Would you say LevelUp videos + note taking by itself is enough prep (aside from the obvious BBPs, EOCs, endless mock exam practice, etc.)? I watched Wiley videos and took notes exclusively for L1 and L2 that helped me to walk out of the exam room feeling very confident. Wondering if LevelUp videos can do the same for me.
Yes, but be sure to give yourself plenty of time to review the videos they can be quite long.
Read the chapter first, hit your notes, then watch the videos. That is how I’d do it. He isn’t going to hold your hand through the video and will move with the assumption you’ve read at least once.
Marc is to Lev 3 as Andy Holmes is to Lev 2…it’s that simple. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to both those guys for getting me through the program. I only subscribed to the Level Up videos (couldn’t attend one of his bootcamps as I live in Europe) but the level of detail in the on-demand instruction and the corresponding workbook is immense - and this level detail/understanding (using the corresponding CFA material) is what’s required to pass level 3 the first time through. Should note that Marc was fairly accessible as well to questions.
How many hours would you venture to say all of the videos were?
I passed. His materials from boot camp are crtical. The black binder and IPS workbook are amazing
About 45 to 50
No, would need to read either CFA official curriculum or Schweser notes
Congrats googs!
Echoing the helpfulness of Marc’s materials!
Marc is the way to pass level 3. In NYC I had some guy next to me, that had a pretty crappy attitude and thought Schweser did a better way of presenting the material. Well, I passed and he didn’t because what Marc speaks during the boot camp is very very keen. I think for my exam it made a difference, there is no regret from me.
I’d say the average was about an 1:45, but a couple that pushed the 2:45 - 3:00 mark (i think maybe CME and a FI reading and possibly an options reading), but to average it out I would say it is about 2 hours a video, which there is a video for each chapter (except ethics). The only reading I wasn’t super impressed with was GIPS, but I think that is a by-product of how crappy the chapter is in the CFAI text. Would honestly look at Schweser for that reading first and then the video.
Yes, I’d agree that the average video length was ~2 hours. There were a few videos that were over the 3 hour mark (maybe fixed income?) and it became painful to sit through those at one sitting. You can always pause, though, and come back to it later.
I pretty much followed this process: 1.) read the assigned CFAI chapter during my daily commute to work over the week, watch Marc’s video for that chapter on a Saturday morning (the videos pretty much went through that same chapter and focused on actual highlighted text/blue boxes), then do all of the chapter blue boxes/EOCs on Saturday or Sunday. Anytime I had a question on what I read/watched, I shot Marc an email, and he would respond very, very quickly or tell me to call him so he could explain.
I failed L3 the first time using Schweser; but to be fair, I never even looked at the CFAI material that year. Actually reading the CFAI curriculum made a huge difference, and Marc’s teaching style (super high energy) really resonated with me, so CFAI materials plus LevelUp videos + bootcamps worked much better for me than Schweser alone.
I am interested in signing up for the Video Series. Does Marc provide any supplemental material along with the videos such as Curriculum Slide Book / Power Point/ Past Exams, or is that only offered if you sign up for the BootCamp ?
^ Yes, he gives you an organized binder of the past 10 years of exams (he removes any questions that are no longer in the curriculum so you don’t waste your time), he also gives you an IPS workshop smaller binder with all of those questions and removes anything no longer relevant. He teaches you the magic formula for the IPS calculation question(s) so you can execute that question quickly, accurately and move on.
Most importantly though, is that he teaches out of the CFAI books which has the most accurate and relevant text to study.
^ He also provides a slide book that is extremely helpful during the last month of studying.
The material he created is gold. As others said- straight from the curriculum. Some may be smart enough to pass with shortcuts (KS) but LevelUp provides the best chance to pass and actually learn the material as it presented and tested. Marc’s 20+ years experience with the exams and curriculum cannot be easily substituted for with shortcut methods. Don’t give yourself a marginal chance to pass and risk studying another year, study from the source material from someone who truly understands how to teach the curriculum and prepare candidates to pass.
You’ll get the slide book and focus material.
The IPS workshop and old test were delivered at the boot camp.
highly recommend both.
I would highly recommend the LevelUp videos. The bootcamp will reiterate the content covered in the videos so it depends if you need the review 4 weeks out or not. I found the videos more helpful than the bootcamp (but I learn through repetition), so just know your style.
The videos are good early on in the studying to establish a strong base understanding - which you can augment with CFAI books and practice questions. I also liked to be able to go back to the videos when struggling with a concept.
I passed because of Marc and his program. He doesn’t take any shortcuts and teaches the curriculum. The question isn’t whether to use LevelUp, just how to use it.
Disclosure: former student of LevelUp but I do not receive anything for my endorsement. Just trying to pass it forward.
Thank you Jerkasuarus, CFA_DE, M_Mitchell08 and SMG23 for sharing your experience, advice and tips on LevelUp. I don’t think I’ll be able to attend the BootCamp but hopefully the videos, slide book and focus material should suffice… I think I’m going to go for it!
i did Schweser only. 100%.