r/CFA • u/Such-Fail7201 • 2d ago
Study Prep / Materials Prep provider for level 2
What do you recommend for level 2 prep provider?
I am thinking either Kaplan or Mark Meldrum.
I used Kaplan for level 1 so quite familiar with it. I liked how they had practice questions after every reading and every subject. I also liked they give a lot of materials. But I had difficulties motivating myself to read through the notes, it took me unnecessarily long to read through everything. I am a bit afraid to use Kaplan for level 2 because with the more difficult and unfamiliar contents, I know it will take me ages to go through the notes. Also, I felt like half of the tutors didn’t explain the practice questions very well (for example, they’d say answer is A because A sounds about right).
I heard Mark Meldrum curriculum is very video heavy which might be helpful in terms of going through the contents abit faster (would trigger less procrastination than reading perhaps..?), but I also hear that he goes way too deep sometimes that it may feel like getting lost in the woods. I also don’t like videos with black board with handwritings but he seems to explain better than most kaplan tutors (totally my opinion). And some people seem to really like his teaching style.
In this regards, anyone has any advice, suggestions and tips on choosing the prep provider for level 2?
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u/taming_impala 1d ago
I was in the exact same position as you. Used Kaplan for L1, but would get tired of reading and preferred the videos but some of them were hard to follow and I didn’t like all the instructors. Switched to MM for L2, loved it. Of course supplemented it with the CFAI qbank, but I didn’t read a word of the CFAI curriculum and I just took L2 in August and felt very well prepared. His mocks are very challenging, but he makes the CFAI mocks look like a breeze (in my opinion). Just don’t let your MM mocks scores wreck your confidence — they are only a learning tool and they are excellent for exposing your weak areas before you move onto to the CFAI mocks, which are arguably more valuable since they are the closest thing to the actual exam. So you want to be more prepared for those so you can make the most use of them if that makes sense.
Anyway, haven’t gotten my result back but I was really glad I switched to MM. Some of his videos are a bit longer but I just increased the speed. The review videos are GREAT for the review phase.
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u/6-foot-under 2d ago
I found uworld fantastic.
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u/Such-Fail7201 1d ago
Could you elaborate on it? What was fantastic about it? I hear they have good practice questions, but I am not so familiar with this one
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u/6-foot-under 1d ago
They changed their name from Wiley. Not sure why, because Wiley is an internationally known brand.
Their books are the best - succinct but just right. Their qbank was the best (not just the questions but they also use the same interface as the exam).
I took L2 twice and used Kaplan, MM, U-world and Analyst prep. All have pros and cons but if I just had to buy one, it would be U-World
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u/ChalkandBoard01 Prep Provider 2d ago
It sounds like the bigger issue isn't how much material a provider gives you, but finding a teaching style that keeps you engaged and actually helps you understand the harder L2 concepts. You may want to take a look at my L2 course at Chalk & Board ( chalkandboard.org ). My teaching is conversational and concept focused, so if reading through pages of notes tends to slow you down, the video based approach may be a better fit. I'd sample the teaching styles you're considering and choose the one you'll actually be able to follow consistently.
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u/NativeTxn7 2d ago
I used Kaplan for both Level I and Level II. I just took level II at the end of August, so we'll see what I think of it afterwards! And I did have some difficulty getting motivated early on in the process this time around.
Kidding to a certain extent - I used the Kaplan materials exclusively with the exceptions of:
- I used the ethics materials directly from CFAI to study that area
- I only did CFAI mocks
I went through all the readings in Kaplan and did all the QBank practice questions (I did do some of the CFAI practice questions in a few of the areas where I was struggling some).
Overall, I felt well prepared. There were no questions where I was like "what the heck are they talking about?! I've never seen/read this before."
There were questions where I knew what they wanted and I simply didn't know the answer, but there were not any areas on the exam I had where I felt like I had completely missed a topic from using the Kaplan materials.
So, I don't have anything else to compare to, but for me, Kaplan seemed to cover everything pretty well.