Considering the CFA Charter?

Propel your career forward by earning the global finance industry's most respected designation: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Learn More

Registered for a CFA® Exam?

Prepare to pass with a personalized and adaptive study plan. Select your level to get started.

Level I
Level II
Level III

97% Recommendation Rate*

No gimmicks, just results. Schweser is a candidate’s proven path to success.

More Insights. Clear Direction. Better Results.

No guessing how you should prepare for the CFA® exam. We’ve formulated an adaptive study program that works and adjusts for you. More CFA Level I and II candidates consider Kaplan Schweser to be the highest-quality, most comprehensive, and easiest-to-use CFA exam prep provider in the industry

Packages

Everything you need to succeed, with all-inclusive and self-study options.

Level I
Level II
Level III

Classes

Personal instruction with the industry's best instructors, brought to your living room.

Level I
Level II
Level III

Final Review

Immersive final review before the test, from online mocks to instructor-led workshops.

Level I
Level II
Level III

Products

SchweserNotes™, QBank, Secret Sauce, and many other complements to your studies.

Level I
Level II
Level III

Product Availability »

The Latest Free Resources

Stay ahead of the curve with access to our free CFA® exam prep resources.

Informative CFA® Program Webinars

Attend free live and recorded webinars to learn more about earning the CFA charter, including the process, career benefits, exam details, study strategies, and more.

Attend a Webinar

Free CFA® Diagnostic Exam

Considering the CFA charter? Get an idea of your baseline knowledge of the Level I CFA Program curriculum in this free 60-question diagnostic exam.

Take Free Exam

What Kaplan Schweser Customers Say

Trustpilot

CFA Exam FAQs

The CFA exams are very difficult, but candidates can increase their chances of passing by preparing well, which includes: studying for a minimum of 300 hours; using exam prep materials; answering as many practice questions as possible; and developing a structured study plan.
Passing the CFA Level I exam—which has had an average pass rate of 42% over the past decade, according to the CFA Institute—requires following a well-structured study plan. Successful candidates spend approximately 300 hours preparing for the Level I exam. An ideal strategy is to allow yourself at least four months to complete all the reading material.
All three levels of the CFA exam curriculum are structured as self-study programs. However, there are some aspects of the exam that will require more time in order for you to prepare effectively; this applies whether you plan to study alone or with the help of a tutor or exam prep course.
The Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) charter is a professional designation administered by CFA Institute. According to CFA Institute, it’s the most respected and recognized investment management designation in the world.

According to Payscale, in the United States, the CFA charterholder salary is anywhere from $64,234 to $255,000 a year. Why is there such a big range? Because there is a lot you can do with the charter in jobs with varying degrees of responsibility.

Read more about CFA Salaries »

An individual wishing to enroll in the CFA Program and register for the Level I exam for the first time must possess an international travel passport. In addition, candidates must meet one of the following requirements:

  • Have earned a bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree, or select an exam window that is 11 months or fewer before your graduation month for your bachelor’s degree or equivalent program. Understand that you must complete your degree program prior to sitting for level II.
  • Have accumulated 4,000 hours of applicable professional work experience (not required to be investment related).

Candidates may also have a combination of full-time professional experience and education that totals a minimum 4000 hours. Those hours of experience/education must be accrued prior to enrollment in the program.  This article has more details.

It is not a degree. It’s a professional credential that demonstrates mastery of advanced investment analysis and real-world portfolio management. Candidates often weigh the benefits of the CFA charter against those of an MBA, which may be a contributing factor in this common misunderstanding.

Candidates might also weigh the benefits of the CFA® charter against those of a Master of Science in Financial Analysis (MSFA). Certain curriculums like the MSFA offered by the College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company are aligned to the learning outcomes of the CFA® Institute’s CFA® Program, enabling students to earn an MSFA while concurrently preparing for the CFA® exam. 

To earn the CFA charter you must pass three levels of the exam in order: Level I, Level II, and Level III. Each exam builds on the mastery demonstrated by achieving a passing score on the previous exams.

Explore More CFA Insights

PassProtection™:  Terms and conditions apply. Visit https://www.schweser.com/cfa/pass-protection for more information.

Highest-Quality Prep Provider:  These are the findings of a quantitative survey conducted by Kaplan between June 30 and August 30, 2021. For this survey, a sample of 313 U.S. CFA Level I and Level II candidates was interviewed online. The survey was fielded to subscribers of 300Hours.com and AnalystForum.com.

Helped 500,000+ Candidates Prep for Exams:  Net purchases of study packages containing the printed SchweserNotes bookset from 2011 through spring 2022 (less 2020).