CFA Level 1

Hi everyone, I've just registered for CFA Level 1 and will be sitting the exam in May 2024. I plan to get the Kaplan Schweser textbooks from a reseller (5 textbooks only) and study by:

1) Reading through the Kaplan books + do the practice questions in them (will only use the CFAI e-textbook for Ethics and Professional Standards section)
2) Doing the mock exams and practice questions which are directly provided by the CFAI

For those who have experienced taking this exam, do you think this is enough for me to do over the next 6 months or are there some other important resources I am missing / should be looking at?

Thanks a lot for the help!

 
Most Helpful

Realistically, the CFA felt like it should be everything an undergrad should know walking away with a degree in finance/economics with a minor in the other. Depending on what you majored in and how much you retained. I think that could be a good timeline. If you are an IB analyst, it might be a little short. 

Another thing to consider, is how good you are at accounting. If you can walk through a 3 statement model in your head at a semi detailed level then, that will save you a lot of time too.  

 

I will say that the CFAI materials, while sometimes annoying, probably offer the most relevant preparation for the test. I used them and the Kaplan Q-Bank and was fine.

 

Seems like you got it covered. Kaplan is a great way to learn the material, but practice should be a combo of Kaplan and CFAI questions. From my experience, the Kaplan questions are too easy, and the CFAI questions are too difficult. Actual exam is somewhere in the middle, but both will help with your learning and understanding of the concepts you read in Kaplan. 

 

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