CFA Level 1, 2 & 3 Pass Rate Trends: How Hard Is It to Crack CFA?

CFA Level 1, 2 & 3 Pass Rate Trends: How Hard Is It to Crack CFA?

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CFA Exam Exam Date:12 Nov' 25 - 18 Nov' 25

Sansar Singh ChhikaraUpdated on 19 Mar 2025, 12:42 PM IST

The Chartered Financial Analyst is among the toughest exams when it comes to finance certifications. The CFA exam is divided into three levels - CFA Level 1, CFA Level 2 and CFA Level 3. The upcoming CFA Level 1 Feb 2025 results are scheduled to be announced on April 3, 2025, meanwhile CFA Level 3 Feb 2025 results will be declared on April 22, 2025. Candidates who are currently pursuing CFA or thinking of giving it a shot must first understand the difficulty level of this exam. In this article we analyse the past few years pass rate trends of all CFA levels, historical pass percentage trends and more.

CFA Level 1, 2 & 3 Pass Rate Trends: How Hard Is It to Crack CFA?
CFA Level 1, 2 & 3 Pass Rate Trends

CFA Historical Pass Rate (1963-2024)

As of now a total of 3,916,818 students have taken the CFA exam and the historical pass rate for all three levels is 45%. A total of 272,630 candidates have passed all three exams of CFA till date. The table below shows the historical pass rate for all three levels of CFA.

CFA Historical Pass Rate - Level 1, 2 and 3

Level

Number of students appeared

Number of students passed

Pass Rate

CFA Level 1

2,272,117

938,644

41%

CFA Level 2

1,039,920

477,595

46%

CFA Level 3

604,781

332,151

55%

CFA Historical Pass Rate - Last 10 years

In the last 10 years, a total of 1,872,246 took the CFA exams, out of which a total 43% passed. Statistics show that in the last 10 years the number of students approximately doubled in comparison to 1963 to 2015. The below given table shows the pass rate trends in the last 10 years for each of the CFA levels.

CFA Last 10 Years Pass Rate - Level 1, 2 and 3

Level

Number of students appeared

Number of students passed

Pass Rate

CFA Level 1

1,085,540

439,541

40%

CFA Level 2

488,721

221,628

45%

CFA Level 3

297,985

152,860

51%


CFA Pass Rate - Level 1, 2 and 3

CFA Level 1 Pass Rate Trends - Last 5 sessions

Session

Total Candidates

Passed Candidates

Failed Candidates

Pass percentage

November 2024

26,404

11,293

15,111

43%

August 2024

24,937

11,057

13,887

44%

May 2024

21,116

9,666

11,450

46%

February 2024

16,932

7415

9517

44%

November 2023

28,953

10,104

18,849

35%

CFA Level 2 Pass Rate Trends - Last 5 sessions

Session

Total Candidates Appeared

Candidates Passed

Candidates Failed

Pass Percentage

Nov 2024

13,589

5,324

8,265

39%

Aug 2024

8,872

4,164

4,708

47%

May 2024

14,304

8,386

5,918

59%

Nov 2023

14,585

6,377

8,208

44%

Aug 2023

9,074

3,999

5,075

44%

CFA Level 3 Pass Rate Trends - Last 5 sessions

Session

Total number of students appeared

Candidates passed

Candidates failed

Passing rate

August 2024

16,947

8,081

8,866

48%

February 2024

13619

6734

6885

49%

August 2023

16035

7585

8450

47%

February 2023

14858

7102

7756

48%

August 2022

10376

5032

5344

48%

CFA Pass Rate Trends - Key Takeaways and Future Predictions

  • CFA Level 1 is the toughest exam compared with the other two levels with a historical pass rate of 41%.

  • In the last 10 years, participation in CFA exams nearly doubled which shows a rising global interest in the designation.

  • The CFA pass rates have declined in the last 10 years, however they are still stable.

  • The CFA Level 1 pass rate is expected to stabilize between the 40-42% mark in the coming future.

  • No major fluctuations are expected in the CFA pass rates for all three levels.

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