CFA prep courses are mostly preferred by students to clear their CFA exams with good scores. CFA courses are said to be the hardest exam in finance. The courses provide you with an edge over other students due to the hacks and tricks that you learn from your teachers to solve the question.
Only 93,000 candidates globally took the CFA level 1 exam in the year 2022. In November 2021, only 27% of the students appeared to be able to pass the level 1 exam. That’s surely a tough exam to think about, and you will need expert guidance to guide you through all the levels of the CFA examination
If you are preparing for the CFA course and are confused about which is the best CFA prep course. We got you covered.
In the following article, I have listed the best CFA courses that will help you to clear your CFA exam with a good score. I have also listed the key features, prices and ratings of all the courses. You can check them out and select a course that is most suitable for you.
Let’s Go!
9+ Best CFA Prep Courses: In a Nutshell
If you don’t have enough time to take a detailed look at the best CFA Prep Courses, you can take a look at the summary of the courses that I have mentioned in the article.
| Sr. No. | Course Name | Price | Ratings |
| 1. | Kaplan Scheweser | $699 | 4.8/5 |
| 2. | Wiley’s CFA Program | $1395 | 4.8/5 |
| 3. | Salt solutions | $599 | 4.6/5 |
| 4. | Princeton Review | $799 | 4.6/5 |
| 5. | Analyst prep | $499 | 4.5/5 |
| 6. | Bloomberg | $699 | 4.3/5 |
| 7. | Fitch learning institute | $695 | 4.3/5 |
| 8. | Illumeo CFA reviews course | $299 | 4.0/5 |
| 9. | CFA institute | Free | 3.9/5 |
Let us take a look at what the top CFA Prep Course provides and choose the best course for you according to your requirements.
1. Kaplan Scheweser:
It is the most popular prep course available among the CFA community. The self-study package provides the candidates with notes, planning tools and techniques for the CFA exam, practice tests, and a question bank.
You will get access to 6 full practice tests and 400o questions to practice for the CFA test. The questions and the test are updated every year by the experts at Kaplan.
The course is more focused on the questions and the exam. Hence you will find a ton of questions of the level same as the CFA exam or higher.
The questions in the live mock exams are much harder than the trial CFA exam. It will help you to prepare well for the CFA test.
Key Features:
- The question bank includes all levels of questions.
- You will get access to get questions to more than a thousand questions.
- You will be able to give the live mock exam and experience the test conditions of the CFA exams.
- The course provides you with detailed notes and checkpoints.
- You will have an activity feed to track your progress and activities.
Price:
| Plan | Price |
| On-demand classes | $699 |
| Live online classes | $999 |
Ratings:
4.8/5
2. Wiley’s CFA Program:
The content provided by Wiley is of really high quality and is sure to help the students to excel at their CFA prep. Enrolling in their platinum or gold course will help you to gain full access to the learning tools.
Wiley offers students the final review guide, study notes, quick guide, video lessons, and other detailed required study materials to crack the CFA exam. Wiley surely gains the upper hand in providing the final review course that helps students to prepare for their last-minute studies.
You will get two full-length mock tests and 25+ hours of video lectures for the final review. There are student discussion boards for the students and performance analyses to keep track of their progress.
Key Features
- They provide you with a 14-day free trial.
- Wiley is supposed to have the best content for all the levels of the CFA exam.
- The course is affordable and in the budget range, especially during the discount season.
- More than 2000 practice questions are available in the course.
- You got the benefit of 90+ hours of video lectures.
- You will get course access until you pass the CFA exam.
Price:
| Course Name | Price |
| Platinum | $1395 |
| Gold | $995 |
| Sel-study course | $645 |
Ratings:
4.8/5
3. Salt solutions:
You can study up to level three in the salt solutions. They provide students with multiple-choice questions, video lectures, and mock tests. The video lectures help students to retent knowledge and learn with the help of the graphi9ce.
The students are granted access to the study materials until they pass the examination and can take advantage of the full exam access feature. The video lectures are short, with the required details of the topics to prevent students from getting distracted. Most of the video lectures last up to only 10 minutes.
The dashboard helps the students to keep an eye on their progress and provides them with a detailed analysis of the weekly goals. You can use the custom quiz creator to focus on your weak points and practice those topics.
Key Features:
- Students get access to more than 4400 MCQ questions.
- To study the curriculum, you need more than 160 hours of video lectures.
- More than nine practice exams are included in the course.
- Students get a personalized learning experience.
- The course includes a free trial for new students.
Price:
| Plan | Price |
| Monthly | $129/ month |
| Full Access | $599 |
Ratings:
4.6/5
4. Princeton Review:
There is only one course by the Princeton Review. It also has a pass guarantee, and you get access to the course until you pass. There are thousands of practice questions.
You get a set of 50 flashcard sheets or formula sheets. The course takes up to 120 hours of learning to complete the course. All ten subjects are covered in detail.
Key Features:
- There are two full-length mock tests.
- Great for other levels of the CPA exams.
- You get a personalized set of questions on the topic that you are facing issues with.
- one on 1 Q and A session with the instructor.
- More than 900 slides comprise the study notes.
Price:
| Plan | Price |
| On-demand classes | $799 |
| Live online classes | $999 |
Ratings:
4.6/5
5. Analyst Prep:
You can instantly access the course with the help of your Google or Facebook account. It is a streamlined online course that offers a modern way to study and excel at the CFA exam.
There are more than 3500 questions to practice for level 1 of the CFA exam. You can customize the quizzes according to the topics you need to practice more with. The study notes will help you to gain a clear understanding of the topics and clarify your concepts of all the subjects.
You will discover various tips in the notes that can be implemented to solve the question in less time. The video lectures are easy to understand and to retent information.
Key Features:
- You get access to the free material available on the platform.
- The courses are taught by industry experts.
- The student forum helps the students to talk about their strengths and weaknesses and help each other out.
- The practice questions include a detailed solution.
- More than 40 hours of high-quality video lectures.
Price:
| Plan | Price |
| Learn and practice package | $499 |
| All three level study package | $1,197 |
Ratings:
4.5/5
6. Bloomberg:
The platform uses an adaptive learning platform to help you focus on the topics that are hard to excel at and your weak points. The instructors of the courses are top-rated and teach the students all the required details. They also help students to excel at the questions with tricks to solve them easily.
The dashboard of the course has easy-to-navigate menus and an easy design to provide you access to all the course contents. The practice questions are sure to help you with all the levels of questions that you can face in the final CFA exam.
Key Features:
- There are one on one tutoring sessions available for the students.
- There are 11 full-length exams.
- The courses by Bloomberg provide students with a passing guarantee.
- You get access to more than 1000 questions in the course.
- Free two weeks trail.
Price:
| Plan | Price |
| Essential | $699 |
| Premium | $1,199 |
| Ultimate | $1,999 |
Ratings:
4.3/5
7. Fitch learning:
If you are a working professional or a student and don’t have enough time every day to prepare for the CFA examination. The Fitch learning courses are surely suitable for you. The bite-sized lessons help you to complete the required topics in a short time frame.
The cost of the course depends on the lessons that you will be taking. There are more than 3800 practice questions for level 1, 3,700, and 2200 questions for level 2 and level 3, respectively.
The app of the platform is available on ios as well as Android platforms. It enables the students to access the video lectures and the study materials from the mobile itself.
Key Features:
- You can easily access the materials from the mobile app anywhere on the go.
- You get access to the notes to gain command over the topics and subjects included in the exam.
- There are mindmaps available with the course to improve your memorization process.
- Instructor support is available 24 by 7.
- If you do not pass the exam, there is a money-back guarantee.
Price:
| Plan | Price |
| Online learning | $695 |
| Review Options(Online mock) | $60 |
Ratings:
4.3/5
8. Illumeo CFA Reviews Course:
When you pay for level 1 of the CFA course by Illumeo, the platform provides you access to all the levels of the CFA course. Hence you end up getting a lot more content than required.
The course provides you with video lectures required by a single instructor. You can contact the instructor by email any ti,e you wish. You will be able to save a lot of your time with the help of this course.
Key Features:
- The course is highly affordable for students.
- Mini modules help students to cover all the topics in a flow.
- Easy to navigate dashboard.
Price:
$299/year
Ratings:
4.0/5
9. CFA Institute:
The CFA institute is great if you want to self-study for the level 1 exam and need the proper study materials. Their practice questions and notes are to the point. You will also get access to the free mocks.
The practice questions are similar to that the questions expected to be asked in the CFA test.
Key Features:
- Practice questions are great to practice for the final CFA test.
- The notes are really helpful for the students to clear their concepts.
- Free mocks give you the real-time experience of the CFA exam.
Price:
Free
Ratings:
3.9/5
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Final verdict: CFA Prep Courses
That’s all about the best CFA prep courses.
The CFA exam is one of the most difficult to clear and has gained value in the market. Many students in the finance field all over the world choose to give the CFA course and clear at least level 1 of the exam.
The number of candidates that are in level 1 is mostly less than the 30% of the students that have attempted the examination. Coaching or the prep courses for the CFA exam surely proves fruitful for the students that need a helping hand to keep them on track and guide them in with the proper flow.
I hope that the above article has helped you to find the best CFA preparation course that caters to your needs. If you are still confused about which course you should prefer, here are our top picks:
- Kaplan Scheweser
- Wiley CFA Course
All the best for your test!
Which CFA prep course did you like the most and why?
FAQs CFA Prep Courses
The best order to study for CFA level 1 is to understand the curriculum and then follow the flow of topics. You can start with the Quantitative methods first part and end your preparation with the Ethics topic.
The total cost of the level 1 CFA course may range between $1,300-$2,900. Various prep courses range in between these numbers, and some add up the expenses of the study material.
No, Candidates are usually advised to start the preparation 4 to 6 months before the examination date. However, if you are starting three months before the examination, you will have to study more than 6 to 7 hours every day.
Yes, you can clear the CFA course by self-study. All three exams in the curriculum are structured for self-study. However, you will need direction and a few tips and tricks to crack the exam. Hence, students with prep courses find an edge over the self-studied ones