Each level of the CFA course takes around 6-9 months of preparation & 4000 hours of working experience during or after the CFA course. All in all, it would take you around 2 years to become a charter holder. The good part is, you can start your CFA preparation just after your 12th commerce exams. And the best part is that you can start earning just after CFA level 1. That’s true, companies around the world offer candidates CFA level 1 jobs.