CFA Level 2 February 2026 Study Plan for Busy Professionals: 300+ Hours While Working Full-Time

Dimitri Dangeros, CFA, CAIA
Nov 18
4 min read

If you’re juggling a full-time job and aiming for the CFA Level 2 February 2026 exam, let’s be clear: this isn’t a casual side project. It’s a major investment of time, discipline and smart strategy. The exam for CFA Level 2 February 2026 builds significantly on what you learned in Level I — you’ll be asked to analyse, evaluate and apply investment concepts in context, not simply recall facts.

The good news: the official recommendation is ~300 hours per level. Even working full-time, you can plan to study 300+ hours over the upcoming months and position yourself to pass this February. Here’s how.

Understand the challenge

First, know what you’re up against:

The CFA Level 2 February 2026 exam uses item-set (vignette) multiple choice questions — you’ll analyse a scenario and answer multiple questions about it.
The topic weights for Level 2 are roughly: Ethics & Professional Standards 10-15%, Quantitative Methods 5-10%, Economics 5-10%, Financial Statement Analysis 10-15%, Corporate Issuers 5-10%, Equity Investments 10-15%, Fixed Income 10-15%, Derivatives 5-10%, Alternative Investments 5-10%, Portfolio Management 10-15%.
Historical pass rates are modest: for example, one recent session for Level II had a pass rate around 44-54%.

Translation: You must not only cover the material; you must understand it deeply and be comfortable with applying it under time-pressure.

Set your timeframe & schedule for CFA Level 2 February 2026 exam

Assuming the exam is the February 2026 window, you may have around 3-4 months of active preparation if you begin now. To target 300+ hours while working, you’ll need structure:

Phase 0 (Week 0): Registration, exam date locked, materials downloaded.
Phase 1 (Weeks 1-8): Initial coverage of all topic areas.
Phase 2 (Weeks 9-14): Deep dive, question practice, weaker topics.
Phase 3 (Weeks 15-18): Mocks, revision, full-length practice, exam readiness.

If you allocate ~300 hours over ~18 weeks, that’s ~16-17 hours per week. If you only have ~12 weeks, you’ll need ~25 hours/week — so realistic scheduling is key.

Weekly routine for full-time professionals

Here’s how you might split your time each week:

Weekdays (Mon-Fri): Aim for ~2 hours after work (e.g., 7-9pm) or early morning before work.
Weekend (Sat/Sun): Block ~5-6 hours each day: e.g., 9am-12pm, break, 1pm-4pm.
Weekly total target: ~15-20 hours.
Buffer week: Once every 4-5 weeks reduce intensity (lighter review) to avoid burnout.

From Reddit, one candidate working full time said:

“On days I had time after work I would do 1 hr. On weekends I'd aim to study 6 hours per day. 3 hours on, 1-2 hour break, 3 hours on.” That kind of weekend bulk is what shifts the numbers into “300+ hours while working full-time”.

Prioritise by topic weight & difficulty

According to the topic weights above, you should prioritise the 10-15% weight topics because they generate the most points. Accordingly:

High-weight to cover carefully: Financial Statement Analysis (FSA), Equity Investments, Fixed Income, Portfolio Management, Ethics & Professional Standards.
Moderate-weight: Corporate Issuers, Quantitative Methods, Economics.
Lower-weight: Derivatives, Alternative Investments.Reddit advice:

“L2 is not even remotely comparable with L1 … Focus on Ethics, FRA, FI, Equity, Portfolio as these are heavy-weight topics.”

So your study plan should allocate more hours for FSA, Equity, Fixed Income and Portfolio — but don’t ignore the others entirely.

Materials and question practice

Use the official resources from the CFA Institute’s Learning Ecosystem: curriculum readings, end-of-chapter questions, topic tests, and the mock exam. Study approach:

First pass: Read the curriculum module, summarise key points in your own words.
Immediately follow with end-of-chapter questions to test understanding.
Once you’ve covered a topic, do question-bank practice and topic tests.
As you progress, shift from learning new material to application — i.e., doing many practice questions and full-length mocks.

From Reddit:

“I would watch video lectures … then I go through the EOC and … question bank for each reading.” Meaning: don’t just read — do.

Revision & mock-exam phase

In the final 4–6 weeks (Phase 3), change your gear:

Schedule 2-3 full-length mock exams under timed conditions (4.5 hours, two sessions).
After each mock, thoroughly review every question you got wrong or guessed — understand why you missed it.
Use your weak-area list to prioritise last-minute review.
Limit new learning: your goal now is consolidation, not first exposure.
Sleep, nutrition, and rest matter. Under-rested brain = costly errors.

Managing full-time job + study

Key tips for busy professionals:

Use early mornings or commute time for light revision (flash cards, ethics summaries).
On weekdays, keep study blocks short but consistent — 2 hours is better than none.
On weekends, go long; but schedule breaks and recharge.
Protect calendar: block study time as you would a meeting.
Communicate with your employer/family: let them know your goal and time commitment.
Stay flexible: if a week at work is wild (travel, overtime), accept less study and make up on weekend.

The community on Reddit emphasises honesty about your time:

“It’s gonna be tough… Level 2 is a lot more detailed and deep into valuations of every asset type.” If you cannot carve 15+ hours/week, rethink your timeline.

The final word

To pass CFA Level 2 February 2026 while working full-time, you must treat your study time like a job. Cover the curriculum systematically, prioritise heavy-weight topics, bank sufficient hours (~300+), shift to practice questions early, and drill hard in the final weeks.

If you can commit ~16-20 hours/week over ~15–20 weeks, you’re giving yourself a chance. If you leave it to “whenever I find time”, you’re gambling. Prepare smart, stay consistent, and you’ll maximise your odds of success.

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