Level 2: CFA official curriculum vs Schweser notes

CFA Level II
#1

Compared to Schweser notes I found curriculum much more useful with better explained many topics.

So far I’ve read Schweser Ethics, Quants, Econ and almost done with reading FRA and feel confused. Today I re-read certain topics in curriculum and things are much more clear to me. Off course, curriculum study approach requests more spent hours on readings. During L1 studying I had red entire curriculum and I am getting convinced that was a key to sucessfuly solving it for me.

What are others experience?

#2

I agree. I learne much more when I studied direct from the official curriculum. But as you say, it takes more time. I wonder whether those who learn from schweser, wiley, etc. have the same level as those who study from the offical curriculum at the end of the road. I doubt it.

#3

Also made same conclusion but on each study I found people who successfully passed

exams using shortcuts. Unfortunately I am not one of them.

#4

One of the optimal solutions due to time constraint would be:

  • Topics (or just chapters) with higher level of prior knowledge - Schweser

  • Topics (or just chapters) hard to understand by first instance - Official curriculum

Practicing more through official curricilum EOC and CFA official topic examination and Mock tests.

#5

I was reading schweser and used it for QTM, ECO, EQUITY and CORP FIN, went back to Corriculum to read other things that were not covered in Schweser, but switching back to Schweser now to finish first reading due to time, and i will use the corriculum for second reading.

Thant is my strategy.

#6

I hate the ebook…just too clumsy with all that navigation and stuff…thinking about buying printed curriculum… which is better ? buying schweser material and complementing it with cfa ebook ( taking prints of eoc stuff) or buying the CFA printed material. Personally, I felt that CFA material is more detailed and explains the concepts thoroughly, but if you are looking purely mechanically from an exam perspective schweser materials may be a shortcut. Though there are some topics where i feel the Schweser material is not enough and deviates from the topics that are emphasised in the actual exam.

#7

I used CFAI for Quant/Econ & it was solid. used Schweser for FRA SS 6 and it provided enough detail to be scoring >80 on EOCs in significantly fewer pages. Ill probably bounce back & forth and use both.

Also printed curriculem is the way to go, EBook is terrible.

#8

Someone loaned me the 2015 Schweser L2 books until I got my results and I was very surprised at the lack of detail. I used Wiley (videos primarily) and CFAI for L1 and I’m going to do the same thing this time.