Hi all,
First of all just wanted to say this forum has been extremely helpful for me.
Is it possible to self study Level II or should I attend classes? In Hong Kong, most people I know who have done or attempted the CFA exams use the Schweser books/classes.
If I were to self study, would you guys recommend Schwser or other resources (undestand there are pros and cons to the different resources)? If I were to use the Schweser books, how would you recommend I supplement this? Last time around I used the Schweser books but also wished that there were resources I could listen to or watch on the go on my phone.
To give you guys a better idea of my background:
I did the CFA Level I (studied full time for 6 months) 6 years ago, before I embarked on my career as an M&A lawyer. Due to a change in circumstances and the fact that I now get off work at decent hours, I am considering doing CFA Level II for personal interest/challenge and also to better ‘speak the lingo’ when communicating with the business professionals in my line of work.
My only formal training in accounting/finance/economics was studying the CFA Level I. I planned to self study Level I but after spending a month with and struggling with the Schweser books I realized I needed more help and enrolled in the Kaplan Level I courses (really helped to have someone explain concepts/calculations and to have someone answer questions). I found level 1 quite challenging and felt extremely mathematically challenged (I know Level I was v. easy for most of you and the maths in Level II will be much harder). I probably spent more than 300 hours preparing for Level 1 but it was worth it - I passed on first try, with all 7 topics 70% or above, 3 topics 51-70% and no topics below 50%.
Many thanks in advance!