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CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Syllabus
CFA Institute's globally recognized investment and finance credential with three levels, widely pursued in India.. The complete CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) outline — 8 subjects, 27 chapters and 108 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
3 chapters · 14 topics · 20 sub-topics
Quantitative Methods4 chapters · 16 topics · 14 sub-topics
Economics3 chapters · 12 topics · 8 sub-topics
Financial Statement Analysis4 chapters · 16 topics · 6 sub-topics
Corporate Issuers3 chapters · 11 topics · 8 sub-topics
Equity and Fixed Income Investments4 chapters · 15 topics · 11 sub-topics
Derivatives and Alternative Investments3 chapters · 12 topics · 6 sub-topics
Portfolio Management and Wealth Planning3 chapters · 12 topics · 8 sub-topics
CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) flashcard decks
449 question-and-answer cards across 8 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- Ethical and Professional Standards — 51 cards
- Quantitative Methods — 67 cards
- Economics — 60 cards
- Financial Statement Analysis — 57 cards
- Corporate Issuers — 52 cards
- Equity and Fixed Income Investments — 59 cards
- Derivatives and Alternative Investments — 50 cards
- Portfolio Management and Wealth Planning — 53 cards
How to work through the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Quantitative Methods carries 16 topics while Corporate Issuers carries 11. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst).
The ~95 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) syllabus?
CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) covers 8 subjects: Ethical and Professional Standards, Quantitative Methods, Economics, Financial Statement Analysis, Corporate Issuers, Equity and Fixed Income Investments, Derivatives and Alternative Investments and Portfolio Management and Wealth Planning. Together they contain 27 chapters and 108 named topics.
How much do you have to study for CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst)?
The full CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) outline breaks down into 27 chapters, 108 topics and 81 sub-topics. Quantitative Methods is the largest single subject with 16 topics across 4 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) syllabus?
Roughly 95 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 5 weeks.
Are there CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) flashcards?
Yes — 449 question-and-answer flashcards across 8 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in India and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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