This especially applies to retakers: Now that Stalla and Schweser are one and the same and the Schweser exams have not changed at all at least through 2010 (this has been confirmed by multiple AF users, slight changes with the curriculum, [eg. Behavioral] and switched around problem statements, but literally exactly the same content), there just isn’t much out there in the way of new ways to test yourself before June. I’m a retaker, so I will obviously be redoing my Schweser exams from last year, but what else is there? Here’s what I’ve got tallied for the next two months:
Schweser Books 1&2
Schweser Live Mock
CFAI Mock
Any ideas on where to get additional quality resources to practice in exam format?? Of course there’s always the 2009-2011 actual essay questions (http://www.cfainstitute.org/cfaprogram/courseofstudy/samples/Pages/index.aspx) but while these are helpful, it would be nice to have another full exam book full of resources available. Also, some people have trouble finding reading the old exams helpful beyond getting a feel for what the exam might be like because of the old: “If they’ve tested that question in the past 3 years, they won’t use a similar one in the next two years” complex.
I’m guessing its going to be going over the CFAI end of reading questions again and buying the two, 2 hour Sample exams for $40.00 apiece.
Hanna Montana… I’m in the same boat as you man. Took all the Schweser tests, did all the morning back to 2007, and did the two samples/mock. Worse off, if you didn’t know, the “sample” exams that you pay for are combined together and form the following years mock. So they double fuck retakers by making you pay for something that is new, then reusing it the next year as the mock.
Maybe they have changed this practice but it would be the first year if so. What im saying is that the mock we get this year (the 2nd half multiple choice afternoon mock) will be last years two samples. Of course, since they don’t let you print or save that, it’s difficult to tell, which is what the slimy little money grubbers bank on, but I have my ways of figuring it out. Trust me on this.
Ranting aside, I would DEFINITELY pay for the two samples this year, as they are going to be fresh material. Wendy probably didn’t realize the mocks @ T+1 = samples, so I would ignore that comment. I would also go back to 2007 for the morning but no earlier, and just be cognizant of the sections that are no longer relevant (behavioral finance, some minor GIPS date changes, the econ section). Additionally do the Schweser Live Mock as im ASSUMING that will be new (hope so bc i did that last year too).
Other than that, Im just retaking old tests… again. Im saving all the “fresh” material for the final 6 weeks.
I failed decisively in AM last year althought I thought it’s at least “Average”. My lessons: spend too much time on the curriculum, but not time to review most of EOC, not even the blue box example. Making notes on EOC and Examples will help, o/w, they will be still new in May.
To me, “Quality” is more important than “Quantity”. markCFAIL, thanks for the EOC/GIPS posts last year.
Give the FinQuiz mocks a try. I was a L2 retaker last year and thought their mocks were really good. Ended up passing and am waiting for them to release the L3 mocks soon.
markCFAIL: Glad someone feels the same way. It seems like there less ways to prepare for these exams than ever. Good insight on the Sample Exams, and I definitely might check out the FinQuiz mocks dapoopa.
Last year, I got cocky and just wrote all my answers in the Schweser Exam books, now I’m having to go back and erase everything adn put blue painters tape over all of the answer choices. Ha, learned my lesson on that one. . . .