OK - I appreciate the detailed explanation from Wiley (formerly Elan) but my summation of the new pricing structure is this: If I was sitting for the December 2014 exam and could still order directly from Elan - I would pay $800 for both print and hard copies of the study notes, lecture videos, 11th hour guide, 3 FULL length MOCK exams, practice questions and audio books (Frankly, I don’t care about the audio books). This is taken directly from Elan’s website. If Wiley wants to keep the spirit of Elan alive, don’t offer a stripped down base package and expect candidates to pay more further down the road to get the same amount of material.
Now with Wiley, it appears as though I will almost certainly be paying more - at a price that even Wiley can’t define specifically yet - for the 3 MOCK Exams, the 11th hour guide, and the print version of the study notes as soon as it become available……….because the new rebranded CFA Self-Study pack (as it is now called on Wiley’s website) is already $645 according to Wiley’s website [note: not $545 as quoted above] and does not include any mock exams, 11th hour study guide or print version.
It is hard for me to imagine a scenario where I purchase the new Wiley base package for $645 and then order the print version, mock exams and 11th hour guide as add-ons once they are available,……….and still come in at $800 as I would have been able to do with Elan in 2014. I was on live chat with Wiley yesterday on two separate occassions and could not get specific answers for the additional costs that I will need to incur if I want the study guides in print, obtain mock exams and the 11th hour study guide.
The bottom line is that customers used to get the mock exams and 11th hour study guides included for $650 in the base package from Elan - that is no longer the case with Wiley………….unless they change their pricing structure. Excuse me for sounding cynical, but Wiley is asking Elan customers to pay considerably more under the new silver/gold/platinum pricing structures and they’ve erased their pricing advantage when compared to Schweser. CFA Candidates are generally bright people and the labeling of various higher end packages won’t eradicate the omissions in the new Wiley base package.
By contrast, Schweser’s base package is $649 and includes 6 full length mock exams and the print version of the study guides is only $20 more. I don’t mind paying an extra $90 for Schweser’s secret sauce now, since I’ll have to pay extra if I want Wiley’s 11th hour study guide under the new pricing structure.
As I said in my original post, I was ready to order from Elan this week. It is a shame that Wiley’s omission of key ingredients in the former Elan base package has made my decision so much more difficult.