Just registered for the CFA Level I exam, where do I start?

Question

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum, and I just registered for the Level I exam that's happening in June. Can anyone answer some basic questions for me and give some basic tips?

1) I downloaded the CFA Curriculum books for Level I, how should I approach them? There are 6 books and they are roughly 700 pages each, do I need to read them all cover to cover, or is there a more efficient study method that you guys have found?

2) As far as I understand, there are other alternatives to the CFA Curriculum books that come with your registration. Any recommendations? Should I use them along with the books that I downloaded, or are they just better by themselves?

I appreciate any help. Thanks!

scarebaer · Answer

@Pahtsan  I recommend kaplan. PM me if you think you are going to go that route, the Q bank is a good source to see your retention. I can give you 15% off of a code i have. Makes the essentials package come out to around $550 with shipping. Personally I'm a big notecard guy. I study note cards physically and have quizlet on my phone to run through them when I am out and about.  Below I included a breakdown of my study and what I intend on scoring based on weighting and ease of points. I started with quant and then went to FA because I need to review those the most, seeing as I use note cards I wanted to give myself the most opportunities to review that material. I personally have the following breakdown: 
 
  Section 
  Focus Area
  Focus Area Rational 
  Weights
  Questions
  Target Score
  Contribution to Total Score

Calc
  Calc
  Calc

Ethics
  Yes
  High points/low time commitment 
  15%
                   36 
  85%
  13%

Quantitative
  Methods
  Yes
  High points
  12%
                   29 
  85%
  10%

Economics
  Yes
  High points/not too difficult
  10%
                   24 
  85%
  9%

Financial
  Reporting and Analysis
  Yes
  High points/very low time
  commitment
  20%
                   48 
  85%
  17%

Corporate
  Finance
  No
  Low points/pretty easy 
  7%
                   17 
  50%
  4%

Equity
  Investments
  Yes
  High points
  10%
                   24 
  85%
  9%

Fixed
  Income
  Yes
  High points
  10%
                   24 
  85%
  9%

Derivatives
  No
  Hard material/low points 
  5%
                   12 
  50%
  3%

Alternative
  Investments
  No
  Low points/pretty easy 
  4%
                   10 
  50%
  2%

Portfolio
  Management
  No
  Low points/moderate difficulty
  7%
                   17 
  50%
  4%

Total

100%
  240
  n/a
  77%
 Edit. The table doesn't format. PM me you want the excel lol

Pahtsan · Answer

@scarebaer @hairyfairy Thanks for the info!