Outside the New York Stock Exchange, Sept. 23, 2021. This summer, a record low number of chartered financial analyst test takers passed the first level of the notoriously difficult exams, reviving an old debate about the merits of the qualification. (Victor Llorente/The New York Times)
When the pandemic hit, Irene Zhu decided to explore switching careers from tourism to finance. A lifelong math whiz, Zhu, 37, set her sights on becoming a chartered financial analyst, a highly coveted professional qualification in the investing world. But to do so, she would need to pass three notoriously difficult tests, the first of which she sat for in February — after staying up well past 1 a.m. on many nights studying.
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