CFA...how much does it really cost?

From what I have researched the Program fees are variable...if you enrol early it will cost you less. This is not the problem but initially I thought that since it is so expensive (Enrolment $450 + Early registration fee $650) it would also cover books...now I have heard that I have to purchase these resources.

On this forum a lot of people have mentioned Schweser (only heard good things), I have looked at their website and was wondering which one I should purchase. I don't have a lot of money and I am debating whether I should choose the 'Essential Self Study Package' ($649) or the 'SchweserNotes Package' ($379).

Here is the link: http://www.schweser.com/cfa/level-1

Can I pass CFA Level 1 comfortably through making use of the latter or would you recommend the former?
What package did you use and what are your experiences?

Thanks for the help and I apologise if this has been asked previously.

 
Best Response

I passed Level 1 in 2014 with the 2013 Schweser books + 2014 CFAI online books (provided free with enrollment, print edition are extra $150). You'll want to check to see what has changed each year, but it's usually minimal. It will save you money if you can find a used copy of prior year's books. Just make sure you get your hands on the current year mock exams. CFAI gives you one free, and you may be able to find current year mocks on Ebay (or I've heard some people can torrent file them).

For Level 2, I used the 2015 CFAI and the 2014 Schweser. Only the Fixed Income section had been radically altered, so I ditched the Schweser for that section. Ultimately ended up using CFAI for 80% of it, and will be doing the same for Level 3 (probably 100% CFAI) next year. As you can see, it's worked.

Website to check differences in YoY: https://irfanullah.co/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/CFA-Level-II-2014-2015…

 
I just used the official textbooks and that worked fine for me.

While this approach may work, as it apparently did for the above poster, I strongly recommend the Schweser books. The official books are 2-3x as long and difficult to digest. The Schweser online question bank is also money. Keep in mind that if you fail even once your costs between retake fees and (more importantly) time will be way more than you ever spend on Schweser.

 

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