Posted in: Experienced, Qualifications & High Education 25 June 2009 12 answers
Anonymous

Question: IMC or CFA ?

Hi all, I’ll soon finish my MSc Investments from leading redbrick university with distinction. I’m interested in investment analyst or equity research analyst role. As I’ve not landed in any graduate roles, I intend to boost my CV with professional qualification. Is IMC or CFA the preferred for the above stated roles? Any constructive suggestions and comments are welcome. Thank you.

Answers (12)

  1. Due…CFA all the way.
    Am a candidate in the CFA program, just did level 2 exams and I must say CFA opens doors and it program equips you with the skills needed for the roles you are interested in.

  2. Start with IMC, it is entry level qualification and then progress to CFA. Having said that, if you have any desire to be a fund manager then the IMC is the legal requirement.

  3. No real comparison. CFA takes a few years, IMC a few weeks cramming. Do the IMC first, gets you FSA approved I think. When you start work proper start slogging away at the CFA (which is’nt really that hard just lots of rubbish formulas to remember, shouldn’t be too hard given your MSc)

  4. cfa for sure, however you could study for and obtain an imc with a few weeks of hard work, also prepares you for level 1 of cfa. Do both.

  5. Redbrick university… not looking good for the front office. Equity research/portfolio management is more competitive than ever.

  7. how about neither – try this one. J.O.B C.E.N.T.R.E

  8. I’ve got both. There is no real comparison between IMC and CFA in my opinion. IMC is very basic whilst CFA goes into most topics in-depth. Plus the CFA is more highly regarded by employers as I found out when I lost my job 9 months back and but then got another one fairly quickly.

  9. Imc is worth doing as a warm up for CFA…..You will be surprised at how much work you need to put into the CFA.

  10. I have an MSc in Finance, with distinction, from a redbrick uni and a job in front office – so don’t be too put off by the previous comment! I also have the IMC and CFA. To complete the CFA requires 4 years of analyst style work experience sp you’re not really going to get too far into the program before you get a job (hopefully). Whilst the IMC does only takes a few weeks cramming I also doubt it’s going to impress any recruiters. If you have an MSc Investments then they will assume that you’ll fly through the IMC exam with no problems anyway. My advice would be, ignore IMC, register for the CFA (to show willing) but spend most of your time on the job search – writing directly to companies etc. Good luck

  11. Based on your studies so far, the IMC is a primer for the CFA so I’d jump straight in and tackle the CFA.

  12. MSc Investments sounds really mickey mouse. “Leading redbrick University” sounds really mickey mouse….