which schweser package is best to buy

CFA Level I
#1

hi all-

are notes or self study a better option? Which one to purchase?

#2

I used the notes for both exams and felt adequately prepared. A lot of people say the notes leave a lot of holes in the L2 curriculum, but I didn’t feel that was the case. It also seems like most people prefer Wiley Elan for L2 over Schweser, so I may give them a try if I dont pass this time around. Schweser Q bank was helpful for L1, but I didn’t use it for L2.

#3

None?

(Sorry.)

#4

i am L1 candiate. I need to buy the package today. I cant decide

#5

Have you considered Wiley?

#6

I used the Schweser Notes Package to supplement my Level 1 study and I thought the guides were decent. I had read the entire CFAI books so I used the study guide books for a condenced review and to reference topics I needed to work on. This package comes with 3 full mock exams which is enough plus the mocks the CFAI provides.

The real potential value in the Essential Study package is access to the Qbank. If you’re the type who learns better by cranking through practice questions this may add value to you. It also comes with 3 more full mock exams, but like I said, I think 3 is enough for Level 1.

Regarding Wiley, I can’t speak for Level 1, but based on what I experienced using them for Level II, I can’t recommend them due in part to their online mock exams. Their software was inferior to Schweser’s in my opinion, and I feel the mock exam experience is very important for Level I. Wiley’s CFA study guides were written by Elan though (Basit) and are generally very very good if you discount the editing issues here and there and a decent amount grammatical/spelling errors. With Wiley you get access to Elan’s old videos though which are excellent, especially those done by Peter Olinto. If you learn better with video lectures there’s some real value in the Wiley/Elan content here. Schweser’s videos are just okay from what I’ve seen.

If I had to go back and study for Level I again, here’s what I would do …

  1. Read entire CFAI books and do EOC practice questions after each reading (this is actually what I did)

  2. Schweser Qbank (did not do this and I still passed … your mileage may vary)

  3. Schweser Online Mock Exams (I did all three and thought they were very well done)

  4. CFAI Mock Exams (closest thing to the real deal … gotta do these)

  5. Review with Wiley/Elan 11th Hour Guide (excellent summary book and well priced)

If the Qbank and Schweser mocks can be purchased ala carte that would be ideal in my opinion, but I don’t know if they can. Good luck.

#7

You should change your profile then, it says “CFA Passed Level 1”