The Comprehensive Lecture/Workshop reviews all the required topics on the exam. It includes 15 weekly classes, each class 3 hours long.
We offer two sections: Tuesday and Sunday. Both review the same material.
You get a live instructor, me, not a DVD.
You also receive ten SharpNotes® that summarize all the assigned study material and contain many exercises.
At the end, you are offered a free, three-hour Practice Exam, a sixteenth class.
Many prep providers distribute "Notes" in their courses, but these are often hard copies of PowerPoint® slides shown in class.
Their students have to pay $300 extra for real notes - a survey of the assigned material along with practice questions.
SharpNotes® are not hard copies of PPT slides, rather they present critical details of the assigned material plus
thousands of exercises to test learning and understanding.
Yes, you need to go to their website to register for the exam. You are encouraged to signup early not only to pay a lower fee but also to start your studies sooner.
For 2011 there are two major changes: 1. Major topic changes and 2. Passport requirement starting in 2011.
1. Each year CFA Institute makes some revisions in the assigned study material; in many years these changes are mostly minor. Unfortunately, for 2011 CFA Institute made major changes in ethics, quant, accounting, corporate finance, equity, portfolio, and the GIPS®. Minor changes were made in the remaining areas. Consequently, pre-2011 study material should be consigned to paper recycling.
2. Candidates who wish to signup for the December 2011 exam must have a passport for identification both when they signup and on exam day.
For 2012, CFA Institute has replaced all the readings in Economics. New material is assigned in microeconomics and macroeconomics. Also readings in international trade and foreign exchange have been added.
Yes. SHARP SEMINARS is committed to communicating the value and educational rigor of the CFA Program. (Further information on this program is available on the CFA Institute website.)
SHARP SEMINARS has been giving CFA exam preparation courses in New York City for the past 25 years. We are the longest running CFA exam prep course in New York City.
Our training is given at the Madison Towers Hotel on East 38th Street and Madison Ave. The Madison Towers Hotel is a short walk from Grand Central and a longer walk from Pennsylvania Station and the 33rd Street PATH. If bad weather, take either the M4 or Q32 bus from West 32nd Street just in from Seventh Ave. These busses stop in front of the hotel.
In part of each class, I review a portion of the CFA Program curriculum using our SharpNotes®. In the rest of each class, we work problems in the SharpNotes®. Remember, the exam involves working a lot of problems. Developing problem solving skills is key to passing.
No, ten SharpNotes® for Level I are included as part of the cost of the Comprehensive Lecture/Workshop.
True, the material for Level I is basic, but there is a lot of this basic material. Level I sets the foundation for Levels II and III. Taking our prep course sets a solid foundation critical to passing Level I and higher levels. Our course keeps your study program on track through all the assigned topics for the CFA exam. With much material to review, it is easy to fall behind and end up falling short on exam day.
You are right! Many candidates underestimate the difficulty of the exam, and fail. If you want to pass, you have to step up your game. That is where Sharp Seminars comes in. Our Level I course will provide you with a comprehensive review of all the assigned topics, thousands of practice problems, help with financial calculators, and suggestions on test taking strategies. Attend all our classes plus study and review at home and you will be much better prepared and more likely to pass.
Yes, click on the Guarantee button on the left of the home page for details including terms and conditions.
No, there is too much material to grasp in a short course. One candidate commented about another provider's crash course that it was a PowerPoint death march. The instructor had too much material to cover in a short course and kept going through slides despite students' inability to absorb the material. Crash courses in our opinion do not work in most cases.
No, that is a problem solving class only. There are no lectures on the assigned material. We provide students with problems that we have developed to test the assigned material. We ask students to work these problems in class, then I discuss the solution. This problem solving helps students prepare for the CFA exam coming very soon and helps identify weak areas.
We try to keep our classes to a maximum of around 20 students. We want to have a class where students can interact with the instructor. Some providers have classes in excess of 100. We believe these turn into dull lectures with the instructor unable to respond to students. You might as well stay home a watch a recorded course on a DVD or on the Internet.
Yes, you are free to switch classes on occasion. Both classes review the same material. We ask that you try to attend most of the time in the class you signup.
Study the material. Work the assigned problems. Candidates are often familiar with many topics that they can read through quickly. Other topics that candidates are less familiar with will require careful reading and study. Candidates are especially urged to read carefully the assigned material on Ethics, the GIPS®, and Corporate Governance. Candidates should also work the assigned problems at the end of each chapter that often include a few recent CFA exam questions.
Yes, phone us or indicate on your application that you need a receipt.
No problem. We offer repeat classes on Sundays so you can make up missed classes.
SHARP SEMINARS as a participant in CFA Institute's Prep Provider Guidelines Program has agreed not to publish pass rate
information other than the overall results. In the last few years, the global pass rate for Level I has been
around 40%. Pass rates for Prep Providers are difficult to determine accurately and may have been
misused in the past to influence new candidates to take various prep courses.
In my experience teaching Level I for several years, I have observed that students who attend
class, review the material on a regular basis, and work lots of problems in our SharpNotes® generally pass.
Others who let their studies slide for various reasons generally do not pass.
Yes, the exam is difficult. Many topics are covered. A heavy-duty study effort spanning several months is required to pass. A last week cram or all-nighter that might have worked for a college final will not work here. That old college gameplan has expired. CFA exams are much more difficult than easy pass/fail exams in college.
The HP-12C calculator uses RPN, reverse polish notation. If you wanted to add 2 and 3, you would input
2 Enter 3 +. This notation is similar to Microsoft editors where you select something first, then click on an icon for an operation.
Two HP-12C calculators are available: a traditional gold model and a newer platinum model with some additional features.
For the CFA exam, the gold model is adequate. I think the manual with the HP calculator contains some informative examples.
The TI calculator uses algebraic notation, you would input 2 + 3 = to get the result. Some complex
discounted cash flow problems on the TI calculator require careful study of the manual to learn the required sequence of key strokes. Two versions of the TI calculator
are available. The Professional model is recommended because of its positive key action and rubber feet
on the bottom so the calculator does not slide around on a desk top.
On my in-class slides, I show
the solution steps using both calculators, so either calculator is OK.
Yes, certainly. I am in the office Monday through Thursdays and generally respond promptly to e-mails.
Yes, phone us to discuss arrangements.
Complete the application. (See the navigation buttons on our home page for Application.) Then fax or mail to us. We need your signature if you are paying by credit card. After you fax to us, please phone us to verify that we have received a readable copy.
Phone us at 212-427-6546 and discuss your situation and concerns. Based on our experience, we may have some suggestions.
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