Has anyone taken this? Couple questions… -What time were the courses (EST)? -When did the 16 weeks start and finish? -Would you recommend it to others? (not as a primary reference, but as a review guide if you are like me and never want to fail this thing again so you go through all the material by week 1 of the 16 weeks and use this as a review).
Pistol, It starts in January and ends about 3 weeks before the test. I took it last year and took all my notes from it (this worked well for L1), read all the schweser books, did only the EOC’s and failed Band 7. This time around I’m going to focus mainly on the CFAI texts, do the EOC’s over and over again… and probably only buy the Schweser Mocks… Good Luck and lets hope we’re in the L3 forum next year…
i actually called schweser this afternoon. the time and dates have not been decided for L2 yet, but based on L1 (i dun remember whether it was Dec L1 or June 2010 L1), live classes take place every thursday 6:30-9:30pm ET. i did not use them for L1, but i guess i’ll need some assistance for L2 so there is a good chance that i will buy the package that includes video class.
Yeah, that sounds too late for me. I don’t want to be finishing up in May. By May my review should be complete and I should be taking tests every weekend. Think I will pass on this. I was Band 6 fail this year. Schweser notes and CFAI EOC weren’t enough. Good luck to us both.
I’m not sure if this is indicative of everyone else who took the 16 week class but I think it’s the single most helpful source that got me over the hump this year. My Level II “resume” is pretty poor. This year was my third time taking it and I finally PASSED. Here is my path: 2008: FAIL, band 1 (didn’t use the course) 2009: FAIL, band 3 (didn’t use the course) 2010: PASS, 2 sections <50%, 1 section 50%-70%, all other sections (including equity and ethics) >70% (used the course). I don’t consider myself stupid by any means but I’ve just never been that great at test taking and time management for studying. So I think the 16 week course is great depending on the type of person you are. If you are like me and need the structure and routine to get all the studying in, then you should most definitely take the course. I think the pace was good and it kept me on a study schedule that I previously (2 times) could not keep to myself. If you are more of a “visual” person, like me, this class is very helpful. It’s one thing to read a concept and work through an example, but to actually see an example being constructed and completed is something totally different. I will caution that I did NOT use these weekly classes as a learning tool. I had each section read (using Schweser, not CFAI) and EOC questions answered before each week’s lesson. This class served to reinforce concepts and clarify certain points I was confused on. If you don’t read and prepare each week, the class can be pretty useless (just like a typical college class). I think if you are someone like me, who does/did very well in undergrad but is struggling/struggled with Level II, the class could be what you are missing. It brings the classroom-type atmosphere and structure to the curriculum and in that kind of environment I thrive. If you are a person opposite of me, meaning you are extremely self disciplined with studying, visual aid does not add much to your understanding of things, don’t or can’t make the time for class, etc. then this class if probably a waste of your time. Before I wrap this up I will say the classes were helpful in my review. Each one is archived and you can play them back at anytime. This feature was most helpful for a section like corporate finance for me. I am strong in this subject area and so I was able to play the video back in the final week, listen to the concepts, and know that I knew them. I think being able to play the 2 hour and 40 minute video (you take two 10 minute breaks during the live class) back to make sure I was good on corporate finance saved me an entire day or more flipping through pages, reading LOS’s, going through flashcards etc. to make sure I knew them. When it’s down to the final week and you are “polishing” your knowledge, that extra time is extremely valuable. Now it’s on to L3!
I took this for level 1 and found it helpful. I took it for level 2 and found it extremely rushed, the guy flies through the slides, just for the sake of getting through them. However I was not a diligent about the classes for level 2 so maybe that had something to do with it. I think it is useful if you read beforehand and use it as a review.