Anyone else doing the weekly Schweser class?

It never has seemed like a very popular option among AF’ers, but I’m a 2 year alum of Schweser’s weekly online class. It has always been the center of my schedule and discipline throughout my preparation. It might be the LEAST useful at level III (and I can’t really see someone jumping on the class who hasn’t done it already for two levels), but I’m sticking with it out of habit and fear that I would quickly lose my timing and focus without it. Anyone else on board? First class is one week away (Jan 20)

Not doing the Schweser weekly class, but I am doing a local society weekly class to keep me on schedule. I have never done a class before, so hopefully it is worth it. My first class is Wednesday.

I’m into the Schweser videos. Doing SS5 as we speak.

I’m doing the Schweser weekly in person class, starts next Wed. Did it for levels I and II. Not sure it helps, but there’s no way I’m stopping now…

I am doing the weekly online class… would prefer the in person class, but I do live in Podunk.

Yeah I’m doing it this year… planning to tune in live on Tuesday nights… first time for me, hopefully will help prevent me from procrastinating as badly as on LI and LII. I’ve actually got a question for you, plyon (or anyone else with online class experience): I was thinking my approach will be to read the covered Schweser Readings prior to the class (Sunday - Monday) as a minimum, “attend” the class live on Tuesday night, then spend Weds-Sat going through Schweser end-of-chaper questions, SchweserPro, and CFAI reading/problems where appropriate. Does that sound like the right approach, or did you find it helpful in the past to spend either more or less time on the SS prior to the lecture?

I did the online class for level II but not for level I. I find it worthless with two exceptions 1) keeps me ahead of schedule 2) get’s me out of work by 5:45 every week. My study habits are about as unpredictable as this market so who knows what happens a month from now. I am thinking about converting them to MP3 but not sure it is worth the additional $50 or so to buy the equipment. I already feel duped.

hey, please tell me whats the average class size? is it really interactive or just passive… i mean do u get a chance to clear ur doubt

I’m doing the online class. Did it for Level II also so I figured I’d do it again. Like others have said, I’m not sure how much I actually get out of it, but I was willling to spend the money to at a minimum make sure I stay on schedule. Can’t hurt to reinforce what I’ve already read earlier in the week too.

Thanks guys for the info,i am also gng ahead with the online class, notes pack and secret sauce. Please guide if schweser Pro is needed… i mean do u get so much time to do all those questions?

rasharma Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Thanks guys for the info,i am also gng ahead with > the online class, notes pack and secret sauce. > Please guide if schweser Pro is needed… i > mean do u get so much time to do all those > questions? It’s up to you. By now you should know somewhat what works for you. At levels I & II I answered 90% or more of the Q bank questions (can’t remember if I did them all last year or not). Class is somewhat interactive (you can submit questions, but some will be answered by an assistant in the chat window rather than live by the professor). You also get faculty “office hours” and they really will answer your emails in detail whenever you have a question.

I did Schweser weekly class for I and II and found it very helpful (especially on the discipline front) - I absolutely give them credit for helping me get through those two exams first time round. I did the class last year for level III and found it very dull and not very useful so I’m not registering again this year - actually I’m not using Schweser at all this year. Having (obviously!) failed last year, I’m basing my study firmly on the curriculum. This is a different beast entirely and I learned the hard way that what worked at I and II didn’t work for III. In terms of discipline (where it might still be useful for first-timers), the weekly class might play a role. But for me, as a re-taker, I’m starting with the study sessions I performed worse on, so the weekly order as dictated by Schweser isn’t as helpful in establishing discipline as it was last year.

Nobody ‘gets’ time to do all those questions. It’s a matter of time management. Plyon seems to be very good at that :slight_smile:

tamiaira Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I did the class last year for level III and found > it very dull and not very useful so I’m not > registering again this year - actually I’m not > using Schweser at all this year. Having > (obviously!) failed last year, I’m basing my study > firmly on the curriculum. This is a different > beast entirely and I learned the hard way that > what worked at I and II didn’t work for III. Just curious… did you read the curriculum last year, or rely almost entirely on Schweser notes?

Good post, tamiaira… thanks for the insight, I will certainly heed your warning. I don’t really have high expectations for the class other than to structure my studying around. My plan is to take Sunday and Monday to do a read-throughcof the Schweser Readings covered in the upcoming class (usually 1-2 SS), watch the lecture live to reinforce a basic understanding, then spend Wednesday-Saturday doing Schweser questions and digging into CFAI material (both reading selected areas and doing end-of-chapter questions). Does that sound like a reasonably approach that achieves CFAI/Schweser balance?

Personally I would recommend front-loading the studying a bit. Ideally, I have always had all the readings and some questions finished BEFORE the class. The class was then a reinforcement / reiteration of the concepts and material covered. After the class (again, ideally), I would just do another 100 or so questions from the Q bank and then by Thursday I’d be well on my way into the next section. For me, my greatest in depth coverage of the material should come BEFORE the class (so I can ask questions or I can realize that the most detailed stuff might not be on the exam). This worked well for me.

I agree tamiaira - the classes are great solely for keeping pace with the curriculum, but other than that - classes tend to be very basic. Use your instructor resources to answer concepts that aren’t clear and use your qbank/passmaster to get bombard yourself with constant questions. Lastly, be familiar on the format of the a/m - recognize not only the topic that tends to be tested but specifically what they are asking for. The morning is definitely the portion of the exam that is most difficult to pass. http://www.cfainstitute.org/cfaprog/resources/essaytips.html

I used the live Schweser classes for L1 and L2. While I don’t think it was the largest factor in my passing, it did add to my studying experience a bit. I originally wanted the class for additional support should I need it, but essentially it turned into a “nice to have” because the instructors pointed out good tips here and there that helped overall. It definitely helps keep you on track if you need the kick in the pants as I did. One thing I noticed already for L3 is that doing essay questions in class is a useful exercise especially when they teach you how to answer an essay question for the CFAI - something that is hard to learn on your own. If you can afford it or have the cost picked up for you then why not? Otherwise, make certain you really utilize that extra 3 hours a week.

Starts today, right? How do I log into this? I’m not seeing a link…

Plyon - did you just post a question during class? I think I saw your name. Looks like you have become plural or your first name start with an “S”