Best CFA Level II Materials

[system]

@Topperharley

@kjames05

If you’re good at digesting large amounts of information and want to bore yourself, use CFAI. If you’re like most others, I would definitely recommend the use of third-party materials. Those saying using anything but CFAI materials is ridiculous can shove it. FIguratively speaking, third-party materials allow you to eat the main course without being forced to eat salad.

My history of materials:

Used CFAI, then Schweser for review for L1. Wish I had only used Schweser because I couldn’t remember half the topics when reviewing them.

Used only Schweser for L2 last year and failed band 9. This was mostly due to my lack of study hours put in and some personal issues.

Used Elan this year and feel like I crushed it. Although Elan blows when it comes to customer service and timeliness for release of materials, their wording and explanation of hard concepts are second to none.

My recommendation:

Buy Elan notes, EHG and PQ’s. Use CFAI for Ethics, like others have said. Go through the curriculum doing Elan PQs and CFAI EOCs after each reading. Leave two months for review and do as many mocks as possible.

sorry but if you failed the exam, no one cares what your study material recommendations are.

+1

[MrSmart]

@Topperharley

@kjames05

If you’re good at digesting large amounts of information and want to bore yourself, use CFAI. If you’re like most others, I would definitely recommend the use of third-party materials. Those saying using anything but CFAI materials is ridiculous can shove it. FIguratively speaking, third-party materials allow you to eat the main course without being forced to eat salad.

My history of materials:

Used CFAI, then Schweser for review for L1. Wish I had only used Schweser because I couldn’t remember half the topics when reviewing them.

Used only Schweser for L2 last year and failed band 9. This was mostly due to my lack of study hours put in and some personal issues.

Used Elan this year and feel like I crushed it. Although Elan blows when it comes to customer service and timeliness for release of materials, their wording and explanation of hard concepts are second to none.

My recommendation:

Buy Elan notes, EHG and PQ’s. Use CFAI for Ethics, like others have said. Go through the curriculum doing Elan PQs and CFAI EOCs after each reading. Leave two months for review and do as many mocks as possible.

sorry but if you failed the exam, no one cares what your study material recommendations are.

He supposedly “crushed” it this time.

[klaudnine]

I have a bunch of coworkers who are either CFA charterholders or CFA III candidates and none of them recommended reading the CFAI except for ethics and FRA. Granted that is a pretty small sample.

[MrSmart]

@klaudnine

I have a bunch of coworkers who are either CFA charterholders or CFA III candidates and none of them recommended reading the CFAI except for ethics and FRA. Granted that is a pretty small sample.

There has been a recent trend starting from last December’s L1 exam. The CFAI has been slowly shifting away from the third party material, I can’t say if it’s on purpose.

What I mean is, you will have difficulties when trying to find shortcuts to the material. The program requires you to thoroughly understand the material and concepts, something that questions should be able to reveal going forward. I’ll be relying on CFAI this time next June, seeing as L1 questions freaked me out, even though I passed.

[aertsommelier]

I used Kaplan to study for L1 and did very well (>70 in all topics, except AI 50-70).

I again used Kaplan to study for L2, and I think I did very well in the Jun 2014 exam. I only used the CFAI texts to clarify material in Schweser that I think were quite unclear (mostly Intercorporate Investments in FRA and MBS, ABS in fixed income).

[kjames05]

CFAI does not produce third party material; hence the term third-party. If any company is shifting away from tested material it would be the third party companies shifting away from CFAI printed material.

[Robotech]

@MrSmart

I’ll be personally using the original CFAI, since it’s the most complete, and there is plenty of time to study.

This is the best material. 3rd party stuff definitely helps, but is no substitute.

[terenganalyst]

I’d like to buy someones CFA Level II material for May 2014.

[klaudnine]

sure how much you paying?

[lequanftu26]

IMO, For passing the test, go with 3rd materials with CFAI questions

For getting most of knowledge, go with the CFAI curriculum