Don’t attempt to re-read the curriculum during the last month:
The last month leading up to the test should be centered on question practice. This is going to sound a little bit harsh, but you should really have finished reading the curriculum about a month before the test. I would only really recommend going back to the readings in a targeted way to briefly refresh on concepts that cause you trouble in your question practice.
Don’t stress, just follow your plan:
And don’t worry if you feel like you have forgotten most of the curriculum at this stage. I certainly felt that way despite having read the entire curriculum. Granted that you have actually put the hours in studying the underlying readings during the previous months, you will probably surprise yourself by how much you will be able to recall on the CFA® exam day.
Do practice a lot of questions:
There really isn’t a golden standard for how many questions and mock exams you need to do through before you are ready to face the level 1 test. My first point of call would be to revise the end of chapter questions one more time. If you have following the 20 week program, you will have created lists with all of the end of chapter questions that you found challenging. I would plan to work my way through these questions during the first 3 out of 4 weeks of revision (two books each week). If you go through this process, and are able to answer all of the end of chapter questions from the underlying readings, you are definitely on the right track.
Mock exams:
Mock exams vary in quality and the level of difficulty. Scoring above 70% on a single mock exam (while encouraging) is therefore no guarantee that you will be able to handle the test. The CFA Institute provides no specific guidance on the % score needed to pass the exam, and the actual test could easily be more difficult than your practice exams. During the last month of revision I would recommend that you do a mock exam each Saturday if possible, and that you attempt to replicate the exact exam conditions as closely as possible. I would recommend that you find a quiet space where you cannot be disturbed, leave your smartphone/tablet/laptop and/or other distractions to one side and sit the morning paper from 9am to 12am, take a 2 hour break and finish the afternoon paper from 2pm to 5pm. During the very last week of revision I would recommend that you sit a mock exam every second day. Please do allow time to revise your answers as the revision process is often where you learn the most. If you are running out of questions I would recommend having a look at Wiley CFA Exam Review Products.
Revise Ethics:
I know that I mentioned you should have finished reading the curriculum entering the last month before the exam. But no rules without exceptions. Given the prominence of Ethics on the exam, I would recommend that you go back and revise the cases in reading 2. If you spread them out over the entire 4 weeks of revision, you only need to go through 7 cases a day. If you are very keen you can work your way through the cases twice. You are bound to get a bunch of Ethics questions on the exam (The guideline exam weight would indicate somewhere in the range of 36 questions) and a fair amount of them are likely to take the shape of cases similar to the one you will be practicing in reading 2.
Revise Flashcards:
If you have followed along with the 20 week program you will have been building a large arsenal of flashcards by the time you reach the last month. These have hopefully served you as revision tools throughout the process, but in the final weeks they are becoming crucial. My advice would be to sit down and practice the flash cards relevant to 2 books each week (aligned with the end of chapter question practice). Forcing yourself to answer a stack of LOS and key concept flashcards in rapid succession will support your ability to quickly search your brain for answers to some of the most common questions on the exam.
Keep at it:
Even if you feel comfortable that you will be able to pass the test, I would still recommend solving questions at full tilt until the very day before the exam. You have already made such a big effort to get to this stage, and you will be really disappointed if you end up marginally short of the pass mark on exam day because you geared down just before the finish line.