used only schweser + 6mock exams +1 cfa mock exams… did not open CFAI books passed but below 50 in ethics, *PEACE*
I used CFAI only in 2012 and got a band 8. This year I got Schweser and Finquiz (awesome Q bank and mocks). I also did all the EOC in CFAI. >70 in all except Ethics (50-70). The trick I realized is not how many mocks you do but how many times you went through the answers to the mocks. I did 6 full length mocks. Schweser Vol 1 has 3 fairly easy mocks (I took one exam and simply scanned the answers to the remaining two). Vol 2 has the real stuff. Finquiz mocks beat Schweser hands down.
IMHO another important aspect is revision. I went through the entire Schweser notes twice. Reading and solving problems. This is impossible to do with CFAI (I tried and failed last year - pun intended) if you have a full-time job. That said, if you don’t do CFAI EOC and mock, rest assured you are hurting your chances.
A general study plan should look like this:
By mid March complete Schweser once. Reading and problems. I wasn’t very through in this step since I knew I’d do it again to fill the gaps. Jumped a few sections in Economics.
Mid March to end of April [45 days]: Redo Schweser but this time with CFAI EOC.
May: Practice, practice, practice mocks.
Good Luck!
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