Hey,
I really need some help on deciding how to prepare for Level 1! (December 2012)
I have been going over a lot of forums in order to clear the doubts that I have.
So, I major in finance and economics, and I was planning on using Schweser notes along with the EOC of the CFA texbooks. I’ve seen that many people have done it and have passed Level I.
I just wanted to make sure that this strategy actually works. Can I use this same strategy for level II without any problems?
Thanks
It works. Specially for Level I.
In my opinion, the more you advance in the program the more you need to rely on CFAI material.
I relied entirely on CFAI material and supplemented with Schweser’s mock exams. We’ll see how well that strategy worked in about 3 weeks when we get results back.
Ultimately CFAI is much more detailed so if you have the time, try to at least do one read through the entire curriculum. Regardless, do the CFAI EOC questions like you have planned to. I found these extremely helpful.
Good luck!
"It is a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money."
Albert Camus
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I did CFAI material, supplemented with Schweser’s QBank and Videos lectures. We’ll see how that goes.
I lost my Econ text book. So when I redid the EOC’s before the test, I didn’t do econ. When I got to the test, I could tell that I hadn’t done them asecond time. Econ would’ve been easier with them.
Better to go with CFA Material.It helps you in-depth understanding of each topic and you will be very comfortable in L2 & L3. Basics is always needs to be very solid.You have plenty of time,you can do it.
It’s different for each person IMHO. Have a look through the CFA material, and some sample material that Schweser provides on their website. See if you can honestly read through the entire CFA Institute curriculum and sufficiently absorb enough to take a tough exam on it. If you’re not confident, go for Schweser.
I’ve known quite a few candidates that have stubbornly stuck to CFA Institute material because ‘it is the best’ even though the way it is written (narrative and non-visual) is clearly not working for them. They usually ended up not going for the exam as they took too long to go through the curriculum.
You can get away with your method for now, but later on in Level 2, you may come across a topic they assume you know already from studying your Level 1 material. You find out you don’t and waste time reading over concepts you would have learned from using the CFAI text the first time around.