Revision companion
An honest comparison of the CFA Institute curriculum and the major prep providers, who each one suits, and the one layer every provider leaves you to build yourself: the revision repository you study from in the final weeks.
A revision companion — not a replacement for your study material.
For practice questions specifically, see our comparison of the best CFA Level 1 question banks. For everything that costs nothing, see our list of free CFA Level 1 study material.
Quick answer
There is no single best material. Candidates who pass use three layers: one primary source — the CFA Institute curriculum, which is included with registration, or a prep provider such as Kaplan Schweser, Mark Meldrum, UWorld CFA (formerly Wiley) — a practice layer of official questions plus a question bank, and a revision repository of their own cheat sheets, formula sheet and flashcards. Choose the primary source by how you learn and how many weeks you have, finish it, and build the revision layer as you go rather than in the last month. CFA Master provides the third layer only; it is not a replacement for the curriculum or a provider.
"Which provider?" is only the first layer. Practice and revision are separate decisions, and the third is the one most candidates improvise in the last month.
Where you learn each module for the first time
Options: CFA Institute curriculum (included with registration) or a prep provider's condensed notes and video lectures
Rule: Pick one and finish it. Two primary sources doubles the reading and halves the practice.
Where recognition becomes recall
Options: CFA Institute's Learning Ecosystem questions and official mocks, plus a third-party question bank for volume
Rule: 1,500–3,000 questions by exam day, and at least two full timed mocks in the final six weeks.
What you revise from in the final weeks
Options: Your own cheat sheets, formula sheet, mind maps and flashcards, built module by module as you study — this is the layer CFA Master provides
Rule: Capture after each module, in your own words. Revising from someone else's summary is re-reading with extra steps.
Primary sources only, described rather than ranked. Packages change every cycle — confirm the current offering on each provider's site.
| Source | Format | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| CFA Institute curriculum & Learning EcosystemIncluded with registration | Full curriculum text, end-of-reading questions, practice packs and official mock exams, all inside the Learning Ecosystem | Candidates with six months or more who want the source the exam is written from | Volume: roughly 3,000 pages. Most candidates cannot read it all twice. |
| Kaplan Schweser | Condensed SchweserNotes, video lectures, QBank, mock exams and live or on-demand classes | Candidates who want a structured, condensed path and a large question bank | Condensed notes can skip the nuance a curriculum question tests; pair with official questions. |
| Mark Meldrum | Long-form video lectures following the curriculum closely, with question walkthroughs | Candidates who learn by lecture and want depth rather than summary | Lecture hours add up; you still need your own notes and a question bank. |
| UWorld CFA (formerly Wiley) | Question-first platform with explanations, study guides and video lessons | Candidates who learn best by doing questions and reading the explanations | Question-first study needs a primary read alongside it for the first pass. |
| Bloomberg Exam Prep | Adaptive online lessons broken into short micro-modules with built-in questions | Candidates studying in short daily sessions on a phone or tablet | Micro-lessons can fragment a topic; rebuild the structure yourself in mind maps. |
| Salt Solutions | Video lectures, notes and questions in a single subscription with a study planner | Candidates who want everything in one lower-cost package | Newer provider; cross-check its mocks against the official ones for difficulty. |
Provider names are trademarks of their owners. CFA Master is not affiliated with any of them or with CFA Institute, and does not replace any of them — it is the revision layer you use alongside whichever you choose.
Decide by background and weeks, not by forum consensus.
If you are
CFA Institute curriculum on its own, plus a question bank
You already know half the vocabulary; the official text is the most exam-faithful source and it is free with registration.
If you are
A prep provider with lectures (Kaplan Schweser, Mark Meldrum) as the primary read
Explained video beats dense text when the concepts are new. Return to the curriculum for Ethics and for any topic the provider skims.
If you are
Condensed notes plus a question-first platform
You cannot read 3,000 pages. Summary notes for coverage, questions for depth, and the mocks decide where the remaining hours go.
If you are
Keep your existing primary source; add official questions and a revision repository
A near miss is a recall problem, not a coverage problem. Re-reading the same notes rarely fixes it; rewriting them in your own words does.
Study wherever you like, then turn what you learn into one personalised revision repository.
The CFA Institute curriculum or one prep provider. Decide by how you learn (text versus lecture) and how many weeks you have, then commit. Switching sources mid-plan restarts the clock.
After each learning module, write the three to five concepts, the formulas and the mnemonics you want to keep. Editable cheat sheets, a formula sheet and mind maps hold them in one place, organised by the same module structure as the curriculum.
Official Learning Ecosystem questions first, then a third-party bank for volume. Log misses by module and add the lesson to the cheat sheet.
In the final six weeks, alternate full timed mocks with revision from the cheat sheets, formula sheet and flashcards you built. The primary material is now the reference you check, not the thing you re-read.
Study from your curriculum or prep provider.
Add concepts, formulas & mnemonics as you go.
Your notes stack up into one revision repository.
Revise from your own words, not 3,000 pages.
Rates and Returns is open without an account — notes, formulas, flashcards and quiz.
CFA Master works alongside the curriculum or prep provider you already study from. You bring the learning — this is where you keep the revision.
Yes, for candidates with the time to read it and the discipline to do the end-of-module questions and official mocks. It is the source the exam is written from. Its weakness is volume, which is why candidates with a full-time job or without a finance background usually pair it with, or replace the first read with, a condensed provider.
They suit different learners. Kaplan Schweser is condensed notes plus a large question bank and mocks, best for candidates who read and drill. Mark Meldrum is long-form video that follows the curriculum closely, best for candidates who learn by lecture and want depth. Neither includes the revision repository you revise from at the end, and both are used successfully by first-time passers.
No. Many candidates pass on the curriculum plus official questions. A provider buys time — a condensed first read and structured video — which matters most for career changers and for anyone on a three-month schedule.
No — and it isn't meant to be. CFA Master is a revision companion you use alongside your primary study material (the CFA Institute curriculum, a prep provider, or your own notes). As you study each module, you update the cheat sheets, mind maps, and formula sheet with the concepts, formulas, and mnemonics that matter to you. By exam time you have one personalised revision repository instead of thousands of pages to re-read.
More than one primary source. Adding a second set of notes or lectures rarely adds understanding and always subtracts practice hours. If you feel under-covered, add questions, not reading.