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Weigh Kaplan CFA flashcards against a deck built from your own notes

A ready-made deck can be useful, but it may not match your curriculum or the topics you keep missing. DeckOwl turns your own CFA notes, slides and PDFs into flashcards with spaced repetition.

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How to decide whether a ready-made CFA deck is right for you

Whether Kaplan CFA flashcards are worth it depends on how closely a deck follows your level, your study schedule and the topics where you lose points in practice questions. A commercial deck saves time on writing cards, but it cannot know which of your weak spots need the most review.

Check the official CFA curriculum learning outcomes before buying any deck.
Upload your own notes or slides to generate cards on the topics you miss most.
Use spaced repetition so hard formulas and definitions return sooner.
Export to Anki or CSV on Plus if you already study in those tools.

Example CFA Level I flashcards

What is the Sharpe ratio?Portfolio return minus the risk-free rate, divided by the standard deviation of the portfolio's returns. It measures excess return per unit of total risk.

What does the CAPM expected return formula state?Expected return equals the risk-free rate plus beta times the difference between the expected market return and the risk-free rate. It links expected return to systematic risk.

What is Macaulay duration?The weighted average time until a bond's cash flows are received, using present values of each cash flow as weights. It is a key measure of interest rate sensitivity.

What does CFA Standard I(A), Knowledge of the Law, require?Members must understand and comply with applicable laws and regulations, and follow the stricter of the law or the Code and Standards. It applies even when the law is unclear to them.

What is modified duration used to estimate?The approximate percentage change in a bond's price for a 1 percentage point change in yield. It adjusts Macaulay duration for the yield.

Generate the full set

Built from your material

Upload CFA notes, lecture slides, PDFs or photos of textbook pages and get cards for the exact topics you are studying.

Spaced repetition

Cards you find hard come back more often, so formulas and standards you keep missing get extra review.

Quizzes and mind maps

Test yourself with multiple choice, true/false and short answer questions, or map how topics such as fixed income connect.

How it works

Upload your CFA material

Add a PDF, DOCX, PPTX, text file or image of your notes to start. No credit card is needed.

Review the generated cards

Check the flashcards, keep the ones you want and edit anything that does not match your course.

Study on a schedule

Use spaced repetition in the browser on the free plan, or export to Anki or CSV on Plus.

A custom deck fills that gap. You can upload your own CFA notes or PDFs, generate flashcards, and then study the cards you find hardest more often. Compare the cost and time of any paid deck with the time it takes to build your own from the material you already have.

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Frequently asked questions

How many flashcards should I make for CFA Level I?

There is no fixed number. Most candidates make one card per formula, definition or ethics standard, then add cards for topics they miss in practice questions.

Does spaced repetition help with CFA exam prep?

Spaced repetition shows you the cards you find difficult more often and the easy ones less often. Over a long study period, this helps you keep formulas and definitions in memory.

Are Kaplan CFA flashcards worth it compared with making your own?

That depends on how well a ready-made deck matches your curriculum and how much time you have to write cards. DeckOwl does not sell Kaplan content, but it can turn your own notes and PDFs into flashcards.

Is exporting to Anki included in the free plan?

No. The free plan allows 3 generations per month and studying in the browser, while PDF, DOCX, Anki and CSV export are on Plus at $39/year or $7.99/month.

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Keep exploring the topic

Review the main ideas visually or practice recalling them.