CFA or MBA: Know the Difference CFA and MBA are two different courses in finance that offer entirely different skills to the learner. For instance, an MBA course focuses on marketing, finance, operations, and other management skills. Whereas a CFA finance course enhances your investment management skills such as Investment strategy, asset allocation, corporate finance, etc. In simpler terms, MBA is related to management skill learning, and CFA finance course provides finance skills to the student. Moreover, the duration for an MBA course is generally two years, and the CFA exam could take plenty of years depending upon your preparation and level of skills. MBA is a classroom lecturebased course where admission into a business school is compulsory. Also, you must attend at least the minimum number of lectures as specified by the school before you attend the exam. The CFA finance course, on the other hand, is a rigorous self-study program where you can learn stock evaluation, investment analysis, and more. Three levels of CFA exams must be passed to become a Chartered financial analyst. Furthermore, there are online valuation courses available for the finance students to enhance their equity analysis skills and prepare better for the CFA exams. Hope, this clears the air of confusion surrounding CFA VS MBA discussion.