Level 3 Prep Providers

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bahgill

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Can we get a discussion going from current and past level 3 candidates on what prep providers they used and whether or not they enjoyed them? Need to start planning my strategy out. I did schweser for level 1 and Elan for level 2. Is schweser the go to again for level 3?
 
Put in the time and it won’t matter. I exclusevily used CFAI books other than a couple of Schweser mocks, a colleague exclusively used Schweser. I think we both have a good shot at passing, but we both put the time into it.
 
Used Schweser the first go-around and failed. Used CFAI material exclusively this time. My initial thoughts are to use CFAI 100%, but I’ll let you know in two weeks how effective that route went.
 
When do the schweser and cfai books typically ship out? After back-to-back L1 then L2 I want to start as early as possible so don’t face the crazy time crunch of a December-June wham-bam.
 
Congrats on passing woody, I made the turn around as well and it is a slog.
Did you ever end up breaking into equity research?
 
When are the Level 3 CFAI books shipped out? I used Elan for level 2 and was frustrated when they didn’t get shipped until ~December.
 
fourfourtwo wrote:
Congrats on passing woody, I made the turn around as well and it is a slog.
Did you ever end up breaking into equity research?
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Yes and no. I recieved a verbal offer and got stupid excited about it, but from what they’ve told me it sounds like the office overstepped their boundary and weren’t actually allowed to hire. They say I’m still getting an offer, they just need to get the permissions. So on one hand it could show up any day, on the other it’s been 2.5 months so I’ve kind of given up and have been interviewing with other groups since then. A little depressing though, back then there were 2-3 postings every week to apply to, lately there’s only been 1 every 2 or 3 weeks.
 
bahgill wrote:
Can we get a discussion going from current and past level 3 candidates on what prep providers they used and whether or not they enjoyed them? Need to start planning my strategy out. I did schweser for level 1 and Elan for level 2. Is schweser the go to again for level 3?
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I’d say you can use schweser and use videos and notes and flashcards and app… as long as you always do the CFAI questions AT THE VERY LEAST. and when in doubt, ALWAYS go back to the CFAI text.
Don’t use the other materials as a way to slack, use them as supplements and as alternative perspectives and medium.
BEST OF LUCK!
NANA
 
I think it really does not matter what prep providers you are using. The key is to do the CFAI text blue boxes, CFAI end of chapters and lot of mocks.
I will know on Aug 6 if this strategy paid off.
 
For those of us considering FinQuiz for Level 3, you get 60% off if you pre-order during July. It’s only available on the Premium Package, which is normally $400, but post-discount that puts it at $160. Considering the Test Bank + Smart Summaries are $250 normally, it looks like a pretty good deal.
 
Schweser is great for L1, especially the Q-bank. Ok for L2. Sucks for L3 - Schweser has way too many holes. Think about it, the bulk of their revenue is from L1 canidates so that’s where their focus is at.
Concentrate on CFAI material. Understand the concepts from all the bluebox and white text examples. You can’t just plug and chug on this exam due to the AM section. Also, don’t use Schweser mocks for AM. They deviate so much from the CFAI material that it’s not worth it. I’m basically repeating info I got from someone at Schweser.
 
I’ve heard good things about FinQuiz for Level 2, and there’s a decent year old thread on here talking about prep providers for level 3. I plan on using the CFAI texts for learning the material, then doing the EOC questions and FinQuiz after I’ve finished everything else. I learn best “by doing,” and having a digital question bank is a large advantage for me. Overall it seems better than Schweser from a question perspective.
In case anyone else decides to jump on board, the discount code is ”60JULY2013” without quotes.
 
I had a good experience with Schweser for level 2. I also used Finquiz’s test bank for level 2. I was able to pass level 2 without any troubles. I didn’t read the CFAI books except for the EOC exercises.
 
I’m thinking about the following top-down approach this time:
1. Watch the Schweser videos first (50 hrs) just to get my head around the basic concepts.
2. Read the CFAI next, do all the CFAI problems, plus some problems from the Schweser end of chapter as easy one-two-threes. Glance at the notes and videos for clarification if I need it.
3. Mock exams: Schweser and whatever I can get of past CFAI exams.
Any feedback appreciated in advance.
 
Giovanni wrote:
I’m thinking about the following top-down approach this time:
1. Watch the Schweser videos first (50 hrs) just to get my head around the basic concepts.
2. Read the CFAI next, do all the CFAI problems, plus some problems from the Schweser end of chapter as easy one-two-threes. Glance at the notes and videos for clarification if I need it.
3. Mock exams: Schweser and whatever I can get of past CFAI exams.
Any feedback appreciated in advance.
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+1 to this approach, I was thinking of doing the same myself.
 
Out of curiousity, what is the appeal with third party providers? I only used the CFA books to study and I had no problem passing L1 and L2 first time. In my humble opinion it’s a waste of money but I would be interested to hear what advantages other candidates find in them.
 
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