UWorld CFA Review (Formerly Wiley)

UWorld CFA

• Three Course Options
• Adaptive Tech

• Three Course Options
• Adaptive Tech

Our Score

9.0

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See our full review process

Pros

• Industry-best question explanations covering every answer choice
• Adaptive question bank that adjusts difficulty as you progress
• Strong mobile app and analytics tools
• Bite-sized lessons ideal for busy professionals
• Pass guarantee for highest tier package (Elite users)

Cons

• Fewer mock exams than some competitors
• Questions can feel harder than actual exam, which may intimidate some
• Limited print materials relative to other providers

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Table Of Contents

• UWorld CFA Prep Pricing & Course Options
• Course Curriculum & Lessons
• Accelerate Bootcamp
• Mock Exams
• UWorld CFA Review Books
• Supplemental Resources
• Verdict: UWorld CFA Exam Review Course

As this is a detailed, lengthy review that covers a number of topics, above is a helpful jump-to table of contents for easy navigation.

It’s important to note that UWorld acquired Wiley’s CFA prep business in 2023. While the core Wiley curriculum was retained, UWorld has significantly enhanced the platform with detailed explanations, improved analytics, and more competitive pricing.

UWorld CFA Prep Pricing & Course Options

UWorld provides three different packages to choose from.

Their entry level course is the Core package, which retails for about $400. That contains essential materials only; no live instruction or mock exams.

Then there is the Advanced package, which runs for $700. This adds one mock exam and some live class access.

Last, there is the Elite package, which retails for around $1,000. That includes two full-length mock exams, printed study guides, live instruction, and UWorld’s Accelerate Bootcamp (more on that later).

It is important to note these prices are ‘MSRP’ – UWorld often runs promotions and sales that will discount these prices.

For reference, UWorld pricing is competitive with Kaplan Schweser’s lower tiers, and is a little cheaper than their top-tier pricing (although Kaplan provides more features at this higher tier).

👉 Also check out our review of the top CFA courses here

UWorld CFA Course Curriculum & Lessons

Almost every CFA candidate seeking their charter has heard that it takes roughly 300 hours of study time to adequately prep for each level of the exam. As such, it is critical that the course you take provide this level of work and then some. And after taking the UWorld CFA exam preparation course, I can say that they deliver.

Lessons are organized into roughly 20 study sessions per level, each with video lectures, text lessons, and end-of-session quizzes.

They offer a dynamic study planner which was especially useful – it automatically adjusted my schedule if I fell behind and kept everything organized.

While the format remains from the Wiley days, UWorld has refined it with better graphics, organized formulas, and real-world finance examples. Text lessons are easy to follow, making them quick to read without losing coverage of any Learning Outcome Statements.

Lessons generally took me around 45–60 minutes, including time for pausing, note-taking, and reviewing the written component. The bite-sized approach will work well for busy professionals and keeps sessions digestible (similar to Kaplan Schweser).

The video lectures (CFA online classes) in UWorld’s CFA prep are aligned to the CFA curriculum and have a ton of substance (led by Peter Olinto). While they still follow a digital whiteboard style from the Wiley era, UWorld has modernized the presentation with cleaner visuals and well-placed formula callouts. The accompanying text lessons mirror the videos and reinforce key concepts without unnecessary fluff. This made the material easier to absorb.

Ideally, I’d like to see some more incorporation of the instructor themselves on screen as you only see them from time to time, but this format is understandable given the very content-heavy nature of CFA exam prep.

UWorld’s QBank is one of the standouts in CFA prep. What I liked a lot was that every question had an explanation for each answer, right or wrong, and supported with visuals – hence I didn’t have to keep flipping back to the CFA Institute LOS.

What I thought was helpful is that the platform adapts in real time: doing well pushes you toward harder material; struggling shifts you back to foundational concepts.

At the end of each study session, I did quick quizzes to measure my retention. The score reports had a lot of detail, so it made it easy for me to go back and re-study portfolio valuation, an area I needed a bit of help on.

Overall, I found that UWorld kept the methodical structure of the old Wiley program, but modernized the platform and added tools to help you learn after you answer each question – hence it’s good for candidates who want to dive deep into the course material.

👉 Be sure to read our reviews of other top-rated CFA courses.

Accelerate Bootcamp

I actually got to try out UWorld’s Accelerate Boot Camp, and it’s honestly a solid way to wrap up your prep right before the exam. It’s this intense two-day virtual session that’s designed to feel like the real deal while hammering home all the key concepts you need to know. They recommend doing it close to your exam window, which makes sense because it focuses on test-taking strategies and time management – all the things that can really make or break you on exam day.

What I liked about it is that you’re not just passively reviewing material. You’re actively working through problems and applying everything in real time with instructors guiding you through it. Plus, you can go back and watch the sessions again if you need to reinforce something.

It’s included in their highest-tier package, and it’s especially great if you’ve been studying on your own and want that structured, fast-paced environment to really lock everything in and build your confidence before the big day. That said, this definitely shouldn’t be your only prep – think of it more as the finishing touch to solidify everything you’ve already learned.

The Mock Exams

UWorld’s Advanced package offers one full-length mock exam and Elite offers two mocks (Core doesn’t offer a mock). While that’s fewer than Kaplan, the simulations are fairly exam-accurate in style.

In my opinion, these mock exams closely replicate the CFA exam interface and the post exam explanations are tied with the QBank, making the review process valuable.

These mocks are designed to simulate not just the content but also the mental and physical demands of the actual CFA exam. They’re long, intense, and yes – exhausting – but that’s exactly the point. By practicing under true exam conditions, you condition yourself to handle the pacing, focus, and stamina required.

UWorld CFA Review Books

The other core component of your UWorld CFA prep course is the set of study guides.

When you sign up, you will get a 5-volume set of both print and digital prep books. This CFA book set covers everything on a given level of the exam across a couple thousand pages. These books are comprehensive and updated annually by CFA charterholders.

And fortunately, large swaths of the books are covered directly in the video lessons, QBank and live classes, so you don’t have to separately read these sections. This cuts down on the study time and makes things more efficient, which I liked.

But if you ever get caught up on a topic or issue, the books are sure to have the answer. You can always drill down to the particular topic and get what you need.

Supplemental Resources

In addition to your core study materials, UWorld includes some nice supplemental resource materials to help you prepare. Among these extras, you will get:

• Detailed performance analytics
• Digital flashcards with spaced repetition
• Instructor email support (1-2 day turnaround for Q&A)
• 90+ pages of formula sheets
• Space for organizing key notes called “My Notebook”

Of these resources, I really liked the performance analytics. UWorld provides some powerful analytics that give you some helpful insights into your performance. You can view your performance by assessment, practice set, mock exam and more. This added another layer of support by showing me exactly where I needed improvement.

UWorld allows you to slice up this data so you can zero in on where you are weak, which in turns lets you target those areas through some extra practice. I also loved the visual presentation of this data and when paired with the study planner, it gave me needed structure.

Also of note is UWorld’s email support. If you ever have a content-related or CFA exam strategy question, you can message the UWorld team through the portal. You can then expect an answer in 24 to 48 hours — I found their answers very helpful when I felt stuck on a topic.

No Money Back Guarantee

While there is no money back guarantee, UWorld’s Elite package grants you unlimited access to their materials until you pass. In essence, you get a “partner for life” type guarantee, where UWorld promises to stand with you until you pass.

If you fail the first time, you’re very likely to take the exam again anyway, so at least you don’t have to pay for a course twice.

Verdict: UWorld CFA Exam Review Course

Overall, I really liked UWorld’s CFA prep course – they took the Wiley program, made it modern, and just a lot better. What stood out for me was the depth and detail of its question explanations and how it adapts in real time. There is a lot of detail that makes a mistake reviewing a learning experience in itself.

Also their bite-sized video lessons, rich study guides, and practice sets covers the CFA Program’s Learning Outcome Statements pretty well. On top of all that, relative to peers, pricing is competitive for what you get out of the course. All in all, for candidates who value deep conceptual understanding, you can’t go wrong with UWorld for CFA prep.