Born in the city of Indore, Parth Jain has been a studious child from his school days. He did his Graduation in B.Com in 2015 from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, which is in Indore itself. After his graduation, he completed CA in 2016.
While working full time with the Global Tax team at Nomura, he cleared CFA Level I in 2018.
Let's deep dive into his background story and preparation strategy which helped him clear the CFA exam in first attempt. Given below are the excerpts from our interview with Parth:
Why did you decide to pursue CFA?
As a Chartered Accountant, I felt limited in my career options. Most of the job profiles available to me were in Audit or Taxation. I wanted deeper involvement in finance and investments. After researching various certifications, I selected CFA for its rigorous curriculum and globally recognised status. I believed it would open up many career doors that the CA alone could not.
What steps did you take to further your CFA preparation?
I researched coaching institutes thoroughly and read reviews before selecting QuintEdge. I will admit there was initial hesitation about the programme's difficulty, but I was determined to expand my skillset and advance my career. I committed to giving it my full effort from the start.
How did QuintEdge help you?
QuintEdge provided me with a detailed weekly study plan and clear guidance on topic prioritisation, which was invaluable for someone working full-time. I used their extensive practice question library and mock exams extensively. What I appreciated most was that their lectures were full of real life examples — that made complex concepts much easier to grasp and retain.
Can you share your preparation strategy for CFA Level I?
I used a structured three-phase approach:
- Phase One: Quantitative methods, financial reporting, corporate issuers, and economics — covering the foundational subjects first.
- Phase Two: Fixed income, equity analysis, alternative investments, and derivatives — deepening into the investment-focused subjects.
- Phase Three: Portfolio management and an intensive ethics focus in the final stretch.
This phased approach allowed me to build systematically on what I had already learnt. I scored 90+ percentile in 8 subjects, which validated that the strategy worked well for my background.