Best CFA Level 1 Books & Study Materials In 2024

Is a career in financial investments something you are thinking of? If the response to that question was “yes,” you are about to embark on a potentially successful professional path. The only issue is that you have to hold the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst, or CFA, in order to be recognized as one of the top financial analysts in the world. To reach that goal, you’ll need the best CFA Level 1 books.

You must initially pass three levels in order to become a CFA. The first stage in becoming a CFA is the CFA Level 1 test, however it is not the most challenging. You must have expertise, discipline, and thorough preparation if you want to even stand a chance of passing the test. Even the most knowledgeable financial professionals will struggle to prepare for it in that regard.

But, you will only need the greatest resources on the market if you want to increase your chances of passing the first exam required to become a CFA. As a result, we’ve put together a list of top CFA Level 1 book on the market right now.

CFA Program Curriculum 2020 Level 1 by CFA Institutes

You should always go as close to the source as possible in most, if not all exams since people who wrote the test know its contents better than anybody else. As a result, you may wish to go with the CFA Program Curriculum 2020 Level I boxed set, which was developed by the same people that designed the CFA.

If you are wondering, this CFA Level 1 study guide isn’t your simple review material. It’s a whole book including the official curriculum you will need to know and study in order to pass the CFA Level 1 test. It almost provides all of the information and concepts you need to know in this respect.

This volume, as you might have already suspected, is as comprehensive as any collection of books can be. It is the most comprehensive CFA Level 1 book on the market. It comprises about 4,000 pages of content and will take a significant amount of time and effort on your part. As long as you are prepared to put in the effort, you will have all you require to pass the CFA Level 1 exam.

Despite its length, the CFA Level 1 study material may be very simple to comprehend. It makes use of visual aids to break up the monotony of reading six books. The diagrams, charts, and figures are all simple to follow and make learning the topics covered by the CFA Level 1 exam a little more enjoyable.

Overall, because studying for the CFA Level 1 test necessitates a significant amount of time and effort on your side to learn everything from the beginning, you must use the most thorough and full study resources available, which are directly from the source of the CFA Level 1 exam. Using this volume set will need a significant amount of time, but it will be well worth the effort.

What factors make it unique:

• It was written by the same team that created the CFA Level 1 exam.
• It is not a single CFA Level 1 review book, but rather a six-volume book.

Why we should choose this book:

• There is no other book or volume that comes close to this CFA Level 1 study guide in terms of comprehensiveness.
• As previously said, you may want to be as close to the exam’s source as possible because the people who created the CFA Level 1 test know exactly what you’ll need to pass it.

Free CFA practice test – Passemall.com

Let’s get started with our free CFA Level 1 Mock Exam in Passemall.com to gain solid knowledge, improve skills and pass the exam with a high score on your first attempt.

We provide several sorts of preparation, such as practice questions and a mock test, to assist you in preparing for the exam. We recommend pausing as you progress through the program to answer practice questions and assess your level of confidence and accuracy. Then, a few days before the exam, take a practice exam that as closely as possible mimics the actual experience.

Use the practice questions inside each topic to confirm your comprehension depending on the study session after completing the adaptive placement exam to find the most crucial areas for you to focus your studies.

Practice questions are based on the curriculum to assist you in assessing your topic-level strengths and shortcomings. All of the questions are based on the current curriculum and are written in the same manner as the questions on the exam level for which you have enrolled. You’ll get immediate feedback on your responses, as well as thorough explanations for the correct answer.

Mock tests are created to mimic the exam’s time and structure. Mock tests, also known as question banks, are available in the Learning Ecosystem approximately two months prior to your CFA Level 1 exam date.

Each mock test has the same topic area weights and level of difficulty as the actual exam in terms of the format. The questions are based on the current curriculum for the test level you enrolled for, and they are written in the same manner as the actual exam questions.

Wiley’s Level I CFA Program Study Guide 2020 by Wiley

Here’s another boxed set, as if one wasn’t enough. Unlike the CFA Institute’s books, Wiley’s Level I CFA Program Study Guide 2020 was intended particularly to provide you with a volume of books suited for review rather than to assist you to master the CFA Level 1 subjects and ideas from the beginning. In that way, it seems more like a summary of the CFA Institute’s books.

However, it is actually is still thorough enough to cover all of the concepts, although it is seen as a summarized version of the topics covered by the CFA Level 1 test. It is a third of the length of the CFA Program Curriculum Level 1, and it is long enough to provide you with a full overview that you may use for review.

This study guide is really rather well-written, as it was intended to be a CFA Level 1 review book in the strictest sense. The content is presented in such a way that it appeals to both readers and prospective CFA candidates. Certain topics are even made easier to grasp because of how skillfully charts and diagrams were employed to assist you to understand things that would otherwise be difficult to comprehend. As a result, reading through the books will not feel like such a drag.

These books include CFA Level 1 test tips and methods for each section of the exam. The problem-solving examples can also assist you in better understanding how to approach specific questions that you will almost surely encounter on the test. Of course, there are CFA Level 1 practice problems to see how far you’ve progressed and how well you understand the concepts.

Overall, this is the most comprehensive set of CFA Level 1 resources available. It may only be a study or review guide, but it accomplishes its goal by giving you concise, yet complete and high-quality explanations of subjects and concepts you should have studied before.

What factors make it unique:

• It’s a two-volume set of CFA Level 1 study guides.
• The books were prepared from the perspective of experts who are themselves Chartered Financial Analysts.

Why we should choose this book:

• These review books are all you need to prepare for the CFA Level 1 exam if you have already done your part and learned all of the topics covered by the exam.
• Unlike other CFA Level 1 study guides, despite the volume’s 1,300 pages, this one is really incredibly easy to understand and digest.

CFA Level 1 books by Kaplan Schwester

There’s a reason why Kaplan Schweser is the most well-known name when it comes to resources designed exclusively for the CFA exams. CFA Level 1 BY Kaplan Schweser is a set of seven guides packaged together to present you with some of the best study books for CFA Level 1 available on the market.

The SchwesterNotes in this volume are CFA Level 1 notes that you can use for review purposes. The topics covered in the CFA Level 1 test have been distilled extremely effectively in those books to present you with a compact and easy-to-follow review experience.

The notes are also intended for those who are committed to preparing for the CFA Level 1 exam but are too busy with work to spend all of their time and energy on it. As a result, they’ve been written in a manner that summarizes what’s in the CFA Institute’s books while maintaining quality and content. They all cover all of the main topics, so you won’t have to reread the CFA Institute books if you want to concentrate on a certain topic.

And, because it is just 1100 pages long, it may be your saving grace if you have never read through the complete curriculum. While there is no assurance that you will pass the CFA Level 1 exam, it is still preferable to not be able to study, especially if you are unable to read the CFA Institute books due to lack of time. Even if you have no prior financial experience, you might be able to pass the CFA Level 1 exam with the help of our study guide.

You don’t have to worry if you’re always on the go because this volume has six quick sheets that you may read if you don’t have the time or luxury to bring all of the CFA Level 1 review books with you. The quick sheets include key concepts and formulas that you should remember and get comfortable with. All of them have been compressed into brief summaries so that you can simply read them on the go.

The six practice exam included in this CFA Level 1 study material was created to help you identify your weak areas rather than merely offering you an opportunity to exercise your abilities and understanding of the topics. That is to say, by taking the practice exams, you will be able to identify and improve your weak areas in preparation for the CFA Level 1 exam.

What factors make it unique:

• This volume contains a condensed version of the CFA Level 1 curriculum.
• Its practice exams were created to help you identify your weak areas.

Why we should choose this book:

• If you don’t have time to review the complete CFA Level 1 curriculum again or for the first time, this study material will provide you with more than enough information to pass the exam.
• The quick sheets are quite useful, especially if you are extremely busy and frequently travel.

Read more >> How to pass CFA level 1 in 2 weeks?

Wileys Level 1 CFA Program 11th Hour Guide + Test Bank 2020 by Wiley

This is a summary of a summary.  This is a CFA Level 1 study guide that you use while you’re preparing for the test at the 11th hour, as the name indicates. This does not imply that you just have an hour before the major test; rather, this CFA Level 1 book is best utilized when you only have a few weeks or even days before the main test. Going over a CFA Level 1 study book with over a thousand pages might take up a lot of time in that kind of circumstance.

Everything you need to know from all of the other CFA Level 1 books has been condensed into a 500-page book. It performs a wonderful job of helping you remember the things you’ve already learned and read as part of your CFA Level 1 exam preparation. As a result, our CFA Level 1 study material gets right to the point and functions more as a tool to aid recall rather than something to learn or re-learn the topics.

Everything in this CFA Level 1 review book is quite readable, in the sense that you can quickly review the concepts. You may quickly specify specific subjects if you want to focus on specific areas (particularly your shortcomings).

This CFA Level 1 study material, that said, was created for those who are nearing the end of their preparation for the big exam. It’s not supposed to be your main CFA Level 1 book; rather, it’s something you read to make sure you don’t forget anything crucial.

What factors make it unique:

• It is the summary of the summary books.
• The concepts have been condensed and summarized in easy-to-understand ways.

Why we should choose this book:

• If you’re coming towards the end of your review, this CFA Level 1 book is a good option.
• It’s something you’d use if you already know the key concepts and are confident in your understanding of the topics.

FAQs – CFA Level 1 books

Can you buy CFA books?

Downloading Refresher Readings, which are also eligible for Professional Learning (PL) credit, gives CFA Institute members free access to the curriculum. Wiley or one of its retail partners can also help members purchase the print curriculum.

How many books are for CFA level 1?

Curriculum for CFA Level 1 (Volume 1 to 6) in 2020 (Paperback, CFA). The package consists of six volumes that cover the whole 2020 Level I syllabus.

Should I buy CFA books?

There’s a good chance that CFA books will help you prepare for the exam better than any other source. So, to answer your question, the answer is no. If you have CFA Institute books, you won’t need to refer to any other books.

Do CFA books change every year?

Each year, a committee revises the syllabus, though you won’t always find the major changes.

Is Kaplan enough for CFA Level 1?

Kaplan Schweser is sufficient for level 1 preparation. The information from each source will be similar in most cases.

Can I use 2020 CFA books 2022?

Candidates who have not yet registered for the 2022 test but wish to get a head start on reviewing current 2020/2022 materials (keep in mind that COVID-19 forced CFA Institute to keep the 2022 curriculum the same as the 2020 curriculum).

Is the CFA exam open book?

The CFA test is closed-book, not open-book. Use the same strategies as you are preparing for it. Without help, practice answering the questions; there will be plenty of time to study and catch up later.

We advise purchasing a thorough, integrated CFA review course for people who have more money to spare on CFA exam preparation since they will cover various learning components for preparation, comprehensive review, unlike most CFA Level 1 books. Also, enrolling in these full courses will increase your likelihood of passing on your first try.