CIFA has 3 levels and 6 sections. You can decide to sit for each level every six months or each section every six months. A section has 3 papers and a level has 6 papers. If you pursue each level every 6 months, you will take 1 year and half to finish the professional course.
You pursue every section after 6 months, it will take you at least 3 years to finish.
Normally, people combine section 1 and 2 and then sit for section 3 to 6 separately. It takes on average 2 years to finish CIFA course in Kenya.
But remember, failing is also an option. You might combine 2 sections and fail one paper.in case that happens, you have to re-sit for the paper before proceeding for the next level. If you re-sit then 6 months are wasted.
If you decide to sit for each level every six months, it’s- hard to pass all the levels in 1 and half years. You might fail 1 or two papers. Give yourself 2 or 3 years to finish the course.
For you to pass easily, don’t combine 2 sections, sit for every section separately. If you focus on reading, you may not fail even one paper and it will take exactly 3 years to complete the professional paper. But if you have enough time at your disposal, pursue each level at once for you to complete the 3 levels in time.
For those in employment, it’s not advisable to sit for all the 6 papers in a level at once, sit for only 3 papers so as to avoid being discouraged.
The best time to study for CIFA is when you are in college or before joining college. This time your mind can focus and you will easily pass the papers. But if you wait to get employed, you may take forever to complete the course because your focus will be work.
CIFA is not a difficult professional course,you won’t take more than 4 years to finish.
