Now that I’ve got the job offer — where can I prepare for the CFA affordably?

So, I’ve officially got my graduate job offer from Hargreaves Lansdown (still can’t believe I’m saying that), and they’ve confirmed they’ll be sponsoring me for CFA Level 1 starting in January.

They’ve already said my ESG Advisor Certificate from Financial Regulation Courses covers the sustainability side really well, which is great — but for the CFA side of things, I want to be as ready as possible before I start.

Here’s the problem though: I can’t really afford to pay for prep materials myself before January, and during the graduate scheme I’ll mostly be shadowing senior analysts and sitting in on meetings. So I’d like to make the most of this gap before the official study support kicks in.

Does anyone know of any affordable or free CFA prep resources I could use in the meantime?
Ideally something that helps me:

Get a head start on the Level 1 topics (Ethics, Quant, Financial Statement Analysis, etc.)

Understand the exam structure and question style

Maybe even access a few practice questions or mock tests

Any good experiences with free trials, online platforms, YouTube channels, or student discounts would be massively appreciated. I’ve seen Kaplan and AnalystPrep mentioned a few times, but I’d love to hear what’s actually worked for others in a similar situation.

Thanks in advance — trying to make sure I don’t show up in January completely lost when everyone else is already deep into the CFA grind.

Reply 1

erathostenes

Original post

by Archierideshigh

So, I’ve officially got my graduate job offer from Hargreaves Lansdown (still can’t believe I’m saying that), and they’ve confirmed they’ll be sponsoring me for CFA Level 1 starting in January.
They’ve already said my ESG Advisor Certificate from Financial Regulation Courses covers the sustainability side really well, which is great — but for the CFA side of things, I want to be as ready as possible before I start.
Here’s the problem though: I can’t really afford to pay for prep materials myself before January, and during the graduate scheme I’ll mostly be shadowing senior analysts and sitting in on meetings. So I’d like to make the most of this gap before the official study support kicks in.
Does anyone know of any affordable or free CFA prep resources I could use in the meantime?
Ideally something that helps me:
Get a head start on the Level 1 topics (Ethics, Quant, Financial Statement Analysis, etc.)
Understand the exam structure and question style
Maybe even access a few practice questions or mock tests
Any good experiences with free trials, online platforms, YouTube channels, or student discounts would be massively appreciated. I’ve seen Kaplan and AnalystPrep mentioned a few times, but I’d love to hear what’s actually worked for others in a similar situation.
Thanks in advance — trying to make sure I don’t show up in January completely lost when everyone else is already deep into the CFA grind.

Mark Meldrum on YouTube has incredible videos from each module. Check if they are still available or if he has out them behind a paywall. If the later, it might still be worth it. The best lectures ever on CFA L1 to L3

Reply 2

Archierideshigh

Original post

by erathostenes

Thanks Your a legend! 🙂 Gonna give that a shot right now!

Reply 3

Bookworm784

Original post

by Archierideshigh

So, I’ve officially got my graduate job offer from Hargreaves Lansdown (still can’t believe I’m saying that), and they’ve confirmed they’ll be sponsoring me for CFA Level 1 starting in January.
They’ve already said my ESG Advisor Certificate from Financial Regulation Courses covers the sustainability side really well, which is great — but for the CFA side of things, I want to be as ready as possible before I start.
Here’s the problem though: I can’t really afford to pay for prep materials myself before January, and during the graduate scheme I’ll mostly be shadowing senior analysts and sitting in on meetings. So I’d like to make the most of this gap before the official study support kicks in.
Does anyone know of any affordable or free CFA prep resources I could use in the meantime?
Ideally something that helps me:
Get a head start on the Level 1 topics (Ethics, Quant, Financial Statement Analysis, etc.)
Understand the exam structure and question style
Maybe even access a few practice questions or mock tests
Any good experiences with free trials, online platforms, YouTube channels, or student discounts would be massively appreciated. I’ve seen Kaplan and AnalystPrep mentioned a few times, but I’d love to hear what’s actually worked for others in a similar situation.
Thanks in advance — trying to make sure I don’t show up in January completely lost when everyone else is already deep into the CFA grind.

Why don't you contact HL and ask if they offer any bursary/financial help to graduates? You'll never know unless you ask and if you word the request respectfully and support it with demonstrating your current financial hardship they may have a solution or funds available to support their incoming graduates. Some firms offer a "signing-on" bonus which you might get access to. Hope that helps.

Reply 4

Alexwilliams149

There's options on Udemy that may be useful but to be honest if the company are going to train you Id just wait because they will no doubt have a structured programme for good reason. Its great you want to be prepared but I wouldn't risk learning bad hobbits. FRC are pretty cool actually good for ESG and Investment Advice. I don't think there's anything they do for Analyst other than the ESG and IAC. If you really want to do some preparation it may be wise to look at you tube but as I said before if they have a structured programme then don't deviate because its an actual job offer so don't lose it by trying to learn from a bad source with good intentions.