Planning to sit for the CFA exams? Well, you are most welcome! The most crucial step toward becoming a Chartered Financial Analyst is passing the CFA exam (CFA). It’s crucial that you complete it promptly and easily because it will either earn or destroy your future.
It might be difficult to choose the best CFA Exam Prep Courses because there are so many on the market, all claiming to be the best and covering the entire CFA curriculum. Since everyone learns differently, it can be challenging to determine which CFA study materials or prep course is ideal for you when there are so many available options and ways of learning.
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You may now be searching for a reputable CFA prep course to get you started. How to know which one is the best CFA course for you? We’re here to reduce the amount of time you spend looking around for a CFA prep provider so you can concentrate on your studies. The best CFA prep courses can also shorten your study period so that your workload is manageable, especially if you have full-time employment. Check our guide on Best Platforms To Create And Sell Online Courses.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
You’ll probably waste a lot of time studying topics that don’t stick if you have a set of boring CFA exam prep books that prevent you from focusing on their educational information. This can necessitate more hours of study for each CFA level 1 prep program. Here are the top-rated CFA exam study materials available, along with a description of each one’s special qualities. Each one of them places a significant emphasis on various learning styles, has excellent features and tools to enhance the learning process, as well as solid student support, and is reasonably priced.
Every CFA review course currently offered has been bought, studied, and reviewed by our team of test preparation specialists. We’ve listed the top CFA prep courses below so you can choose the one that’s best for you! Let’s get started.
What Are The Best CFA Prep Courses And Study Materials?
What Is The CFA Exam?
One of the top credentials for investment professionals is the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification. Being a CFA charter holder, however, is not for the weak of heart or the indifferent. The road to earning a CFA charter is rigorous, and it puts endurance, diligence, and willpower to the test in addition to subject knowledge.
The CFA program exam consists of three parts and evaluates candidates’ knowledge of investment basics, asset valuation, portfolio management, and financial management. The CFA frequently helps charter holders develop their careers and their knowledge.
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The CFA Institute claims that the present course is best summarized as a self-study, distance-learning curriculum that emphasizes the highest ethical and professional standards while taking a comprehensive strategy for investment analysis, appraisal, and portfolio management.
The CFA Level I, Level II, and Level III exams make up the CFA curriculum. In addition to passing each of these examinations, CFA applicants must also complete certain work criteria outlined by the CFA Institute.
The CFA Institute offers a wide range of criteria in addition to completing the three exam levels, including:
- Must Hold An Undergraduate Degree
- Four Years Of Experience Working Professionally
- Hold A Passport For Overseas Travel
- Be Prepared To Take Exams In English
- Must Meet The Professional Conduct Admission Criteria
Top 6 Best CFA Exam Prep Courses And Study Materials
Let’s get started with the Best CFA Prep Providers in our list below:
The Princeton Review CFA is our pick for the ideal combination course because students can choose to participate in live online lectures on a schedule that fits them in addition to self-study possibilities. For level 1 of the CFA exam, The Princeton Review offers a conventional self-study course. Through well-crafted study notes, mock examinations, and video lectures, you will learn everything you need to know. High-quality exam preparation study materials are provided for a variety of trades and professional fields in this top course.
The Princeton Review’s Level I prep course has garnered a lot of attention despite being relatively new to the CFA prep market. This review course gains immediate credibility and has shot to the top of our list of the best CFA prep courses by using their decades of preparation experience, learning science expertise, and a variety of preparation tools. Moreover, you can engage with the professors in this course to learn from them directly. To complement your learning, you will also have access to a comprehensive self-study course.
In fact, Princeton Review has applied their tried-and-tested preparation methodology from other exams (like the GMAT and LSAT) here, but with the employment and input of top-tier CFA experts, such as university lecturers, CFA charterholders, and financial management from significant firms.
The Princeton Review is one of the most robust and comprehensive course packages available, featuring 24 hours of live online class instruction, 50+ hours of video lectures, 1,500+ practice problems, full-length mock examinations, flashcards, and more. Our experts have nothing but the highest appreciation for this best CFA online course free after reviewing it because Princeton Review has obviously spent no expense on creating a top-notch prep package.
Princeton Review CFA Course Features
- 3150+ Exercise Questions
- More Than 50 Hours Of Video Lectures
- A 24-Hour Live Online Class
- 900 Study Notes Slides
- Key Definitions: 50 Flashcards
- 4 Sample CFA exams
- One-on-one consultations with the teacher
Why Choose Princeton Review For CPA Prep Course?
- Comprehensive Online Practice: 50+ hours of expert video lectures, more than 3,000 practice problems, 900+ slides of thorough study notes, and two sample examinations that match the level I CFA exam.
- Money-Back Assurance: The Money-Back Guarantee at The Princeton Review is they will offer this Money-Back Assurance for a brief period of time along with their CFA Program training. You have to pass the CFA Level I or Level II test, to get a refund.
- Flexible Access: For a short time only, The Princeton Review is providing a 12-month access period.
- Affordable Pricing: The Princeton Review is cheaper than Wiley, Kaplan Schweser, and Bloomberg Prep in pricing.
- Diverse Teaching Network: University professors at prestigious universities and portfolio managers from investment banks are examples of expert instructors.
- Concise Approach: To enhance your studies with The Princeton Review, their courses are simply created.
Princeton Review Pricing
The Princeton Review comes with a 7-day free trial and 2 subscription plans:
- Essential On-Demand Course costs $599 and includes 1500+ practice questions, video lectures, study notes, flashcards
- Ultimate Live Online Course costs $999 includes everything from the essential course, live online classes, and many more
AnalystPrep provides an innovatively organized online learning platform. CFA students who are sick of taking boring, out-of-date classes might look at what this company provides. It is one of the most reasonably priced CFA exam preparation courses available. This exam study is definitely your best choice if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on learning materials.
In addition, these services mostly concentrate on exam prep along with one-on-one assistance in order to appear to you as online tutoring websites. As a result, this gives students a more customized learning experience and improves their exam abilities. What’s best? AnalystPrep is a performance tracker that tracks your level of performance for each question and includes all self-study bundles.
Additionally, as you go through your material, employing this CFA software application makes it simple for you to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. This course features a powerful community where you can ask for assistance on a certain curriculum area using their forum and vote on the level of particular practice problems, as well as relatively simple registration for individual courses.
The CFA test prep course from AnalystPrep is a practical choice for success. You can find references to their extensive educational library at a later time for further assistance if you need to take any more examinations. On the practice side of preparation, AnalystPrep CFA provides 3,500+ practice questions for their Level I program and a few hundred for Levels II and III. All of these questions may be personalized into an endless number of personalized quizzes. Each of these practice questions has an in-depth, intelligent solution, and they are also reasonably priced.
AnalystPrep CFA Course Features
AnalystPrep is the #1 rated Prep Platform for the CFA Program and provides:
- Study Notes & Video Lessons: The hardest concepts are made easier to understand by the ongoing addition of the new examples to AnalystPrep’s online study notes and video lessons. Furthermore, they break down concepts on a video whiteboard and feature more than 40 hours of top-notch video tutorials.
- Question Banks: Exam-style question banks are provided in this CFA prep course, and they only contain high-quality questions that accurately reflect the difficulty of the exam you are preparing for. Additionally, they are accessible online and as downloadable PDFs.
- CBT Mock Exams: With their simulated examinations, which are made to resemble the ones you’ll take at the end of your journey, you may now push yourself. They are accessible in printable PDFs or in computer-based testing (CBT) format. The leading practice materials available include multiple-choice questions, item sets, and essays. AnalystPrep is the best in the industry at helping you access these materials.
- Customizable Quizzes: By mixing up the topics, you may make it more challenging. You can even gradually transition to an exam scenario by adding a worldwide timeframe.
- Performance Tracking: The tracking feature of Analyst Prep keeps track of each step you take as you prepare for the CFA exam. This enables you to track your development and determine when you will be capable of passing the CFA examination.
AnalystPrep Pricing
AnalystPrep comes with 6 pricing plans:
- Practice Package costs $249/year
- Learn + Practice Package costs $399/year
- Unlimited Package costs $699 for all the 3 Levels (Lifetime Access)
- Level II Package Costs $249/year
- Level II “Learn+Practice Package” costs $399/year
- Level III Package Costs $249/year
One of the best CFA Prep Courses, Wiley, provides yet another in-depth CFA exam review course. This course is undoubtedly worthwhile to take into consideration if you wish to learn with a reputable and award-winning platform.
By providing a simplified financial analysis course that fully integrates both traditional and cutting-edge teaching methods, Wiley Efficient Learning hits the spot. If you want to make the most of all their facilities to pass your examinations and launch your CFA career right away, you should give their Platinum or Gold course deep attention.
For a variety of reasons, but most significantly for their excellent video education, Wiley makes our list of the best CFA review courses. Their video courses are brief, interesting, and incredibly instructive, and they include some of the most knowledgeable and engaging instructors in the CFA prep industry. This is the real high point of the Wiley course, which we go into more depth about later. However, Wiley’s Gold and Platinum students also have access to live, online classes in addition to the instructional videos.
Wiley gives just about the highest number of video lesson work in the business, offering the best packages of on-demand video lectures that contain 90+ hours of live lectures for Level I prep, 100+ hours for Level II, and 50+ hours for Level III.
This 200-year-old company offers seamless interaction with laptop computers and mobile devices as another modern feature. Although remote work is on the rise, it is still lagging behind distant education. For hectic students and working professionals, being able to access and synchronize progress with all of your study resources from anywhere is a major advantage.
In addition to all the tech-heavy aspects of its CFA review course, Wiley also provides conventional academic tutoring. This implies that you can request follow-up questions with quick responses while attending live lectures given by a Wiley professor with extensive teaching expertise.
Wiley CFA Course Features
Here are some advantages that Wiley CFA Exam Review has over its competition:
- Expert Mentoring: Now you are able to learn from highly qualified CFA Program professionals who offer personalized 1:1 mentorship. You can ask questions about the CFA exam, and you’ll get an answer within 48 hours. Cool, right?
- Personalized Course Platform: Wiley is the winner of the best adaptive learning platform SIIA CODiE award in 2021. The study material that is customized to your learning preferences will enable you to learn more quickly and understand it.
- Score Predictor: With a realistic projected score range, you can pinpoint the topics you need to focus on studying the most and boost your productivity for exam day.
- Diverse Set Of Practice Questions: With a wide range of CFA practice questions at various levels of difficulty and all with comprehensive solution descriptions, replicate the exam prep day.
- Engaging Video Lectures: Explore how our subject material experts can use video tutorials to help you remember key ideas in test themes that carry a huge amount of weight in all subject areas.
- Excellent Customer Support: The customer service professionals at Wiley truly care about your progress in earning your CFA certification and are available anytime you want them.
Wiley CFA Pricing:
Wiley CFA comes with 4 pricing plans:
- Wiley Platinum Course costs $1395 and includes professional online mentoring, live online virtual classes, 90 hours of video lectures
- Wiley Gold Course costs $995 and includes professional online mentoring, live online virtual classes, 90 hours of video lectures, an online study schedule, and many more.
- Wiley Self-Study Course costs $645 and includes dashboard & performance metrics, course outlines, 1,000 exam-style practice questions, and more
- Wiley 11TH Hour Final Review Course costs $445 and includes dashboard & performance metrics, course outlines, exam-style practice questions, flashcards and more
VISIT WILEY EFFICIENT LEARNING
One of the top companies for financial data worldwide, Bloomberg offers a CFA prep program named Bloomberg CFA. Compared with an average of 320 hours, you may spend as little as 179 hours overall to pass any level of the CFA exam. The Princeton Review and Kaplan Schweser CFA use a different strategy than Bloomberg. The platform uses machine learning to give each learner a unique learning experience. In other words, you will use AI study materials for independent research.
Bloomberg makes use of an adaptive learning platform to make sure you’re consistently working on the exam curriculum elements you have to. Based on your progress on simulated examinations, practice exams, or study times, their course is always changing. Additionally, your instructors receive this information for your one-on-one tutoring sessions. By doing this, you can be confident that they will be able to use their own experience to assist you to succeed in areas where you may have earlier failed.
Like any adaptable course, it has great analytics and a nice dashboard that lists all the features and functionality. The largest CFA test library in the market, with even more than 8,000 study material and 8 complete mock exams, is already included in this program. The absence of video lectures is the course’s biggest drawback, so if you study best by seeing lectures, this one it may not be for you. The training is incredibly detailed in all other respects. In order to view it for yourself, you should use their free version options.
Bloomberg CFA Course Features
- 10,000 Practice Questions: Includes around 10,000 exam prep, up to 10 mock tests, and micro-lessons that cover the whole course. That’s two times as many competitors!
- Easy To Navigate Dashboard: Most smaller companies lack the resources that Bloomberg has, and its technology is superior to most of its opponents. This CFA review course’s dashboard is unmatched in that it has an attractive front page, excellent website design overall, and simple-to-use headings and navigation options.
- Adaptive Learning Technology: Modern technology is used by Bloomberg to provide you with an excellent educational opportunity. The course will determine which one of the sections is troubling you during an initial evaluation session and will modify your study schedule accordingly. Even while other courses could have adjustment features, Bloomberg’s is among the best.
- One-On-One Tutoring: Enjoy one-on-one assistance from the top instructors, who are all CFA charterholders. Discuss your accomplishments and problem areas while receiving customized solutions.
- Get Expert Support: This course’s lecturers are highly regarded and exceptionally experienced. With this knowledge, everything you will learn is up to date with the best advice currently accessible to CFA candidates. What distinguishes this course from others is the teaching services that Bloomberg offers, which are something that many other businesses can not.
Bloomberg CFA Pricing
Bloomberg offers a 14-day free trial and 3 CFA Prep courses:
- Essential Package costs $699 and includes all contents and features, 7 full exams, 100% money-back guarantee, and more
- Premium Package costs $1199 and includes all Essential features plus 80 Ask-a-Tutor questions 9 full exams and more
- Ultimate Package costs $1999 and includes all premium features and unlimited ask a tutor questions, 11 full exams, and 5 private tutoring sessions
Kaplan Schweser CFA is another great source if you really need study materials to pass the CFA exam. This long-standing educational firm, also known as Schweser CFA, collaborates with over 1,000 education systems and 10,000 organizations to help thousands of students pass their tests at the university level. Due to the course’s extensive selection of learning tools, the Kaplan Schweser CFA Program Study Package is our best pick.
Since it has been helping students pass the CFA exam for more than 30 years, Kaplan Schweser has a proven track record of excellence. They offer one of the most comprehensive courses for CFA prep, including top-notch video courses, online classes, reliable practical sessions, and their renowned SchweserNotes. Unlike its competitors, Kaplan Schweser lets you buy complete study packages or just the study materials you require. As a result, you are given the expense of purchasing CFA study resources that you will not use.
The curriculum of Kaplan Schweser is mainly test-based. Even before you visit a testing facility, they want you to be comfortable with the test-taking process. They do this by providing 4 consecutive practical examinations in addition to checkpoint examinations following each course achievement. Additionally, they encourage you to study independently by using their testing bank to build your own practice tests.
In a nutshell, this is a very conventional prep course with a tested methodology. While this might make Kaplan Schweser the safe choice for students who don’t want to take many risks, Kaplan Schweser also charges some of the highest prices in the market.
Kaplan Schweser CFA Course Features
- 4000 Practice Questions: Kaplan Schweser provides 4,000 practice questions that are remarkably comparable to the test’s actual questions, along with 6 comprehensive practice tests. Practice examinations are a terrific way to monitor your progress, and this program gives you plenty of chances to prepare completely well before the examination.
- Ensure Exam-Day Confidence: The simulated examinations from Kaplan Schweser replicate the real CFA exam, letting you prepare for test day since it matters most.
- Excellent Instructor Support: However with the Kaplan Schweser Self-Study bundle, you won’t be on your own if you have any queries or require further explanation. During specified office hours, you can speak with a CFA instructor and get assistance with more challenging topics.
- Largest Global Network: You won’t feel like you are doing this alone due to the world’s largest network of CFA charterholders and course specialists. This team offers you the advice and assistance required to succeed.
- Adaptive Learning Experience: You pick your study times, and they provide the study schedule. Its customized activity feed, which is based on applied learning research, divides your 300 hours into manageable weekly assignments.
Kaplan Schweser Pricing
Kaplan Schweser comes with 3 CFA Exam Prep Courses:
- Essential Package costs $ 699 and includes core study tools, a community forum, and many more.
- Premium Package costs $999 and includes instruction tools and classes, review products and OnDemand workshops, and more
- Premium Plus Package costs $1299 and includes instruction tools and live online classes, review products, OnDemand workshops, and more
Since the course ensures that you’ll have the support you need throughout your studies, Fitch Learning is our top pick for the best CPA test prep courses for students. Fitch, one of the 3 most significant credit rating companies, includes Fitch Learning. The website provides thorough CFA Exam preparation. Don’t be hesitant to take Fitch Learning’s CFA exam study if you really want to learn from professionals who are well-versed in the financial sector.
The platform of Fitch Learning is intended for those with busy schedules, including academics or business professionals. Each of their lectures is simple and just requires a few minutes to finish. You may need to take numerous courses on a single topic to properly understand it, which can cause lessons to become repetitive. Even so, repeating can assist solidify your knowledge and facilitate memory.
All 3 CFA test levels can be prepared for using the Fitch Learning CFA Course. They give you the option to select from a variety of learning packages so you may customize your education and learn more efficiently. Along with excellent customer support and round-the-clock help desk access, they also provide a variety of options like classroom instruction, online learning, and video courses. You can test with Fitch Learning Cognition’s free trial to see how effectively the adaptive online portal walks you through the CFA Program curriculum.
The assurance of up to 400+ hours of supporting students is the most appealing aspect of Fitch Learning. Throughout the course, you can email customer service and phone your mentors whenever you need to. When you really need them most, more than 20 CFA teachers are available worldwide to answer your inquiries.
Fitch Learning CFA Course Features
- Multiple Practice Exams: To evaluate your progress, assist you in studying, and verify your skills, Fitch’s Online Learning Portal incorporates a variety of practice exams and learning obstacles. These comprise over 3,000 intelligent questions, five comprehensive practical tests lasting a total of six hours each, as well as shorter quizzes to evaluate your understanding as you study. In order to keep your abilities sharp and to help you highlight areas that require work, you will also receive a regular test question through email.
- Tracks And Checks Your Progress: Your performance is automatically monitored and checked by the integrated analytics tool, which identifies your stronger and weakest sections. Mentors also speak with you to assess your progress and provide tailored study tips to enhance your performance and memories. You can address your weak areas so that you really can retake and pass the exams as soon as possible by creating a personalized studying program based on your results.
- 100% Money-Back Guarantee: No passing, no payment is the Fitch policy. If you follow their curriculum and reach the required objectives but fail the Level I CFA exam on your first attempt, you will receive a full course return. (Applicable for first-time Fitch Learning Candidates).
- Online Learning Portal: The popular online learning platform from Fitch Learning has captured video lessons and built-in analytics. The learning portal may be accessed from a computer or an app, making it simple to study anywhere. There are many ways to learn, including live webcasts, teacher contact, eBooks, queries and quizzes, and recorded video lectures. For a short time, you can use the web portal without cost before making a purchase. For more information visit the Fitch Learning website which offers free quizzes and lectures.
- Excellent Support From Mentors: The level of graduate from university support offered in this course is one of its best attributes. Mentors may occasionally call you to talk about your development. Additionally, you will enjoy 24-hour access to the support desk, where you may speak with even more than 20 professional trainers located all around the world.
Fitch Learning Pricing
Fitch Learning offers 3 pricing packages:
- Review Option costs $475 and includes a knowledge check, 4 live online review sessions, 3 full mock exams, practice questions, and more
- Online Learning costs $695 and includes curriculum reading, custom study plans, and other content
- Virtual Classroom costs $995 and includes 16 live online lectures, 4 live online review sessions, curriculum readings, and more
Final Words On Best CFA Exam Prep Courses
It can be difficult to choose the CFA exam prep course that would best suit your learning needs because there are so many options available. Before signing up for any CFA exam preparation programs, be sure to check reviews from previous students, carefully research any curriculum material, and chat with a company executive.
The CFA Institute, too, is a fantastic place to begin your search. The organization that conducts the exam and issues the certificate provides the learning resources directly. Additionally, the teaching environment of the company provides a personalized study experience and provides a variety of ways for you to interact with the particular topic.
We examined which companies stand out for price, quality, bundles, virtual and in-person company offers, and the possibility to buy study materials separately in order to assist you to decide which CFA prep course is ideal for you. We also considered which businesses would provide money-back guarantees and how flexible the businesses’ offerings were.
FAQs On Best CFA Exam Prep Courses
1. Which is the best material for CFA Level 1?
According to our group of experts, the top CFA Level 1 study guides are as follows:
1. Curriculum for CFA Program at CFA Institute.
2. The Level 1 CFA Program Study Guide from Wiley.
3. SchweserNotes by Kaplan CFA Study Guide.
2. Is the Princeton Review good for CFA?
One of our top choices was the Princeton Review. Level I of the CFA exam is covered in great detail by a course offered by Princeton Review. Students can enroll in the Princeton Review course for $499 and get access to it for 12 months.
3. How Long Does It Take to Prepare for the CFA Exam?
The CFA Institute estimates that the typical student devotes about 300 hours to each level of exam preparation. However, depending on your prior knowledge and learning style, your experience may differ. Prior to the exam, make sure you give yourself enough time to study.
4. Are CFA Exam Prep Courses Worth It?
If you require extra assistance and the program helps you pass your exam, taking a CFA exam prep course may be worth the money. Some businesses have a pass guarantee, which, if you don’t succeed on your first attempt, either provides a return or extends your access to the course materials. This assurance raises the course’s value. Additionally, you might be able to claim the cost as a tax deduction.
5. Can you pass CFA Level 1 with schweser?
The greatest study materials for CFA exams are definitely those from Schweser, notably Levels 1 and 2. Although the books are short, they provide adequate detail on the subject. In terms of training with Schweser, you are free to do so.
