CFA® Level I August 2026 Results Release Date, Score Report and Next Steps

You have your result.

Whether you opened it the moment it was released or waited a few hours before checking, the question you’ve been thinking about for weeks has been answered.

The headline numbers are now official. Of the 28,145 people who sat for Level I in August 2026, 43% passed. First-time test takers achieved a 49% pass rate while candidates who sat after at least one deferral recorded a 29% pass rate.

But you’re probably not here because you’re curious about the cohort.

You’re here because you’re trying to understand your result.

If you passed, you’re wondering what comes next and whether it’s time to register for Level II.

If you didn’t pass, you’re trying to figure out what your score report is telling you and how close you were to the passing standard.

Let’s walk through it together.

CFA Level I August 2026 Results at a Glance

Metric	August 2026
Results released	September 24, 2026
Candidates	28,145
Overall pass rate	43%
First-time candidate pass rate	49%
Candidates after at least one deferral	29%
May 2026 pass rate	39%
May 2027 Level II registration	Open

If you searched for:

• CFA Level I August 2026 results
• CFA Level 1 results August 2026
• CFA Level 1 results Aug 2026
• CFA Level 1 August 2026 exam result
• CFA Level 1 result 2026

these are the confirmed figures you were looking for.

Related article: https://analystprep.com/blog/cfa-august-2026-pass-rate/?

The Number Most People Wanted to See

The CFA Level 1 August 2026 pass rate was 43%.

That number will dominate discussions about the August window. You’ll see it on forums, LinkedIn posts, Reddit threads and study groups.

The problem is that the pass rate doesn’t tell you much about your own performance.

Think about it this way.

Two people can receive exactly the same pass-rate statistic and walk away with completely different experiences. One may have passed comfortably. Another may have fallen just short of the Minimum Passing Score.

The pass rate describes the group.

Your score report describes you.

That’s why the report sitting in your CFA Institute account is far more valuable than the 43% figure appearing in headlines.

Still, the pass rate provides useful context. Compared with May 2026, when 39% of candidates passed, August produced a stronger outcome. The increase was four percentage points.

That doesn’t automatically mean August was easier.

It simply means the result was stronger.

Those aren’t the same thing.

How August Compared with May

The first thing many readers want to know is whether August was better or worse than the previous window.

Here’s the comparison.

Window	Pass Rate
May 2026	39%
August 2026	43%

August finished four percentage points higher than May.

It’s also worth noting that August came in above the recent 10-year Level I average.

Before you read too much into that, remember that pass rates move for many reasons.

The composition of the candidate pool changes.

Preparation levels change.

Some people are testing for the first time. Others are returning after a previous attempt or a deferral.

The practical lesson for you is simple.

Don’t spend too much time asking whether the exam was easier or harder.

Instead, spend time understanding what your result says about your preparation.

That’s where the useful information lives.

The Most Revealing Statistic in the Results

The 43% pass rate received most of the attention.

The most revealing statistics was something else.

First-time candidates passed at a rate of 49%.

Candidates who tested after at least one deferral passed at a rate of 29%.

That’s a 20-percentage-point gap.

It’s a striking difference.

At first glance, it’s tempting to conclude that deferring hurts performance. The data doesn’t allow us to make that claim.

People defer for all kinds of reasons.

You might defer because of work.

You might defer because of family responsibilities.

You might defer because life became complicated at exactly the wrong moment.

The statistics don’t tell us any of that.

What they do suggest is that momentum matters.

If you’ve ever prepared for Level I, you know how difficult it can be to keep hundreds of concepts fresh in your mind. Ethics, Financial Statement Analysis, Economics, Equity Investments, Fixed Income, Derivatives, Alternative Investments, Portfolio Management, Quantitative Methods… none of these topics exists in isolation.

The longer your preparation is interrupted, the harder it can be to maintain momentum.

That’s one reason this particular statistic deserves attention.

Not because it predicts your future result.

It’s because it highlights the value of consistency.

You Don’t Need the Pass Rate Anymore. You Need the Score Report

A lot of people spent the weeks leading up to September 24 asking:

• When will CFA Level 1 results be released?
• What is the CFA Level 1 result time?
• How do I find the CFA Level 1 results September 2026?

Those questions have now been answered.

Your focus should shift to something more useful.

Your score report.

If you’re wondering how to check CFA exam results, log into your CFA Institute account and open the detailed report attached to your result.

Don’t just look at the pass or fail outcome and close the browser.

The report contains information that should influence what you do next.

The Practical Skills Module Is Still Worth Talking About

You might be wondering why anyone is still discussing the CFA PSM deadline now that results have been released.

The reason is simple.

Every exam cycle teaches lessons for the next one.

One of those lessons is that administrative requirements matter.

Future Level I candidates often focus exclusively on studying and leave program requirements until the last minute.

The Practical Skills Module is not something you can afford to forget.

As you move forward in the program, remember that success depends on more than just exam performance.

Pay attention to the requirements that surround the exam as well.

What Your Score Report Is Actually Telling You

Most people think the report exists to explain the result.

That’s only partly true.

The report exists to help you understand what produced the result.

Your Overall Result

This is the easiest part to interpret.

You passed or you didn’t.

It’s the answer you were waiting for.

It’s also the part you’ll learn the least from.

Your Overall Scaled Score

This is where things become more interesting.

After every results release, people search for terms such as:

• CFA MPS score meaning
• CFA Level 1 minimum passing score
• CFA Level 1 MPS 2026

What they’re really asking is:

“How close was I?”

Your overall scaled score helps answer that question.

If you didn’t pass, it shows how your performance compared with the passing standard.

If you did pass, it helps you understand how comfortably you cleared that standard.

That’s valuable information.

Your Topic Performance

This is the section you should spend the most time reviewing.

Imagine that you passed.

That’s excellent news.

But passing does not mean every topic was strong.

You may have performed well in Ethics and Financial Statement Analysis while struggling in Derivatives and Alternative Investments.

Those weaknesses do not disappear simply because you passed.

If you’re planning to continue to Level II, they may follow you there.

The same logic applies if you didn’t pass.

Your topic breakdown shows where the biggest opportunities for improvement exist.

Instead of asking:

“Why did I fail?”

you can start asking:

“Which areas would have made the biggest difference?”

That’s a much better question.

Questions Worth Asking Yourself

As you review the report, think about the following:

• Which topics were clearly your strongest?
• Which topics consistently caused problems during preparation?
• Did your exam result align with your mock-exam scores?
• Were there heavily weighted topics where you underperformed?
• If you passed, which weaknesses should you address before Level II?
• If you didn’t pass, where would additional study time produce the biggest return?

Those answers matter much more than the pass rate.

A Quick Word About the Minimum Passing Score

Every results season brings speculation about the MPS.

Let’s keep it simple.

The Minimum Passing Score is the standard you must meet or exceed to pass.

It is not:

• a fixed percentage,
• a grading curve,
• a published score or
• an automatic 70% threshold.

If you’re searching for an exact August 2026 MPS, you’re searching for something CFA Institute does not publicly disclose.

The good news is that you don’t need it.

Your report already tells you what matters.

It shows how your performance compared with the passing standard.

That’s the information you can actually use.

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If You Passed, Here’s What You Should Do Next

Take a moment to enjoy the result.

Level I is not an easy exam and nobody passes it accidentally.

Then start thinking about what comes next.

Look at the Report One More Time

Don’t assume you’ve finished with Level I simply because you passed.

The report can still teach you a lot.

Pay particular attention to weaker topic areas.

They often have a habit of resurfacing later.

Understand What Changes at Level II

Level II feels different.

The questions are built around item sets.

Concepts are integrated rather than isolated.

Application becomes more important than recognition.

If Level I asked whether you understood a concept, Level II often asks whether you can use it.

That’s an important adjustment.

Build a Plan While Level I Is Fresh

If you’re planning to register for CFA Level 2, this is a good time to start thinking about your study plan.

May 2027 registration is open.

More importantly, May 2027 gives you a healthy amount of time to prepare.

That’s not a deadline to worry about.

That’s an opportunity to plan properly.

If You Didn’t Pass, Start Here

A disappointing result is frustrating.

There’s no reason to pretend otherwise.

But this is also where many successful charterholders began.

What matters now is how you respond.

Start With Evidence

Before making any decisions, spend time with the score report.

That’s where the evidence is.

Not on social media.

Not in online rumors.

Not in discussions about the pass rate.

In the report.

Figure Out What Actually Happened

Different results have different causes.

Maybe your content knowledge wasn’t where it needed to be.

Maybe you didn’t complete enough practice questions.

Maybe your mock-exam scores were already warning you that something was wrong.

Maybe timing became a problem on exam day.

The more accurately you identify the issue, the easier it becomes to fix.

Don’t Rush into the Next Window

You don’t have to register immediately.

The right question isn’t:

“What’s the next available exam?”

The right question is:

“How much time do I need to improve?”

Those are very different questions.

Change Something

The most successful retakers rarely repeat exactly the same process.

They adjust.

They study differently.

They practice differently.

They review differently.

The score report helps them decide where those adjustments should happen.

What the August Results Really Mean

The numbers tell us three things.

August improved on May.

The result finished above the recent average.

The gap between first-time candidates and deferred candidates remains substantial.

Those are interesting observations.

They are not predictions.

The most useful lesson is much simpler.

The pass rate tells you how the cohort performed.

Your score report tells you what happened to you.

And right now, that’s the information that matters.

Frequently Asked Questions About the August 2026 CFA Level I Results

What was the CFA Level I pass rate for August 2026?

The CFA Level 1 August 2026 pass rate was 43%.

When were the August 2026 CFA Level I results released?

The CFA Level 1 results August 2026 were released on September 24, 2026.

How many people took the August 2026 Level I exam?

A total of 28,145 people sat for Level I in August 2026.

What does the CFA MPS score meaning refer to?

It refers to the Minimum Passing Score and how your performance compared with the standard required to pass.

How do I check my result?

If you’re looking for how to check CFA exam results, log into your CFA Institute account and access the results section.

What should I do after I pass?

Review your score report, identify weaker areas and begin planning if you intend to register for CFA Level 2.

What should I do if I didn’t pass?

Analyze your score report carefully, identify the factors that affected your performance and use that information to build a stronger preparation plan.

Whether you’re moving to Level II or preparing for another Level I attempt, build your next study plan with AnalystPrep. Start Your Free Trial

Conclusion

By now, the result itself is no longer the question.

The question is what you’re going to do with it.

If you passed, use the score report to identify weaknesses before they become Level II problems.

If you didn’t pass, use the same report to understand what needs to change before your next attempt.

Either way, September 24 was not the finish line.

It was the point where your next decision begins.