The "Illusion of Competence" Because Schweser notes are concise and well-written, they make the material feel easier than it is. You read a page and think, "That makes sense." Then you get a question wrong.
Ignoring the "Why" for the "How" Schweser is famous for teaching you how to calculate the answer quickly. However, the CFA exam is increasingly testing the why (conceptual understanding).
Calculator Reliance Schweser teaches calculator shortcuts. kaplan schweser cfa level 1 book
CFA curriculum is written by academics for academics. Schweser is written by instructors for students. Complex topics like derivative pricing or fixed-income duration are explained in conversational English with real-world analogies.
Q: Can I just read the Kaplan Schweser book and skip the CFA curriculum entirely? A: For Ethics, no. For everything else, yes, but you should still take the official CFA Institute mock exams to catch Schweser’s blind spots. The "Illusion of Competence" Because Schweser notes are
Q: How long before my exam should I buy the Schweser books? A: 4-5 months before. Kaplan releases updates after the CFA Institute publishes final curriculum changes (usually August for the following year’s exams).
Q: Do the Schweser books expire? A: Yes. The CFA exam changes annually. A 2023 book is useless for the 2025 exam. Do not try to save money here—you will study outdated accounting rules. Ignoring the "Why" for the "How" Schweser is
Q: Is the Quicksheet sold separately? A: Yes, but it’s overpriced alone. Just buy the full book set.
The Kaplan Schweser CFA Level 1 book set (commonly referred to as the "SchweserNotes") is the industry’s leading third-party study guide for the CFA Program. Unlike the official CFA Institute curriculum (over 3,000 pages), Schweser condenses the material into approximately 1,200–1,500 high-yield pages. It is designed for candidate efficiency, prioritizing exam-relevant concepts over theoretical depth.
| Component | Description | |-----------|-------------| | Books 1–5 (Study Notes) | Core content covering all 10 CFA Level 1 topics | | Quicksheet | One-page laminated formula sheet | | Secret Sauce | Condensed review booklet (approx. 150 pages) | | Practice Exams (Volumes 1 & 2) | 4 full mock exams (2 per volume) | | QBank (online) | Thousands of practice questions with explanations | | Checkpoint Exams | Topic-based mini-tests |
Note: The exact contents depend on the package tier (Essential, Premium, or Premium+).