I will be sitting for the Dec. exam and wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the Schweser video series. The cost is not cheap (approx. $450) but you do get like 40 hours of lectures. I’ve got Schweser notes but wondering if extra reinforcement from a video presentation might help drill the info into my brain. Any input from those that have seen or heard about them would be appreicated.
I can’t speak for the Schweser video CD’s but I used Stalla and Peter Olinto (the main instructor) was excellent. I will say if you’re already doing buy or sell side analyst work, you might not need them, but for me, having videos to prep was crucial for sections that I just didn’t seem to initially understand. Hearing a person teach the material and seeing how they work through a problem was a huge benefit to me. I ended up doing the opposite of what was recommended (they recommend you read the curriculum first then watch the videos). For me, watching the videos first highlighted the concepts and then I was able to comprehend the reading from the Stalla notes and/or from the CFAI texts. In the end, I will say that it is critical that you at least glance over the CFAI texts. You don’t necessarily have to read over every section, but I would encourage you to read through the big ones like Ethics and FRA at a minimum, as the institute loves to test the very small details that the big test prep centers like Stalla and Schweser tend to skip over. I used Stalla material (books, videos, and question software) up until the last month, then just focused my efforts on trying to read as much from the CFAI texts to pick up some trivial pursuit knowledge that actually turned out to be on the exam pretty frequently at L1 this June. But back to your topic – yes, personally I think the videos are what got me through (I’m assuming I passed, I felt very good about the exam). Lots of opinions on this board about Schweser vs Stalla but truthfully both are great and you’ll do well with either if you put the work in.
In my opinion, the video CDs are not worth it
Thank for the input to you both. wisprud: Care to elaborate on why they weren’t worth it for you???
I used the Schweser videos and didn’t really read the books for Lvl 1. Seemed to work good for me. The CD’s helped me learn the topics and then the Q-Bank helped me solidify those topics by working practice problems. I am fresh out of school with a finance degree though.
The time it takes to view the video CDS would be better spent just reading the book…besides like you mentioned, its not cheap either. Trust me, by reading the text and doing the questions you will be more than ready for the exam. I also think the video sessions drag, if you go to Kaplan’s website, view the free demo of the video sessions and you’ll see what I am talking about. I think whats more important to get are the books, the Qbank and Volume 1/2 of the practise full exams.
The Video is just a bunch of dudes reading text. Is that is your thing then be my guest, otherwise, it’s not worth it.
I used them and i’m fairly confident I passed. I would frequently fall asleep just reading the book. The FSA CD bored me to tears. The Equity CD was painful as well, quant was good, econ was good. If you like that ‘in class feel’ they are worth it.
this isn’t for stalla but you can catch moments of him on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2U8rsaWFNM guy is the man
If you work long hours the videos are great bang for buck in my opinion. Just make sure u also blast thru qbank and practice exams
I used Schweser videos, but didn’t find them to be good substitute or reinforcement to the notes. In fact if you really spent time on studying the notes and doing the problems, you wouldn’t need the videos at all. If you are in a time crunch, then go for the video, but make sure to practice lots of problems. The video lecture could go fairly fast when doing examples.
It is a matter of preference in my opinion. It is just like asking if you would rather skip your lecture in school and read the books and lecture notes at home. I am a person who learns best by listening to lectures, so video lecture is extremely useful for me. But I like the stalla one better. You need to figure out what method of learning is best for you. It is different for everyone. Regardless though, the video is not a replacement. However, after watching the videos, I spent less time reading the materials because I already understand some of the stuff.
I used the Schweser online class, it was good but not great.