IFT recommends the following order of study for your Level I exam preparation:
1. Quantitative Methods - This is the base that is required to understand other topics
2. Corporate Issuers - This is a relatively easy topic and will help you build confidence.
3. Equity - Another topic that is relatively easy
After the easy topics are done you can move to remaining topics which are slightly difficult.
4. Economics
5. FRA
6. Fixed Income
7. Derivatives
8. Alternative Investments
9. Portfolio Management
You can do ethics at the end. This is an easy but theoretical topic.
10. Ethics