Which one of you used the Elan Guides and can you compare/contrast it with stalla and schweser? Did you buy the Elan notes? Or just the mocks and 11th hour? It looks like Elan notes have the LOS’s and reference the CFAI page numbers from each volume which is nice, kind of makes you follow the CFAI books, etc. Seems like Elan is really going straight out of the CFAI volume books and just breaking it down for you. I have read the Schweser notes and they have a different style, just wondering if maybe one of these study materials are misleading. I know for Ethics, everyone is using the CFAI books, but for other topics like Econ maybe another study material is better.
Elan provides free Econ book if you register for them. You can probably compare that with Schweser. I have received the free Econ book from Elan but have not taken a look at it yet. Planning to finish Book 4 and 5 before I hit Econ.
msk Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Elan provides free Econ book if you register for > them. You can probably compare that with Schweser. > I have received the free Econ book from Elan but > have not taken a look at it yet. > > Planning to finish Book 4 and 5 before I hit Econ. Yeah I noticed you can get a free Econ book. Let me know your opinion on the study guides, it looks like Elan just started making materials in 2009, not sure how good the materials are compared with Schweser. But from the samples they provide, I like the layout, looks easy to read.
I have 11th hour, it’s pretty good but I haven’t seen Secret Sauce so I can’t compare. Based on what I’ve seen from the samples, the Elan guides look every bit as good as any other guide.
I used the CFAI curriculum till March. I bought the 11th hour guide to review which I really liked so I upgraded to their final stretch pack (lectures and mocks). I also got their econ book for free. As I have said already on another thread, I really liked all their materials. If I had to do it again, I would have just gone with their package instead of struggling through the CFA books and feeling insecure about being able to retain everything. I can’t comment on how they stand up to schweser’s notes, but I remember some people comparing the two on other threads a while ago and saying that Elan is actually better.
Yeah, I was reading the Hypothesis Testing sample and really like how they break it down. I know the subject is not the hardest section on CFA, but liked how it gives a simple basketball player points scored example. then goes into the application of the formulas, etc, etc. I also like the structure and format. They also explain the material a little differently than Schweser. It almost seems that Elan read the CFAI materials and translated to a easier way of interpreting it. Again, well see. Looks like they might have cfa l2 in the future. I have not looked at stalla, it looks a little overpriced. I think they use the “passmaster” system just like the CPA exam does for the Becker CPA study review. Becker is the most expensive system for the CPA studies
I used all Schweser materials (note,Secret sauce,video) until early May when some guys here recommended Elan 11th hour. I bought it the day after and it is way better than Schweser Secret Sauce. I upgraded to the Final Stretch package too and thought their Mock Exam is better than Schweser Practice Test. If I have to retake L1, absolutely I’m gonna buy the full package. I think they have some major upgrade for Dec L1 taker (3 mock, more video…)
I used the Elan materials for June having failed band 10 in December. I really like them. The videos were long but you can skip through if you “know” that section. There are also some hidden gems in the videos that are not in the notes. I used Schweser QBank for December and felt it was a HUGE waste of time. Follow the Elan materials, and do the CFAI EOC questions. If you are having difficulty with a section go through the Elan and CFAI materials until you get it. The Elan Mocks and 11th Hour guide are fantastic in preparing for the exam. As someone else said they have some upgrades coming out which should make them even better.
I used Secret sauce,video, notes and Schweser QBank. Video was ok-ish but I have not seen video cources by other providers (i.e. Stella). Notes were shorter then CFAI books but I can´t say they were clearer. Sometimes opposite. Schweser QBank - money waste(!). If I failed exam then this would have been purely due to the time I had wasted with Schweser QBank. I gave up Schweser 2 weeks before the exam and purchased Elan mocks which were closest match (i tried mocks from CFAI, Schweser and Stalla as well) to the actual exam. I now wish I could buy 11th Hour guide and dump Secret Sauce. the latter one is hugely overpriced and I strogly recommend everyone to avoid it. If I am to go for december exam, I will stick to CFAI EOC, Elan and mocks. Kaplan no longer a good choice. It also sends false confidence signals… I don´t know what were previous exams look like, but june 2010 was more conceptual (i.e. Elan approach) rather than get the formula and plug numbers (i.e. Schweser). good luck. regards, Alex
From Schweser I had the mocks, regular books, qbank, and secret sauce. From Elan I had the eleventh hour and mocks. Eleventh hour KILLS secret sauce. Its straight, to the point, and covers an insane amount of material (virtually every sentence is testable material). Secret Sauce meanders about a bit. In the actual exam, it seemed that certain questions were lifted from the eleventh hour book. Strongly recommended over Secret Sauce. Mocks, I’d say get Elan (who test on concepts), but also use vol 1 of schweser (covers easy calcs, and concept. vol 2 is calculation heavy, which the CFA exam is not). Regular books, Schweser was good, but given Elans quality in Eleventh Hour, I wonder if I chose the wrong provider. Still, I cant really comment. I thought Schweser Qbank was really good for drilling in basic concepts, but it abysmal as far as practice for the actual exam goes. If Elan made a Qbank, I’d probably recommend it given that Elan seems to understand the CFA style of questioning better.
I used Elan guides for the June exam. And I have used schweser before for my previous attempt. Their study notes are structured according to the CFAI books and reference to page no.s really helps although I hardly used them because the notes explain the concepts very well. Schweser on the other hand has a slightly different style but they are obviously not ‘misleading’ many people use them. Overall elans study notes are better. The eleventh hour is way better than the secret sauce any body who has seen both will agree. And their mocks were also very much like the real exam. But if you are planning to buy it is best to evaluate the samples urself on their website.
Elan Guides makes the curriculum understandable - I like their coverage of Fixed Income, Derivatives and Alternative Investments. Schweser has the advantage of having many questions - which makes your chances of passing higher if you do all of them.
I just registered on their website. How long do they take to send the free economics book?
Nevermind. Got it yesterday 
Mustafa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I would have just gone with their package > instead of struggling through the CFA books and > feeling insecure about being able to retain > everything. I’m still waiting for my package. Are the CFAI books really that bad?
No that’s not what I meant. The CFA books are very good in their own right. Having read them properly definitely helped me and the real-world examples really added to my knowledge base. I can also see them being a huge help for people with no background in accounting. But as you will probably realize in another 3 months, there is a LOT of material to cover. Elan makes is much easier to study for the exam. At the same time, I definitely agree with the people here who have said that it makes the curricullum more understandable as well. Their videos were great and as for the Eleventh Hour Guide and mocks, they’re like a must have! defone Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Mustafa Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > I would have just gone with their package > > instead of struggling through the CFA books and > > feeling insecure about being able to retain > > everything. > > I’m still waiting for my package. Are the CFAI > books really that bad?
I have spent the last week or so going back and forth between Schweser’s economics book from 2009 and Elan’s economics e-book. Based on this I have decided to go with Elan. From your comments I am assuming the rest of their stuff is as good (if not better). Thanks.
Are their E-Books printable? Which ones did you people go for? Print or Electronic?
I just ordered the Elan Ultimate Prep Package for Dec 2010. Seems like a really great deal compared to Schweser and Stalla and I’ve heard glowing reviews.
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