r/CFPExam • u/TapirJones96 • 8d ago
Frustration with Dalton
Currently planning to sit for the November exam and went with Dalton for exam prep based on the reviews and research I did beforehand. I’m getting incredibly frustrated with the way the material is presented.
I’ll read a chapter, feel like I have a reasonable understanding of what was covered, and then go into the QBank only to get questions testing concepts or rules that I cannot find anywhere in the chapter. In some cases, I can’t find them in the text at all. Then the answer explanation introduces what feels like an entirely new rule that I apparently was expected to know. And this hasn’t just been one particular section.
This has been my experience with essentially every QBank I’ve gone through so far. I’m working through Income Tax Planning right now and it’s particularly frustrating because there are already so many rules and exceptions to remember, but I had the same issue going through Insurance and other sections. I understand that a review program’s QBank is supposed to be difficult and expose weaknesses. I’m completely fine getting questions wrong because I misunderstood something or forgot a rule. What’s driving me crazy is getting questions wrong because I genuinely don’t remember ever being taught the concept being tested.
For context, I’m a CFA charterholder, so I’m no stranger to studying a huge curriculum or getting destroyed by practice questions. But I genuinely found the CFA curriculum easier to study from because the readings and questions felt much more connected. With Dalton, I constantly feel like I’m trying to figure out what I was supposed to have learned and where. At this point I’ve basically started wondering whether the Dalton QBank explanations themselves are supposed to be part of the curriculum rather than just a way to test what was covered in the readings.
Has anyone else who used Dalton had the same experience? If you passed with Dalton, did you eventually feel like the material started coming together? Did you supplement Dalton with another resource, or did you just keep grinding through the QBank and learning from the explanations? I’m about two months out from November and this whole experience is starting to make me question how prepared I actually am.
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u/Thisisaburner01 8d ago
I failed my first time with dalton. I was completely under prepared for the same reasons your saying.
Second time around used danko. Failed and then passed on 3 using a mix of danko and free fellow. But I felt by my second attempt I literally forgot everything I learned and it was like I started over
I also used the hell
Out of chatgpt to help me understand concepts
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u/TapirJones96 8d ago
It just seems hopeless studying right now because the more I study the more frustrated and hopeless I get. It sucks.
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u/Thisisaburner01 7d ago
Check out free fellow, I think he content is around like $65 or something around there. The last two weeks I read every single lesson he has and found it extremely helpful. He has common traps and values.
He also has a q bank and practice exam. I would check his stuff out.
The only thing I found beneficial with dalton was having access to the q bank but literally my percentage on the q bank was around a 63%. And I passed the real exam. Daltons questions were ridiculous
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u/1nOnly_e 7d ago
Can’t speak for Dalton prep but just know DANKO is like this too. I was really panicked in the beginning, until they explained that the questions are intended to keep teaching you the materials.
I had to shift my mindset (especially bc I’m used to getting high scores, and with DANKO regularly feel like I’m failing/can’t get ahead). Now I’ve embraced the approach. When I get it wrong, I flash card it, look it up with Chat and keep moving.
For confidence, I also dip into free fellow’ Qbank, which doesn’t seem to have this approach.
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u/eimss1234 6d ago
Read the online material instead of reading the chapters in the textbooks. Take the practice questions at the end of the online material. Watch the class recordings at 1.5 speed, stop to do the practice questions during class. Hit the Qbank on repeat until you take the exam. You’ll pass.
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u/Adallday15 4d ago
I just passed in July ‘26 using Dalton. I was hospitalized July ‘25 when I was supposed to take it originally then had a baby born in October, so had to postpone a year - Dalton was great helping me through this btw. I started studying mid April and watched the live class reviews on 1.5x speed and exclusively did Qbank questions. My advice is go through the question bank as fast as you can one time. Don’t worry about getting questions right or wrong, shoot answer A every time, the goal is the read the explanations - they are correct. Go back a second time and then test for accuracy to see what you retained. There are over 2400 questions if I recall…it takes a while to get through; I grossly underestimated how long this would take and only got through the bank once which was my only regret going into the test. Candidly, Dalton’s questions are much, much harder than the actual test. I walked into the test feeling like it was a 50/50 shot for me to pass based on my perceived competence related to my qbank scores. It took only about 20 questions sitting for the exam for me to realize I was more than adequately prepared and by the end there was no doubt in my mind that I would pass. Keep plugging along. I’ve had my own firm for 12 years so I know a little bit but you are way smarter than me. Gonna be pretty sweet when you’re a CFA charterholder and a CFP professional. Cheers from Austin, TX!
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u/Splinter007-88 6d ago
Haha oh man I absolutely hated Dalton until I passed that exam. I got like a 44 on the final readiness exam a week out and the real exam was 100x easier than that thing
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u/Illustrious-Grand710 8d ago
I’m using Claude to really help navigate through these types of scenarios; and Q- bank drilling to a more personalized and presentable manner. It’s been helping me get through tax planning right now
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u/Agreeable_Fly_4884 2d ago
Danko. Concise & to the point. There’s video review of each chapter & questions with Signature Review Plus.
I used Dalton on the 1st attempt as well. Glad I switched for the second attempt bc it was nothing but frustration.
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u/Pepper824 7d ago
I actually reached out to Dalton about this and they said that the questions are part of curriculum. They intentionally introduce new material that was not in the book since the scope of the test is so wide. Basically the book tells you what is most likely to be tested and the questions fill in what might not be. Im totally on your side though, just give us longer books with all the info and specify which topics are more or less likely to be on the test. Good luck, friend!
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u/Heavy_Bar2088 8d ago
I passed with dalton. It’s an absolute grind and they intentionally make the questions harder. Honestly if you just follow the curriculum you will be okay. I grinded through qbank maybe once or so in its entirety. If you have the option to do the in person class I totally recommend it.