As I’m going through my Kaplan Schweser program, should I also be reading the CFAI books?
I can understand that it doesn’t hurt but I just feel like it would slow be down a bit. Maybe just do the questions?
Mate, I just got started and here are my 2 cents.
First, let me address a statement you made… “Maybe just do the questions?”
Not maybe. For sure!! There is no way one should sit for the real exam without having dealt with all of the Practice Problems in the CFAI books.
Ok. There are two strategies:
- CFAI - 3000 Pages — Read and solve EOC questions. Will take 250 hours.
Pro - You have seen 100% of the content. Con - Maybe you have only retained 70%.
- Schweser Notes - 1500 Pages — Read and understand everything very well. Go and do EOC questions in CFAI. 250 hours.
Pro - You got done faster and retained a lot of what you read. Con - You have only seen 80% of the content.
Which strategy is better?
It depends on what you are comfortable with. I like to know how deep the pool is, even if I am not going to swim on the deep side. That is why, I start with CFAI. As long as I know what is in the CFAI books, I can assess how well prepared I am… Just a matter of ‘awareness’ that you can’t get if you only look at Schweser.
Here is my plan: I start with IFT free videos to get a headstart on any reading, then I go through the CFAI Reading, solve the EOC questions, and move to the next reading. Once I am done with all the readings (in few months-250 hours later), I will not go back to CFAI again.
Instead, I will use Schweser Notes for a quick revision and then start solving practice questions and mock exams.