Hey guys, just wanted to do a quick roll call. If you went to the CU Boot camp, did you pass?
I passed, and I thought Marc’s instruction was absolutely invaluable in terms of strategy and preparation focus for the final few weeks.
I passed. His course and methods did give me a lot of confidence although my results in the IPS , his ace subject, were not reflective.
Another plus is the timing of the course which is perfect, not too early or too close to the exam. Forces you to do 4 day revision inspite of other urges
I passed. Marc was great but I attribute my success to the power poses I did on exam day…
Marc was awesome. I will say that I went to Creighton well prepared to get the maximum value out of the experience. He is probably the foremost expert on Level 3 period.
Passed! Marc’s review was great and I also thought the practice materials he provides were excellent. It’s funny because I did poorly on the IPS as well, I think nerves might have had something to do with it because I did poorly on the first 3 questions.
I know two others who attended and passed as well.
Passed! I probably would have gotten through regardless due to overpreparation, but the bootcamp was awesome and worth every penny. Marc is the man. Really liked his tips about mental preparation. I was power-posing in the bathroom before AM session to get my confidence up.
Highly recommend it in May as a great way to put an exclamation point on your study program; to get the most out of it, I would absolutely destroy blue boxes in the months leading up to the workshop.
Passed and I highly recommend his course. If anything he scares the crap out of you with his focus on detail.
Passed. At Level 1 and 2, I did every Blue Box, but only once. I did the EOC questions 2-3 times. For L3, based on Marc’s constant floor stomping about blue Boxes, I worked through every blue box four times and 2 IPS questions from his handout between the Bootcamp and the test. The Blue boxes were key to doing well.
Folks who attended CU boot camp -
Are there notes which you guys have taken or was shared by Marc from this bootcamp? I am willing to buy it from you.
Please let me know if any of you are willing to sell it (it could be your own hand written notes as well and I dont mind).
The reason is simple, I am desperate to know what mistake I did in AM as I dont know where I missed out 
Ive done 2004 to 2012 practise exams as well - so cant do any more practises
And yeah I can easily claim my handwriting is really good - so I dont think its that case as well Cheers guys and thanks for your help.
Sooraj, I am coming to Chennai in November and I can share my notes then
You completely made my day (and probably entire 2014) Janakisri and so nice of you mate! Looking forward to meeting you as well in person. Cheers!
I attended the boot camp and passed. It’s definitely not a silver bullet that guarantees passing, but it helped me to tie everything together. As others have mentioned here and other threads, the IPS tips and tricks are very helpful and gave me confidence going in to the exam. You defintely need to go the bootcamp well prepared… it’s funny, Marc repeatedly says study this and that, and review this and that, and do all the blue boxes, EOC, past exams, etc… but you only have like 5 or 6 weeks to do so after the bootcamp. Not enough time. It needs to be done before you go.
I’d also be curious to hear what the overall pass rate is this year when Marc informally calculates it. Based on this thread, results are good so far, but maybe those that didn’t pass aren’t as quick to post.
NormalContango, thanks - obviously his notes are not going to guarantee me a pass. But I feel, if I put in almost the same effort which I put in this year (to get a band 10), with his notes I might be able to give myself a good chance of passing.
Obviously no notes can guarantee a pass.
A coworker and friend of mine all attended CU. All three of us passed - and we all commend the camp on focusing our attention on every bit of minutia. My coworker and I used Schweser last year and failed. Using Marc’s guide (and focusing on CFAI material only), blue boxes, graphs, tables, etc., definitely helped us. We also passed easily. You have to put in the work, but by focusing on the packet Marc sends out well in advance and abiding by it, we came in prepared for bootcamp. Having four days to do nothing but focus on the exam was huge. Great timing as well - three weeks before the exam. The key is to come prepared BEFORE the bootcamp. It’s not a magic pill. You have to put the work in, but Marc gives you a map to success.
Its a shame that is offered only in Omaha!
Wondering how I can get my hands on Marc’s notes especially the IPS tricks and tips ??!!
I think the comment about Marc’s course not being a silver bullet is spot on. Even if you have his tips and tricks, etc, it doesn’t matter if you don’t already have a thorough understanding of the material. I finished all CFAI material by Feb, read vol 2 again, did all blue boxes again (and made a spreadsheet identifying them and their content) and did all EOC questions again. I wrote everything out in pen like it was the exam. That is what I did BEFORE the bootcamp. In general I didn’t find Level 3 as mystifying as some make it out to be one here. I feel that Schweser just doesn’t do a good job for Level 3. You need to plan on reading CFAI. Can you pass just using Schweser? Absolutely, but the exam itself will be a lot easier if you practice from CFAI.
You are Bang on … !
Live Classes are not the preparation by themselves, but part of it. The idea of going there is not to learn the curriculum but to fine-tune, practise, share and most importantly to get the added value ( in terms of writing tips and approach for AM ) from someone like Marc.
We all know by now, most candidates do well in PM but struggle in AM. Understanding the nuances of constructed response questions including the various command words is key. Contrast versus compare are two different things!!
We also all know IPS will be in the exam, but still with all the preparation ,a lot of candidates screw up that portion or get stuck with it and eventually rush into the remaining portion. I believe IPS sets the tone for AM ( unless you use a different strategy of not starting with it like a lot of candidates have outlined on this forum). So knowing how to strucuture your writing to maximise your score is very crucial!
A lot of retakers will back me on that, despite completing all the CFAI Essay questions (with guidelines), study providers’ mocks & Qbanks, but still end up getting hammered in AM and which unfortunately translates into a fail.
So those ’ little tricks and tips’ do make a huge difference ( Ask a Band 10). Its heart breaking to hear candidates saying ’ what more can I do ?’… and in most cases they do know their stuff. Someone rightly said on this forum, it is not only what you know, but how you are able to explain it in words.
I would appreciate if anyone can share some of Marc’ strategy or ‘preparation focus’ that most have talked about on this thread.
I would attend the course, but unfortunately it is offered only in Omaha!
Cheers,
we saw several attendees from other countries . There was a guy from Germany . 1 from Belgium and 1 from Singapore.
If you’re from Canada it should be less of a problem for you
Looking for Bootcamp notes of Marc. I failed this year in Band 10 after working very hard. Exhausted most of the study material and practice tests (from 2008-2013). If I could buy the notes from someone, that would definately help. Even if these notes are handwritten/handouts, certainly these would assist. Reciving shipping from outside my city would also assist.
Unfortunately it is a bit of a problem for me. My little man ! ( he is one ) 
Cheers,