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February 24, 2025
Financial statement analysis is a critical part of the CFA® Level I exam. To perform well on this section of the exam, you need a solid understanding of financial statement analysis concepts and techniques.
Introduction to Financial Statement Analysis
Financial Reporting Standards
Income Sheets
Cash Flow Statements
Financial Analysis Techniques
Inventories
Long-Lived Assets
Income Taxes
Non-Current (Long Term) Liabilities
Financial Reporting Quality
Applications of Financial Statement Analysis
Studying for the CFA Level I Financial Statement Analysis topic requires a comprehensive approach that includes both theoretical knowledge and practical application of the subject matter.
Make sure to cover all of the financial statement analysis readings
Master the basics before diving into more complex subtopics
Solidify your understanding of financial ratios
Practice analyzing financial statements using specific CFA level I sample questions and mock exams throughout your prep
Stay organized to keep track of your progress
Learning Outcome Statements while studying for a CFA exam refer to specific skills and concepts you should possess within an exam topic whereas exam topics describe the broader body of knowledge you should have. For example, the Financial Statement Analysis exam topic at Level I has lots of LOSs that you’ll need to learn.
An example of a CFA LOS for Financial Statement Analysis is “describe the steps in the financial statement analysis framework.”
“I’m not training to become an accountant, why do I need to understand how the financial statements are produced?” This is a common question from Level I CFA candidates. As you explore this CFA topic, you will discover there are a variety of ways financial statements can be produced, while still abiding by accounting standards.
For example, some firms will follow IFRS (the international accounting standards) while others will follow U.S. GAAP (other country-specific accounting standards do also exist but are outside the scope of the CFA syllabus).
It is crucial as an analyst to understand where these differences lie and be able to adjust financial statements so appropriate comparisons can be made between potential investments, for example. On top of this, a large focus is on the analysis of various ratios which cover areas such as liquidity - and these can only be fully understood if the candidate understands the background behind these ratios.
The main sections of a set of financial statements are
balance sheets
statements of comprehensive income (comprising the income statement and other comprehensive income)
cash flow statements
These three sections are the main focus of the Level I curriculum but you also need to have an awareness of the statement of changes in owners’ equity, and the explanatory notes.
The Financial Statement Analysis topic represents 11%-14% of the Level I exam, which is approximately 19-25 questions. This is the largest topic on the Level I CFA exam and is tested in the morning session, within the Tools Functional Area, alongside Quantitative Methods and Economics.
It depends on your background if Financial Statement Analysis will be difficult for you. For the majority of Level I candidates, Financial Statement Analysis is one of the harder topics. Although it assumes no prior knowledge, the level of detail of some of the later readings can be tricky if the fundamentals haven’t been fully understood yet.
It’s recommended you first spend time understanding the bigger picture (covered in the first 6 readings) if you are struggling with the detail of the later readings. For those of you with some level of accounting background, you may find this an easier topic. Just remember this is an analyst exam, not an accounting one, so ensure you are focusing throughout on how the area would affect your analysis.
Learn about Financial Statement Analysis topics on CFA exams.
Financial Statement Analysis is a weighty topic on the CFA Level I exam so it's definitely one you want to start in your 6-month CFA level I study guide, to give yourself time to take it steadily.
It would be sensible to focus initially on the first half of the topic, up to the end of the Financial Analysis Techniques reading, ensuring you’re grasping the fundamentals before moving on to the later more specific readings.
You might find it helpful to break up the studying into smaller chunks, interspersing with other areas such as Alternative Investments which is more discursive.
Financial Statement Analysis readings will be one volume of readings. Volume 3 moved to “pre-requisite” status, which means it will not be tested but available for you as needed.
CFA prerequisite readings are meant to help you meet the prerequisite knowledge requirements for the CFA Program.
Below are overviews of each Level I Financial Statement Analysis reading and what you are expected to learn.
The first reading of the topic will be particularly important if you have limited or no prior experience with financial statements. It introduces the concept of financial statement analysis and discusses what sources of information can be helpful for financial analysts such as the audit report, footnotes to financial statements, and the Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A).
There is also a brief introduction to the main financial statements (income statement, balance sheets, and statement of cash flows) which are covered in subsequent readings. The final LOS provides the six steps of the financial statement analysis framework.
In this reading you will learn why accounting standards exist, as well as who issues and enforces them both in the U.S. and globally. Required filings in the U.S. such as Form 10-K are introduced alongside the Conceptual Framework which is issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.
This outlines the fundamental and enhancing characteristics that make financial information useful and also details key definitions of items such as assets and liabilities.
Learning the components of the income statement and the different ways it can be presented is crucial for financial analysts to understand the historic and future performance of a firm. This reading includes many calculations such as recognizing revenue, depreciation, and cost of goods sold (COGS).
One of the tougher areas of this reading is the calculation of EPS and DEPS. We are introduced to Common-Size Income Statements, which is a useful way to compare the Income Statements of two competitors, especially those of different sizes.
The final two LOSs introduce Other Comprehensive Income, which is income that must be recognized during the period, but not in the Income Statement.
The balance sheet is broken down into three main categories - assets, liabilities, and equity. Assets and Liabilities are broken down further into current and noncurrent, and this reading takes each in turn and introduces you to the typical items you would expect to see when looking at a balance sheet.
One of the trickier areas is the different IFRS and U.S. GAAP treatment for marketable securities such as equity investment and derivatives. Similar to the prior reading, there is an introduction to Common-Size Balance Sheets, as well as some very important liquidity and solvency ratios.
While a Balance Sheet will give you the cash balance of the firm at the reporting date, the Cash Flow Statement helps us to reconcile the cash movement over the year. All cashflows are categorized as either operating, investing or financing activities, and this reading shows us how to produce a cashflow statement, as well as convert between the two methods (direct and indirect) of calculating the cash flow from operating activities (CFO).
This is particularly important for an analyst when comparing two firms that produce CFO in two different ways. As with the previous readings, the focus towards the end turns to Common-Size Cash Flow Statements and other important ratios.
There are many ratios in the financial analysis techniques reading, which can be derived from the financial statements studied above. The exam focus here is to understand what each one is measuring and to interpret the results when comparing to the prior year or another firm/industry, for example. One of the most important ratios is the DuPont formula which decomposes Return on Equity (ROE) into its different components.
The first of 4 readings goes into further detail on Balance Sheet items introduced earlier. Inventory, the stock a firm holds, must be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value (NRV). The cost can be calculated using different methods such as FIFO and AVCO (and LIFO under U.S. GAAP), and this reading introduces the calculations for these, alongside considering the impact of the chosen method on ending Inventory balances, as well as the impact on COGS in the Income Statement.
Beyond this, it is important for an analyst to be able to convert between the different methods (FIFO versus LIFO is the main focus at Level I), as well as understand the differences in perpetual versus periodic inventory systems, and impairments.
Generally, if a firm spends money on an item that is expected to provide future economic benefits for more than one period, it is likely to be classified as a long-lived asset. After covering this reading you will be able to identify whether expenditure is a long-lived asset (‘capitalized’), whether it should be depreciated/amortized during its life, and how to deal with disposing of the asset.
This covers tangible, intangible, and financial assets, and also considers valuation matters such as impairments and revaluations.
Income taxes tends to be one of the topics CFA candidates struggle with most at Level I - but don’t forget this is just one small element within the large Financial Statement Analysis topic. The focus of this question is deferred tax, which represents the difference in taxes calculated based on the accounting income and taxes calculated based on the tax legislation in the appropriate jurisdiction.
The reading introduces permanent and temporary differences (only temporary differences lead to deferred tax) and demonstrates how to calculate the deferred tax liabilities and assets on the Balance Sheet, alongside the tax expense on the Income Statement. It considers what impact a change in tax rates would have on these figures, as well as some of the key tax accounting differences between IFRS and U.S. GAAP.
Although Fixed Income is a whole separate topic, it's important to understand the Financial Statement Analysis implications of issuing a bond, which is the main focus of this reading. There is a shorter section towards the end of this reading on leases from both the lessee and lessors’ perspectives, as well as pension accounting (which will be covered in greater depth at LII).
Financial reporting quality is a short reading that covers the differences between financial reporting quality and the quality of reported results and explains how choices made across the financial statements (such as the depreciation policy chosen) can affect the reported earnings and financial position of the firm. It’s crucial an analyst takes this into account to make an informed decision about the firm in question.
The final reading in Financial Statement Analysis concludes on how a candidate can use everything they have learned during the topic to evaluate a company’s past and forecast performance and position, to help assess the credit rating or suitability of a potential investment.
As you work through the material, pay attention to the differences between the IFRS and U.S. GAAP treatment of the area you’re looking at. While the fundamentals of accounting - and a lot of the policies - are the same, there are some important differences.
As an analyst potentially comparing two sets of financial reports which use different accounting standards, it’s important to understand the differences, making this an examiner’s favorite.
For Financial Statement Analysis specifically, the most important calculator functions to be happy with are depreciation (2nd 4) and bond amortization (2nd 9), alongside the Time Value of Money buttons which are crucial throughout the syllabus.
Learn about the TI BAII Plus, including how to set it up, store and retrieve results, do combination and permutation and calculations, calculate the time value of money, and more.
Answer these five questions to test your readiness for the Level I Exam.
Financial Statement Analysis is a slightly smaller portion of the Level II exam than the Level I exam, and builds on the foundations learned at Level I, particularly the more general readings such as Understanding Balance Sheets and Financial Reporting Standards.
Some topics are looked at in more detail such as pension accounting, whereas other topics are introduced for the first time at Level II such as multinational operations (where parent and subsidiary companies have financial statements in different currencies).
Looking for more guidance on how to prepare for Financial Statement Analysis? Enroll in one of our CFA Level I Premium study packages to receive expert instruction, CFA Program study materials, and more. Give yourself the best chance to prepare, practice, and perform on the CFA exam.
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