Hello there!
Welcome to this informative and detailed review of the Kaplan Schweser CFA.
You will know all about Kaplan Schweser, the CFA prep provider’s packages and offers.
You will Understand Kaplan Schweser CFA, the pros, cons, and everything else to know about this.
In this article, we will cover the following:
The CFA curriculum Kaplan has is the condensed version along with pointers, actionable tips, and help from the instructors.
Let’s get right into it!
Introduction
Kaplan Schweser is one of the top CFA prep providers in the industry, with three decades of experience in CFA exams.
The Schweser Study program became the Charted Finacial Analyst program industry leader back in the 1990s, and it still is today.
Kaplan Inc then acquired the Schweser study program in November 1999.
Currently, Kaplan Schweser boasts 12 full-time CFA-qualified faculty members and other 13 full-time faculty members holding additional professional designations like CAIA, CFA or FRM.
Kaplan Schweser CFA provides a comprehensive collection of prep courses for the CFA exam.
Thanks to Kaplan’s great experience in test preparation, students taking this series of exams will find themselves well-equipped
After enrolling in the course, there is a collection of study guides, online materials, workbooks, practice questions, study plans, and explanations.
In the end, the student saves a lot of time in a demanding course.
Available Study Packages For The CFA Program
Kaplan Schweser features a couple of simple study packages which depend on a candidate’s level of need for support as they undergo their CFA exam prep.
An Essential package entails all the basics for candidates who prefer to self-study.
However, for the candidates who require more structure and guidance, there are the Premium and the PremiumPlus packages that also have weekly instruction, instructor support, workbooks, and review programs.
There are discounts, occasional deals and freebies such as the Early Bird discount, which applies when you meet the CFA registration deadlines.
The Course Features Summary
Here is a summary of the course features that all candidates should note:
- On-Demand Video Courses, Recorded Lessons, Webinars, and Digital Learning Materials Live or Online Review Options
- Practice Questions ( 4000+)
- Six Practice Exams
- Schweser Notes 5-volume
- The secret sauce (Cheat Sheet/ Compact cram guide)
- A study calendar
- Analytics ( Includes performance tracking and online scoring)
- Online resource library
- Workbooks and eBooks
- QuickSheet Study Aid (Laminated)
- Instructors are accessible and available to answer questions through email, phone, and chat
The CFA Program Study Packages Pricing
All the prices are the same among all the Level I, level II, and level III packages of the CFA exam. The following are Kaplan Schweser’s CFA exam prep packages, including the current offers, deals, and discount codes.
SchweserNotes Package
This package goes for $349, and they include the workbook(5-volume), a QuickSheet, 3 practice exams, availability of the expert CFA instructors, and a study calendar.
These are all instrumental toward the success of the CFA exam.
The Essential Self-Study Package
This self-study package goes for $649. It includes a question bank, 6 practice exams, SchweserNotes, instructor availability, and a study calendar.
The Premium Package
The premium instruction package price range is between $1099-$1300. This package features the following:
- A weekly online class
- Schweser’s Secret Sauce
- More video classes
- 6 practice exams, Schweser notes
- QuckSheet, workbooks
- instructor availability
- Study calendar
- A pass protection discount
- An online resource library
The Premium Plus Package
The premium plus package has a price between $1499 and $2898.This package includes the following:
- A final review option
- An Online Weekly class
- Additional video classes
- Schweser’s secret sauce
- SchweserNotes
- 6 practice exam
- Workbooks
- Study calendar
- QuickSheet
- Instructor availability
- The pass protection
- Online Resource Library
Note that the premium plus package also comes with the weekly live classes and a live 3-day to 5-day Exam Review workshop for between $1799-$2099.
The Kaplan Schweser CFA Pros
Various benefits come with this program, and they are as follows:
The Final Review
Most of the Kaplan Schweser learning options feature a few days of exam review workshops before the exam for helping students stay focused and do away with any exam jitters.
These options consist of live workshops, more practice exam questions, and a very resourceful cheat sheet or cram book famously referred to as the Secret Sauce.
Those are all helpful when it comes to passing the CFA exam.
The Practice Tests
Apart from the tests with 4000 practice questions or more, you have the option of taking up 6 practice exams thanks to most study packages available via Kaplan Schweser.
The practice exams are instrumental in preparing and determining your progress.
By knowing your progress, you will be confident of success as you pursue all the 3 levels required to complete the CFA program.
If you have a limited budget, you can always take on the more affordable SchweserNotes package, which features 3 practice exams and not 6 like the other packages.
The On-demand Study Option
On top of the live course options that exist, you also get to choose and use the on-demand content such as lessons and pre-recorded videos.
This will become very convenient because it will allow you to study by following your own schedule.
Another great thing is free trials on the CFA package products accessible on the Kaplan Schweser site, complete with a CFA assessment exam offered freely.
Can it get better than that?
Instructor Availability
It is also convenient and useful that candidates can get in touch with the instructors through online methods like email and chat whenever they need help with the course, have questions, or seek advice.
This is made possible because Kaplan Schweser has its instructors situated in various parts of the globe.
This is why they are always available to conveniently help learners address questions or deal with arising issues.
Focused and Straightforward
The program is popular thanks to its condensed CFA curriculum, which makes the extensive information very manageable.
The study guide, which is 5 volumes, and is commonly called SchweserNotes, is shorter than the original CFA curriculum.
The advantage is that this condensed version has the complete information you will require to ace that CFA exam.
Regular Updates Of The Content
Kaplan Schweser is among the few CFA prep courses known to release new product versions annually following the changes with the CFA test.
This is to make sure that candidates study up-to-date things.
Buying the updated versions of the review courses is not a waste of time and studying learning material from past exams is not advisable because it can lead to great confusion on the exam day.
The Convenient Costs And Discounts
Kaplan Schweser study packages indeed happen to cost more than what most of the competitors were offering.
However, recently their pricing has become more affordable.
With prices where the Premium package goes for $1099 per level and a PremiumPlus package costing $1499, that is quite affordably convenient to candidates.
The best part is that students who want a deal that further favors them have the option to use the Kaplan Schweser CFA discount promo code, which will see further reduced costs.
The Kaplan Schweser CFA Cons
Of course, with everything that has benefits, it must also have drawbacks. Fortunately, this prep course has only one con, and it is as follows:
The SchweserNotes Shortcoming
Indeed, the study packages that come with the Kaplan Schweser prep course are very effective and easy to understand.
It is also true that they effectively help students to pass the CFA examination, but, SchweserNotes still have one fault.
These notes fail to help students fully understand the real concepts related to the CFA exam the way the CFA institute books do.
The notes just prep students for the exam.
The Ideal Users Of Kaplan Schweser’s Courses
These courses are convenient for all kinds of learners.
Both the learners who love the convenience it presents in the form of the live online classes, and the traditional learners that feel comfortable in a classroom learning setup will find the courses quite accommodating.
The exam workshops that last 3 days are helpful to students when it comes to achieving focus on their study routines as the expert instructors equip these candidates to pass the CFA exam.
The Traditional Learners
The traditional learners can find SchweserNotes which are clear and concise with detailed examples of useful information quite helpful and appreciate it.
A printable QuickSheet learning material offers easy reference to major formulas, descriptions, and CFA curriculum concepts.
These learners who prefer the traditional learning way of paper and pencil can use the workbooks to study the examples highlighted and questions as they sample the live courses.
The Online Learners
For learners who prefer online studying, the course makes it convenient for them to create a customized exam to cover certain topics.
They can use the Online Resource Library, a videos collection on the CFA program curriculum core concepts.
There is also the widely-used Secret Sauce which is simply a book that provides a clear review of the key components of the CFA program curriculum and very useful tips for the student to use the knowledge to pass the exam.
Conclusion
Kaplan has various options for candidates such as live and online lessons, mock exams, self-study programs, and seminars.
Students can opt to take both the online and live lessons options or simply choose an online course throughout.
It is clear that SchweserNotes offer more focus on the major topics tested in the CFA exam.
The notes will never tire the student with seemingly endless CFA curriculum information.
There is no doubt that the Kaplan Schweser CFA course is effective in exam preparation and has become a lifesaver for those students who would love to take as little time as possible to study for the exam and pass it.
The positives of this course are worth it because, in the end, every student wants to pass their CFA exam.
