How would you study for the Level II in my situation?

Question

Its been a while and I am back at it. Now onto my second attempt on my L2. I wanted to reach out to the community to understand what I should reuse vs. what I should buy.What I have from last year:2014 Kaplan Schweser notes, slides, and mock exams (lacking the q-bank)700+ personalized, hand written notecards2014 CFAI provided materials I intend to re-ead each section in the 2014 Kaplan volumes and then plan on taking the respective questions found in the Kaplan and the CFAI readings. This is my plan prior to entering to review/mock mode in April.1) Do you suggest reading the CFAI material or the Kaplan material?2) If you are in the Kaplan camp, do you think it is okay to reuse my materials in this way or should I bite the bullet and buy new material?2) Does it make sense to buy the Q bank or something similar this go-around?Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

aliza_khan · Answer

I am also resitting for level 2 in 2015. I have the above mentioned materials, as you have. I think that there are a few changes in 2015 curriculum, so it is better to have the updated notes. Significant changes in “Fixed Income”. You can find the summary of changes in 2015 curriculum over here : http://irfanullah.co/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/CFA-Level-II-2014-2015-Program-Changes.pdf. I would be focusing on question practice. Because I feel that I understand the concepts better but its handling the exam technique, where I lack. So as much practice as possible. CFA Curriculum end of chapter questions, Kaplan Q Bank, Schweser end of chapter questions and practice books. It is a good idea because it will help me to look at the big picture and keep all different subjects intact and I would have an eye on all of them.
I recommend studying from Kaplan material. But in case I get confused on any topic, I consult CFA Institute Books. but CFA Institute End of Chapter Questions are a must.

mattyc · Answer

I am in the Kaplan camp.  I think you can go with the 2014 materials and supplement it with CFAI LOS statements.  WHat I mean by that is you could go LOS by LOS in the 2015 CFAI book vs the 2014 Schweser book, find any discrepencies and then read the CFAI sections that apply.  You already have a good foundation of the material, from what I understand candidates the 2nd time around tend to fly through the material.  You might even have time to read the entire CFAI CBOK.I would really focus on the highly weighted topics and the weak areas from last time and do at least 6 full mocks.