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abcd01

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I'm writing Level 1 in Dec. for the first time.

What books are you guys using. I plan on using the CFA Level 1 Curriculum sold by the CFA Institute. Is that usually considered sufficient?

Btw, I'm working in venture capital in Toronto if anyone wants to have review sessions at some point.
 
You won't find many people who never use study guides to pass these exams. The study guides are really good (despite all the griping that goes on about them). I think Schweser is the most popular although I relied on Stalla.

By all means, buy the books but there are books there that will cost you $70 each that you will never open. I would ask other people who took the exam if you can look at (or borrow) their study guides and see which work for you. Buy them (using previous year's study guides is not a good plan, although people will tell you they did it successfully).

Good luck.
 
Thanks- but I'm talking about the new material that the CFA Institue has created- the four volume package that contains all the readings... It goes for $395.

I'll take a look at Stalla though.
 
abcd01 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks- but I'm talking about the new material
> that the CFA Institue has created- the four volume
> package that contains all the readings... It goes
> for $395.
>
> I'll take a look at Stalla though.


abcd... the CFAI curriculum is helpful in the respect that all material is condensed in these 4 volumes and you don't have to go look for stuff in umpteen books from where this material is picked up. Schweser and Stalla offer somewhat of a short cut to the material, but I think the most important offering from these providers is the test question bank.

You can buy the CFAI curriculum from eBay for $250-300 - no need to pay CFAI that extra money. In fact, I have mine up for sale there right now (shameless piece of marketing) in an auction that ends tonight.
 
I bought CFAI curriculum 12 hours ago... to late to cancel
 
I bought CFAI curriculum 12 hours ago... to late to cancel
 
I passed the Level One with just the CFAI books and the free tests that they have on the website from previous years (not the timed ones that you spend $50 for). Did you graduate recently with a finance or econ degree? The CFA Level I books are essentially selected chapters from undergrad level finance and econ textbooks jammed together. If you're comfortable studying from that sort of format, without lectures, quizzes, essays, etc., or any feedback outside of yourself or your study partners, then you can definitely pass without anything else.
 
I graduated with a BBA in Finance and a BA in Economics this May, so that stuff is pretty fresh in my head...
 
You should be more than fine. I wish I had taken it right then, but I didn't have the money in '03. You can get a question bank if you want to drill yourself (there are no in-chapter questions, quizzes or anything - this is straight textbook format, slightly edited, with the CFA's questions typically there instead of the original publisher's). You might even find that you are reading chapters from textbooks you had for classes last year.

I think that they took down the sample tests I used when I studied to force you to take their $50 sample tests. Did you manage to save them before the website was relaunched a bit ago? I'd definitely ask if anyone has them on their hard drive around here (I don't)
 
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