We hypothesize that a very large proportion of candidates fail within a few marks of the passing score. As a result, we have fine tuned our program to give the candidate every piece of advantage there is, no matter how small, because we realize that those few extra points may be all that's needed in order to pass the exam. The following are the foundations for our training program:

• Our sessions are strictly disciplined in that only material which will be examinable is taught to the candidates.
• We use a "ground up' approach in explaining a concept. This means that no tools or templates are used in order to set the stage for an answer. Everything is explained by first starting with a blank page. We find that this approach dramatically increases the candidate's comprehension of the material. It's sad to see how most prep providers push so many study gizmos unto candidates. The fact is that any tool designed to make studying easier will in fact reduce a candidate's comprehension. (Imagine a workout at the gym without any sweat; would the exercise really have achieved anything?)
• We strategically order the coverage of the material so that the candidate develops the prerequisite for all subsequent material. For instance, in our CFA Level I training program, the quant sessions are covered first since return calculations are used in the remaining sessions. As well, derivatives are covered before fixed income since many fixed income securities incorporate embedded options and fixed income is covered before FSA since accounting for debt liability requires knowledge of fixed income valuation.
• Our sessions are structured so that we condition our candidates for the CFA exam. For instance, our sessions are held on weekends, and run for 6 hours (3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon, just like the CFA exam). By the end of our training program, our candidates will have the physical and mental stamina to withstand the punishment of a CFA exam.
• While most prep providers cease their activities a few weeks before the exam, we hang in there until the day of the exam. For instance, during the final week before the exam, candidates are welcome to attend informal sessions whereby they can get some one-on-one coaching. As well, on the day of the exam, we will be present at the exam centre to provide any kind of support that our candidates may need in order to write their exam successfully. Our candidates passing the exam is our number one priority!

As can be seen, our training program is not designed to make life easier for the candidate. Instead, we take the prescribed number of prep hours (250-300 hours for the CFA exams) and structure it in such a way so that candidates maximize their chance for passing their exam. Our program is not for everyone, especially for those candidates who cannot commit the minimum number of required prep hours or are expecting a convenient learning experience. Once again, our objective is pass maximization, not sales maximization.