Help wanted: Schweser vs Elan Guides!

ColdFire wrote:
Very informative thread. I wonder why nobody compared their study notes. Some say they are similiar, but I respectfully beg to differ. I have observed Elan’s team doing a way better job specially on the toughest readings compared to Schweser- who just tend to gloss over vital details. Just read the IS-LM framework from Schweser first and then read it from Elan. There’s a hell of a difference in the depth of coverage!
OP: I got a discount for Elan because I received a CFAI scholarship. You should reach out to them asking if it is still available.
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I couldn’t disagree more on your point about the IS-LM framework. I used Elan for everything more or less apart from this and turned to Schweser because I found the Elan coverage of this area to be quite difficult to understand.
Funny how everyone learns the concepts differently depending on how something is explained like that.
 
Wadddup fellow candidates!
I decided to go with elan. Just ordered yesterday actually, and have really been enjoying the video lectures. Peter Olinto is great. He’s engaging as hell!
Before deciding tho, I tried to research as much as I could. Deciding factor for me was great reviews from people online, peter olinto..and the price, its much more affordable than Schweser. I figure at the end of the day, regardless of which prep course I chooce, it’s gonna come down to how much I’ve absorbed the material anyways. Plus sounds like both schweser or elan are great prep courses, which is why the price played a bit of a factor for me.
Haven’t had a real study sesh with Basit Shajani yet. Any thoughts on him? From posts above, sounds like he’s a good instructor as well, but would enjoy more comments on him. Thanks!
 
capaldij wrote:
I couldn’t disagree more on your point about the IS-LM framework. I used Elan for everything more or less apart from this and turned to Schweser because I found the Elan coverage of this area to be quite difficult to understand.
Funny how everyone learns the concepts differently depending on how something is explained like that.
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To each his own.. whatever works
 
My $0.02:
I’d give Elan a slight edge in study notes. When it comes to mock exams and practice questions, I think they represent the actual exam more closely than Schweser.
I didn’t use videos too much at Level I, but they have Peter Olinto now who is apparently the MacDaddy of CFA teaching.
 
I have only used Schweser. For those who don’t particularly like some of the Schweser videos:
Doug Van Eaton appeared very little in Level 2, and did not appear at all in Level 3.
Susan Lakatos dropped off the face of the earth after Level 1. (I did not like her at all.)
Jon Bone had an increased presence at Level 2. He covers a lot of the FRA material. He did not appear in Level 3. (FWIW–I thought he was pretty good.)
Marc Lefebvre also has an increased presence at Level 2, then again at Level 3.
Andy Holmes does a lot at Level 2, but only Ethics at Level 3. (I really like him.)
Greg Filbeck makes an appearance at Level 3, and does the majority of the videos. I think he is the most delightful of the instructors.
Bruce Kuhlman also appears in Level 3. In fact, he wrote the Level 3 Schweser Notes. The notes are great–but he is abysmal as a video lecturer.
 
I used both élan and Schweser. If I would do it over again I would buy elans notes, videos, questions, and mocks (you can make highly customizable orders) and i would also get Schwesers qbank and volume 1 mocks. Élan stressed theory and concepts while Schweser did a better job with plug and chug type questions. I thought elans questions and mocks were overly difficult but idk they may have helped in the end. I thought Schwesers mocks and qbank were closer to the real exam but its easy to get caught up in formula questions and not fully understand the concept. Qbank is a must IMO. I liked elans videos because it taught you from the ground up and you could just follow along and take notes - it wasn’t simply a review video. Some pet peeves I had with Élan though were occasional typos and the teacher’s cursive handwriting in the videos. Elan also has a ton of discounts if you find an applicable one. For level 1, time and money are substitutes.
 
birdec wrote:
I liked elans videos because it taught you from the ground up and you could just follow along and take notes - it wasn’t simply a review video.
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THIS! +1000. Their videos are way better than the competition.
On another note: I thought the guy’s handwriting was amazing!
 
sir you can make a group of 4 person to make a discount in elan guide to get 25%
 
michaelc88 wrote:
Haven’t had a real study sesh with Basit Shajani yet. Any thoughts on him? From posts above, sounds like he’s a good instructor as well, but would enjoy more comments on him. Thanks!
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He’s quite different from Peter Olinto. VERY thorough and covers everthing, but kind of slow. The good thing is you can do the EOCs straight after watching his videos, which is a huge help at Level II.
To the OP: My vote goes to Elan for better videos and better-priced.
 
Ok, I was initially considering Schweser now I feel like I might jump ships. As we all know time is valuable. What are the total video lengths/hours for each?
 
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