Chartered Financial Analyst Exam. Three-tiered test administered by the CFA Institute to individuals seeking to achieve a CFA charter. A CFA charter is not required to be a financial analyst, but it provides many benefits, and therefore many financial professionals willingly choose to take them. Exam takers need to register in advance and pay a fee that ranges anywhere from $660-990. The curriculums covered in the CFA exams are: Ethics and Professional Standards, Quantitative Methods, Economics, Financial Statement Analysis, Corporate Finance, Analysis of Investments and Portfolio Management and Analysis. Only the Hewlett Packard 12C or the Texas Instruments BA II Plus calculators are allowed for the exam. These exams usually take place during the summer and the dates are announced well in advance.