CFA
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Chartered Financial Analyst |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Education & Academia, Medical, Science & Engineering |
CFA has three meanings. The most common are Chartered Financial Analyst (professional certification) and Common femoral artery (anatomy); it can also stand for Confirmatory factor analysis.
Meanings of CFA at a glance
| # | CFA stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chartered Financial Analyst | Education & Academia › Professional Certification |
| 2 | Common femoral artery | Medical › Anatomy |
| 3 | Confirmatory factor analysis | Science & Engineering › Psychology |
1. Chartered Financial Analyst
Education & Academia · Professional Certification Abbreviations
Investment credential from the CFA Institute earned by passing three sequential exams covering ethics, financial reporting, equity, fixed income, derivatives and portfolio management, and completing 4,000 hours of relevant work experience over at least three years. It is widely considered the leading credential in investment management.
Example: John Ortiz, CFA, manages the firm's dividend equity portfolio.
Candidates typically take four years or more and study about 300 hours per level; pass rates have often been below 50 percent. From 2025 Level III offers specialized pathways in portfolio management, private markets and private wealth. The CFA Institute regulates how the marks may be used: "CFA charterholder" is correct, while "a CFA" is discouraged.
2. Common femoral artery
Medical · Anatomy Abbreviations
Continuation of the external iliac artery below the inguinal ligament, felt at the groin as the femoral pulse. It is a common access site for cardiac catheterization and endovascular procedures and divides into the superficial and deep femoral arteries.
Example: Right CFA access with ultrasound guidance; 6 French sheath placed.
Puncturing too high, above the inguinal ligament, raises the risk of retroperitoneal bleeding, while too low raises the risk of pseudoaneurysm, which is why ultrasound and fluoroscopic landmarks guide access. Radial artery access has replaced femoral access for many coronary procedures because it causes fewer bleeding complications.
3. Confirmatory factor analysis
Science & Engineering · Psychology Abbreviations · also used in measurement
Statistical technique that tests whether data fit a pre-specified model of how observed variables, such as questionnaire items, relate to underlying latent factors. Researchers use CFA to confirm that a scale measures the constructs it is supposed to.
Example: CFA supported a five-factor structure for the questionnaire, with good fit indexes.
CFA differs from exploratory factor analysis (EFA), which discovers factors without a predetermined structure. Model fit is judged with indexes such as CFI, RMSEA and SRMR. CFA is a component of structural equation modeling. In finance CFA means Chartered Financial Analyst.
Related abbreviations
More professional certification abbreviations
- CEH – Certified Ethical Hacker
- CELTA – Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
- CEM – Certified Energy Manager
- CEU – Continuing education unit
- CFE – Certified Fraud Examiner
- CFP – Certified Financial Planner
- CFRE – Certified Fund Raising Executive
- CGMA – Chartered Global Management Accountant
See all 134 professional certification abbreviations →
More anatomy abbreviations
- C2 – Second cervical vertebra (axis)
- C5-C6 – Fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae (intervertebral level)
- C7 – Seventh cervical vertebra (vertebra prominens)
- CBD – Common bile duct
- CMC – Carpometacarpal (joint)
- CN – Cranial nerve
- CNS – Central nervous system
- CVA – Costovertebral angle
See all 70 anatomy abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.