Kaplan Schweser Cfa Level 1 Free • Original
The most powerful legal tool at your disposal is the Kaplan Schweser 7-Day Free Trial.
When you sign up for this trial (usually found on their official website under the "Free Resources" tab), you are not getting a watered-down teaser. You often get full access to:
The Strategy: Do not activate this trial on a Monday when you are busy. Save your email address for a weekend or a week when you are on a study break. Plan to grind through an entire topic (like Quants or FRA) during those 7 days. By the end of the week, you could have effectively mastered 10-15% of the syllabus for free.
Pro Tip: If you have multiple email addresses (work, school, personal), you can stagger these trials. Use one email for the first week of studying (Ethics & Quants), and another email for the second week (FRA). Note that Kaplan is getting smarter at detecting duplicates, so use this sparingly.
This is the crown jewel of the free offering. While paid users get 4–6 mocks, free users typically get one full, 180-question mock exam (identical to the computer-based exam structure).
While the full course isn’t free, Kaplan does provide official free samples and limited-time offers that can genuinely help your studies.
The Secret Sauce is a legendary Schweser product—a 150-page thin booklet that summarizes the entire curriculum into bullet points and mnemonic devices.
Before we hunt for freebies, we must understand why Schweser is the industry standard. The CFA Institute provides the official curriculum—six massive textbooks totaling nearly 3,500 pages. Reading the original CFA books cover-to-cover is inefficient.
Kaplan Schweser solves this by:
Because the demand is so high, Kaplan has strategically placed "free entry points" into their ecosystem to hook candidates. Here is how to exploit those entry points.
Kaplan Schweser’s free resources are not a gimmick. They are a legitimate, high-quality sample of what a $1,000 prep provider offers. The full mock exam is worth the price of admission alone. kaplan schweser cfa level 1 free
Your action item today: Create a free Kaplan account. Download the formula sheet and the mock exam. Print them. Take the mock in 3 weeks. That single test will tell you more about your exam readiness than 100 hours of passive reading.
Disclaimer: Offers change seasonally. As of the current exam cycle (2025-2026), this free tier remains active. Always verify on Kaplan's official website.
Kaplan Schweser provides a range of free study materials for CFA Level 1 candidates designed to supplement your preparation and provide a preview of their paid curriculum. While the full "SchweserNotes" require a purchase, their free offerings cover critical exam foundations and practice tools. Available Free Resources
Kaplan Schweser's official site offers several no-cost entry points for candidates:
7-Day Free Trial: Provides temporary full access to core study tools, including samples of SchweserNotes (eBook 1), the QBank, videos, and topic quizzes.
CFA Diagnostic Exam: A 60-question test designed to establish your baseline knowledge of the Level 1 curriculum. CFA Fundamentals eBook
: A free introductory eBook covering the core concepts of the CFA Program.
Quick Sheets & Formulas: You can download a free formula sheet containing key formulas and ratios used across all Level 1 topics.
Daily Practice: Signing up for the Question of the Day sends one exam-level practice question directly to your inbox every morning.
Flashcards: A limited set of digital Level 1 flashcards for studying on-the-go. Why Use Schweser Materials? The most powerful legal tool at your disposal
The Kaplan Schweser curriculum is widely used because it condenses the extensive CFA Institute readings into manageable summaries, typically around 600–700 pages for Level 1.
Focus: It emphasizes Learning Outcome Statements (LOS), ensuring you study what is most likely to be tested.
Structure: It follows a Prepare > Practice > Perform methodology, moving from reading to question sets and finally full exam simulations. Third-Party Supplemental Tools
Other platforms provide free tools that complement Schweser’s materials:
How to Prep for and Pass the CFA Level I Exam - Kaplan Schweser
Kickstart Your CFA Journey: Exploring Kaplan Schweser's Free Level 1 Resources
Starting the CFA Level 1 journey can be intimidating, especially given the cost of study materials. However, Kaplan Schweser offers several high-quality free resources that allow candidates to "test drive" their prep materials before committing to a full package. 1. The Schweser Free Trial
The centerpiece of their free offerings is the Schweser Free Trial. This provides a 5-day window of unlimited access to the core Study Program for Level 1.
What’s Included: You get access to the SchweserNotes, which are condensed versions of the massive CFA curriculum, and the Adaptive QBank, which helps you drill practice questions.
Why It Matters: This is the best way to see if the "Schweser style"—which focuses on brevity and exam-focused learning—aligns with your study habits. 2. CFA Level 1 Free Diagnostic Exam The Strategy: Do not activate this trial on
Before you dive into a 300-hour study plan, it helps to know where you stand. Kaplan provides a Free Diagnostic Exam designed to mirror the actual exam format.
Insight: It identifies your strengths and weaknesses across the 10 topic areas (like Ethics, Fixed Income, and Equity Investments).
Benefit: You can use these results to prioritize your study time, focusing on high-weight areas where you scored lower. 3. Free Question of the Day and Webinars
For those who want a low-commitment way to stay engaged, Kaplan offers "bite-sized" learning tools:
Question of the Day: A daily practice question delivered to your inbox to keep your mind sharp.
Free Webinars: Kaplan instructors often host live sessions covering exam strategy, difficult topics (like Financial Statement Analysis), and "How to Pass" orientations. 4. Schweser’s Free CFA Level 1 Fundamentals eBook
New candidates often struggle with the sheer volume of the curriculum. Kaplan offers a Fundamentals eBook for free that introduces the basic concepts of the Level 1 syllabus. It acts as a "pre-study" guide to help you build a foundation before you start the heavy reading. Is the Free Content Enough?
While these resources are excellent for getting started, they are generally designed as supplements or trials. To fully prepare for the rigor of the 4.5-hour exam, most candidates eventually transition to a full SchweserNotes Package or a Premium Instruction Package which includes full-length mock exams and video lessons.
A beautifully organized, 15-page PDF containing every formula required for Level 1.
Kaplan Schweser offers a free 5-day trial for their online learning platform. During this trial, you get access to:
How to get it: Visit the official Kaplan Schweser website → CFA → Level 1 → Look for “Free Trial” or “Sample Materials.” You’ll need an email address but no credit card is typically required for the trial.
⚠️ Use this strategically. Schedule your 5 days when you can study 3–4 hours/day to maximize the free access.
