Be careful though – free CFA exam materials floating around the internet can be outdated or inaccurate. So we’ve compiled a list of the best available free CFA study materials just for you, so you can get straight into exam preparation mode.
Constantly updated, here are all the latest free yet awesome resources we’ve identified for you!
“Failing to plan is planning to fail” – so clichéd but true especially in CFA exam preparations. A study plan is a must for all CFA candidates to track progress, manage time and target improvements. We have created and shared our free, personalized CFA Study Planner tool which has been used by more than 60,000 happy candidates. Try it out!
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It can quickly get confusing and overly complicated when it comes to choosing the right calculator for your CFA exam preparations. Whilst majority of candidates use BA II Plus, those who use HP12C are ardent fans. No worries, we are here to help! Whether you’re unsure which calculator to choose, or just want to learn more BA II Plus or HP12C calculator tips – we’ve got it covered with our CFA calculator guides:
Being charterholders ourselves, we totally get – and shudder at the thought of – the painful process of studying and passing all 3 levels of the exams. Back then, we wished others have told us what to expect, what to focus on, and just simply how to prepare for each level to maximize our chances of passing. Thankfully, we have collected and summarized all these advice and tips from previous candidates and charterholders here for you:
Common probability distributions can be a nightmare for some, especially if you’re new to statistics. However, with lots of practice and grasp of concept, it can easily be one of your stronger topics once you get the hang of it. We have compiled the following list of probability distribution tables that you would need to learn how to use for Level 1 and 2:
Before that, a few important things to remember:
| One-Tailed Test | Two-Tailed Test |
|---|---|
| 95% (1.645) | 68% (1.0) |
| 99% (2.33) | 90% (1.645) |
| – | 95% (1.96) |
| – | 99% (2.58) |
Besides simply identifying free stuff, we’ve taken it one step further.
We worked with IFT to create a completely new 90-question online practice test, weighted to the actual exam.
The practice test is free for all readers to take online, and upon completion you will receive a detailed answer and performance report, including a comparison to the rest of the sample that have previously taken the exam.
This year, we worked with IFT to create a brand new CFA Level 2 practice exam. 44 questions with fully explained answers and performance report instantly generated upon completing the exam. And again, free!
A brand new new 2 hour and 15 minutes, 44-question mock exam, weighted approximately to the topic guidance set by the CFA Institute for the Level 3 exams. This is a proper mock exam, using the item-set and vignette format that’s the same as the actual Level 3 exam item set session, rather than independent question-bank-type questions.
Not sure if Kaplan Schweser is worth it?
Why not trial it for free for a week ? This offer is available for all CFA Levels.
You get to check out samples of Schweser’s QBank, Notes (eBook 1), videos, topic quizzes and resource library.
Kaplan Schweser’s is helping out CFA Level 1 candidates with their 60 questions diagnostic exam to prepare for the exam. There are detailed answers after submission and you can see how you perform vs other candidates.
Salt Solutions’ CFA exam platform is now live for Level 1, 2 and 3, has great early feedback.
They now have a new promo to provide a free mock exam for CFA Level 1, 2 and 3, for free!
It’s a full CFA exam product, so you can use this to prep for your CFA exam fully. We particularly liked the short, succinct videos with high production value, accompanied with study notes, which provides flexibility on study mode. Try it out yourself!
UWorld’s all-digital learning platform is highly focused on passing the CFA exams via practice questions.
They are offering 7 day trial to their Level 1 package (the previously 90 days free trial has ended), mainly focused on 2,400+ practice questions accompanied with detailed explanations, calculator keystroke cards, and the ability to make flashcards and notes easily as you practice.
We think it is a solid source of practice, and they are well reviewed so far, so definitely worth checking them out! Level 2 is also available now with a 7 day free trial.
UWorld’s Level 3 is launching soon too.
Practice questions are based on curriculum topics, designed to help strengthen your understanding of the curriculum as you study.
They are 100% free, straight from CFA Institute, available to all registered candidates of all levels. CFA Institute has also recently launched a booster practice exam pack for 2024 exams at a super competitive price, do check it out!
All registered candidates have access mock exams by CFA Institute. This can sound obvious to some, but there are quite a number of candidates every year that don’t even know they have a free material from CFA Institute. The number of mock exams and formats vary from year to year, but do not miss this opportunity to get some practice direct from CFA Institute.
In fact, CFA Institute create these mocks from unused past year questions, so this is as close to the real thing as you are going to get.
The mock exam is structured with approximately the same topic area weights, time per question and format as the actual exam. Multiple mocks are released per Level in the Learning Ecosystem about 2 months before your exam date.
When preparing for the CFA exams, everything counts. Do not waste precious resources – definitely make sure you use the resources above to help you prepare!
Meanwhile, you may find these articles on CFA study preparations useful:
