First of all congrats on passing L3, I cant imagine the torture of waiting extra for the results but finally theyre out.
So Im going to register for L3 2020 (and bare with my ignorance), I have been using Kaplan for all levels and I was dead set to sign up with Kaplan for L3 they provide in person classes where I live which is what I need to force me to study on weekdays given my demanding job. BUT I have been reading the forum & I have never actually heard of Levelup until I came to l3 forum. Based on most of the threads I feel like I should go with LevelUp for L3 because most of you used it (i think)… since the style is diferent in L3 now I am paranoid to keep my same prep provider/style for L3…
Ive always used kaplan + some supplemental material from CFAI… Im not sure if this will be enough this time. Any thoughts before I deplete my account with kaplan again , I mean if im spending money might is well be worth it.
I used Kaplan for all 3 levels. For Level 1 and 2, it was OK. for Level 3 it missed a lot of detail which was tested on the exam.
I did the following: I read the CFA books. After a reading, I read Kaplan and added notes in the book. I did the same after I did mocks. Add all your comments in the Kaplan books and use these to study finally. It worked well for me (passed level 3).
One more thing. Not a lot of people are keen on Wiley. I used there mocks and I have to say, the AM mocks are the best I had (compared to Kaplan and CFAI mocks). I have to say, there are a lot of typo’s but the level of difficulty really makes you understand the curriculum.
I’ve been keen on using the Curriculum, my only worry is time… im wondering how did you balance goin through the lenghty curriculum whilst having a job? & I havent seen the curriculum for l3, is it less lenghty than l1-l2, everytime I started with it in the past levels I gave up because i thought it was just WAY too much material, maybe its diferent for l3? Im going to start studying early, but i do feel like videos usually help me retain way more vs just reading.
I heard for Level up too but I went with Kaplan. I used it for all the levels. I also used IFT videos. Use them to understand the material. Just practice from the official curriculum …EOCs, Blue Boxes along with Kaplan questions. That should be fine.
Used only MM and CFAI question bank. Passed L3 closed to 90th percentile. Note that I finished the materials just a few days before the exam. I couldnt even manage to complete all MM mocks… (They have four full set, which are ridiculously awesome!)
For L2, I used MM and CFAI as well but I only watched like 70-80% of MM’s videos and completed 40% of CFAI’s question bank. Passed with first attempt, barely above the MPS.
Used Schweser because I’ve been using it for L1-L2. Dont want to mess with what works.
Supplemented with answering CFAI EOCs, online practice questions and mocks, and 2015-2018 am essay mocks, as well as watching youtube videos on answering and grading am mocks.
Got around 90th percentile for L3.
But is it the best resource available? Likely no, but as mentioned, I didnt want to mess with what works. On its own, it’s definitely not enough to be confident, as I had to look through a lot of other resources to make sure I got the concepts down.
Kaplan for level 3 is a waste of time and money IMO. Trust me I tried multiple times with them including the premium package with pass guarantee in 2018. I used all their videos, online weekly courses, all q bank and mocks… still failed in 2018. Flash fwd to 2019 i used the CFAI curriculum mostly and Daren Millar classes to bring this thing home. I am sure Kaplan works for some but test is directly from CFAI Books so why waste time reading anything else!? I would focus on the Curriculum and complement your studies with a provider with class or video directly based on those.
I truly saw the kaplan quality detoriating over the years too! Their instructors basically read of slides and notes miss a ton of points. STICK to CFAI CIRRICULUM.
I used Level Up videos and boot camp, passed first time near 90th percentile and have nothing but good things to say about Marc and his approach. He focuses on the curriculum and old essay questions and that’s what’s important. Nothing is a magic bullet, you have to put the work in. You also have to come prepared to the boot camp to get the most out of it.
After doing official CFAI EOC questions, topic tests and mocks more than once as well as all relevant past essay exam questions (beautifully organized by Marc in the binder he provides at the boot camp), I supplemented with K-S practice exams and I think that helped me with the PM.
I used Kaplan for all 3 levels. Just below the 90th percentile on L3. AM session Kaplan was lacking. Did all CFAI old tests and bought Meldrum mock exams to supplement. I think it is all about what works best for you. Some colleagues of mine love Meldrums videos, but for me, they would be a waste of time because I get distracted and wouldn’t pay attention. Overall, Kaplan did a good job for the item sets, and ok for AM, but CFAI old exams were key to AM.
Agree with StxBnds. I used Kaplan for all 3 levels and was above 90th percentile on L2 & L3. They have enough content so you can learn all the material, but doing old AM exams is crucial. Write as many AM exams (Kaplan and old CFAI) as possible and make sure you are answering the question quickly and concisely. I’d suggest doing all AM practice exams in a timed environment.
I used Kaplan as well for all 3 levels and it was just fine. It gets what you need to know content-wise, but don’t rely on their q-bank for practice questions. Use their mocks while also doing the CFAI mocks and the past AM sections (I did all back to 2015).
That last part of 125’s comment is completely inaccurate. Marc’s materials (videos, slide book and focus guide) are absolutely foundational. Seriously, I don’t get the Marc criticism and even hate on here, especially by those how didn’t use his materials or boot camp.
There’s more than one way to pass and Marc’s method worked for a lot of us. The key is starting early, working hard, mastering the concepts and doing problems, problems and more problems whether CFAI EOC questions, topics tests, mocks, old am questions. Marc provided practical advice as to what was relevant and what to focus on.
You will find time, I did it with a full time job and two young children. But with that being said, i didnt use curriculum either, maybe that was a mistake, because the institute does like to ask questions that will only appear in curriculum, but not to a significant amount. Ask the lv3 ppl this year, they will know which one i am talking about. Still, if time is a problem to you, you can still stick with the 3rd party material that will teach you just enough to pass. I personally used schweser notes and MM video for lv 3, it taught me just enough to pass, and saved time from reading the lengthy curriculum. So my point is, if you wanna kill it and be the top 10%, go with the curriculum, it covers everything. If you dont have time and just wanna a pass, 3rd party is enough if you master their contents.
I passed L3 this year and used Marc and LevelUp. It was definitely was a good foundation, his materials help you focus on the right areas, and I felt walking out of the exam that there was nothing I was completely surprised by. In the final month I focused on mocks and practice questions, and did buy the MM practice exams to supplement as they weren’t very expensive.
If I would to use Levelup for l3, how many hours per day/week is recommended to cover everything in a timely manner? because with Kaplan I would be going to a ‘in person’ class so they already have all the hours per week mapped out and with level up i would have to organize myself rather than have no other option than to attend that class today (with kaplan)
, I mean if im spending money might is well be worth it.