
Based on a true experience, the author also wrote how to pass the CFA exams after
studying for two weeks.
CFA 2012 Study Notes
2011 All rights reserved.
These materials may not be copied without written permission from the author. The
unauthorized duplication of these notes is a violation of global copyright laws and
the CFA Institute Code of Ethics.
Required CFA Institute disclaimer: “CFA and Chartered Financial Analyst are
trademarks owned by CFA Institute. CFA Institute (formerly the Association for
Investment Management and Research) does not endorse, promote, review, or warrant the
accuracy of the products or services.

4. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. An AIMR member who lives in Atlantis, where some laws are stricter than
the AIMR Code of Ethics and others are less strict, should follow:
a. AIMR code, since the code is a strict set of rules.
b. Atlantis’ laws, since the member resides in Atlantis.
c. A combination of the two which results in a stricter set of laws.
Answer: c.
A member must always abide by the AIMR code (Standard I), unless the local
laws in any given case are stricter, in which case, the stricter standard
applies.
1. Smirlee Montero is a fixed income analyst at a small investment firm. She
has been studying the subject of “Body Language” in order to gauge the
effectiveness of reading into the dispositions of people. Based on her own
empirical tests carried out over the past two years involving 64 different
subjects, she has concluded that during the meetings with analysts, a senior
management official is usually more excited and waves hands quite often
when the information like earnings report (which is released a couple of
days later) is very favorable. On the other hand, if the earnings are short of
expectations, the official tends to be sober and appears more introspective.
There are other body signs which she uses to evaluate possible signals about
the quality of information that is pending. In a recent meeting with
Chronotron, Inc.’s quarterly analyst meeting, she concluded using her
technique that Chronotron’s earnings are very likely much lower than
projected earlier. This information was not actually released in the meeting
whose main focus was on the company’s plans for the next quarter. In her
report, Smirlee presented a detailed analysis of the publicly available
information which supported her hunch and wrote, “Based on this and
certain other observations, it is my opinion that Chronotron’s is not doing
as well as we earlier estimated. Therefore, I would recommend selling this
stock before the firm releases its earnings numbers”. Smirlee has:
a. violated Standard V(A) – Prohibition against use of Material, Non-Public
Information.
b. violated Standard IV(A.2) – Research Reports by failing to distinguishing
between fact and opinion.
c. has not violated any Standards.
Answer: c
There is no evidence that in her report, Smirlee has tried to pass off an
opinion as fact. While her new technique is unconventional, using it would
be a violation of Standard IV(A.1) only if used in isolation. Since she has

5. diligently analyzed public information on Chronotron, she cannot be
accused of not having a reasonable basis for recommendation. The AIMR
Standard of Ethics do not prohibit a use of new techniques but rather
encourage tempering them with more orthodox analysis
2. John Cochrun is a reputed money manager who is also an AIMR member.
John recently discovered that some employees at the firm where he is
employed have been engaging in some questionable activity which could
very well be construed as insider trading by the SEC. John, however, does
not think the activity is egregious enough to be reported to the SEC. In any
case, he does not want to be known as “the rat who blew the whistle”. By
not reporting the criminal activity , John has:
a. violated the AIMR code, standard I(B) – Fundamental Responsibilities.
b. violated the AIMR code, standard III(B) – Duty to the Employer.
c. has not violated the AIMR code.
Answer: d
The AIMR code does not require members to report legal violations to the
appropriate authorities, as long as they don’t associate themselves with
such activities.
3. Spassky was assigned the task of managing the portfolio of Fisher 3 days ago
when Anand, who was managing Fisher’s portfolio, retired. Fisher’s
portfolio consists of some deep-in-the-money put options which will be
exercised today, resulting in a cash flow of about $40,000. Spassky has not
yet had a chance to meet Fisher in person to determine his needs,
investment objectives and risk appetite. He did get a briefing from Anand
about the portfolio and has a general idea about Fisher’s investment
attitude. In fact, over the past two years, Fisher’s portfolio has generated
handsome returns due to high-risk investments which Fisher prefers.
Spassky’s problem is determining what he should do with the $40,000.
According to the AIMR Code of Ethics, he should:
a. “roll over” the put positions for another week or two till he can meet
Fisher and discuss the reinvestment of the funds.
b. invest the funds in a diversified portfolio with a risk profile similar to
what Anand and Fisher have been maintaining over the past 3 months.
c. invest the funds in highly liquid, cash equivalent assets till he can meet
Fisher and determine his needs, investment objectives and risk appetite.
Answer: c
In most cases, a portfolio manager must manage a portfolio based on the investment
needs and objectives of the portfolio owner consistent with the willingness to bear
risk. One exception to this rule is when a new portfolio manager takes over and has
the task of reinvesting funds arising from the existing portfolio investments. Since