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. Method 2: The "Shared" Library Access (The Student Loophole) If you are currently enrolled in a university—or have a friend who is—you have a secret weapon: University Subscription Portals .
For anyone embarking on the grueling 300-hour journey that is the CFA Level 1 exam, one name dominates the conversation: Kaplan Schweser .
Many top-tier business schools (NYU, LSE, HKUST, etc.) purchase institutional licenses to Kaplan Schweser. This means the university pays a flat fee so their students can access the materials for free via the campus library portal. kaplan schweser cfa level 1 free
In this article, we will dissect every legitimate method to access Kaplan Schweser CFA Level 1 content for free, what to avoid (piracy), and how to supplement the gaps. 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.
The CFA curriculum changes every year. If you use a 2022 Schweser book for the 2025 exam, you will get the entire Derivatives section wrong (new rules), Ethics wrong (updated GIPS), and potentially miss entire readings. The Hack: Even if the books are old, Quantitative Methods (Math) and Corporate Issuers (basic corporate finance) rarely change. You can use old physical books for 60% of the curriculum and then supplement the remaining 40% via the CFA Institute’s own free Learning Ecosystem (which is always updated). If you have multiple email addresses (work, school,
Start with the free trial today. If you love it, buy it. If you don't, stick to the free CFA Institute books. But never, ever resort to piracy. Your charter depends on your integrity. Are you currently using a free trial? Which topic is giving you the most trouble? Let us know in the comments below (and no, we won't share pirated links).
Remember: The exam costs over $1,000. A failed attempt costs you not just the money, but an entire 6-month window of your life. If you find value in Schweser during your free trial, it is wise to invest the $300–$400 for the Basic Package. Method 2: The "Shared" Library Access (The Student
This has led to a single, burning question echoing across Reddit forums, Discord servers, and study groups: Is there a way to get Kaplan Schweser CFA Level 1 material for free?