Essay Questions from Previous CAIA Level II Study Guides Candidate Guidelines Responses should be clear and concise, and need not be typed in full sentences. Candidates are not penalized for proper grammar and spelling, although a clear stream of thought is the best way to obtain full points in a given section. Be guided by the notion. Chalk & Board - Level III Essay Writing Workshop 2 About AnalystForum AnalystForum is an online community designed exclusively for CFA candidates and charterholders to discuss the Chartered Financial Analyst program. 2017 CAIA Level 2 Uppermark package available now which consists of 1. Study Handbooks 2. Practice Exams 3. Formula Sheet For more info and samples please dr.

• Kaplan Caia Level 2
• Uppermark Caia Level 2 Question Bank
• Uppermark Caia Level 2 Questions
• Caia Level 2 Test Dates
• Caia Level 2 Book

The CAIA program is relatively new and understandably there aren’t a lot of choices when it comes to review materials. The Association publishes its own CAIA study prep materials through Wiley, but many candidates uses third-party review providers such as Uppermark or Schweser.

What is the best choice for you?

CAIA Study Prep Materials: An Overview

First of all, you should know that the CAIA Association is now offering its own study guide for the exam. There is a lot more coverage when compared to the Schweser notes. This could be a double-edge sword — if you actually want to learn more about alternative investment products, this is actually a great set of books; if you simply want to pass the exam, it would be an overdose.

Whether you want to stick with their study guide or pick the other providers depends on what you want to achieve from your CAIA journey.

The Official CAIA Study Guide

This is the only CAIA study guide endorsed by the CAIA Association and is published by Wiley. There is one text book for each part of the exam:

• CAIA Level I: An Introduction to Core Topics in Alternative Investments
• CAIA Level II: Advanced Core Topics in Alternative Investments (CAIA Knowledge)

Pros

1. Comprehensive Textbook on Alternative Investment

The book is substantial and comprehensive with 896 pages for Level 1 and 716 pages for Level 2. If you have genuine interest in the industry, it is an excellent reference book that you want to get regardless of the exam.

Specifically, the Level 1 book introduces the different asset classes within alternative investment, such as real estate, private equity, commodities, hedge funds, structured products as well as risk and portfolio management.

The Level 2 book covers similar topics, but with in much greater depth.

2. Content Organized Based on CAIA Curriculum

The book is generally well-organized, and each section of the book matches with that of the exam. The authors also discuss the same concepts in different perspective in different chapters. This helps reader to grasp the difficult concepts more easily.

3. Always Available on Time

You may take it for granted, but Uppermark had some delivery issues in 2012 that irritated its customers. The official CAIA study guide is available on Amazon any time of the year.

Cons

1. Not Enough Practice Questions

The CAIA Association offers Free CAIA sample questions on the website (no need to purchase the study guide to get access), but this is not enough for proper CAIA study prep. Most candidates need to supplement with third-party study materials such as Uppermark and Schweser.

Schweser

It is most logical for Kaplan Schweser to enter the CAIA market after their big success in the CFA exam preparation market. They have been offering CAIA study prep materials for a few years now.

Pros

• If you used Schweser notes for CFA before, you may be more familiar with their style.
• The notes are well written and well liked by candidates. The exam content is well summarized and you need less time to study when compared to using the CAIA materials.
• It comes with a great set of notes and practice questions. If you want to study purely for test taking purposes (vs learn more about alternative investment), reading Schweser notes is a more “efficient” way to get it done.

Cons

• The official CAIA study guide is more affordable and more comprehensive. In other words, the notes condense the material down to an extent that you may miss some small items.
• Some candidates find the notes too summarized.

Uppermark

Uppermark is one of the leading and most established providers of CAIA study materials. The company prides itself as a pure-play, putting 100% effort on creating review course only for the CAIA exam.

Pros

• Uppermark is the first CAIA study guide, and has been around since the first CAIA exam.
• Great review from users. The text book is written in a logical, user-friendly manner (for some candidates, easier to read than the CAIA materials).
• The test prep software (question bank) is very comprehensive with 1000+ questions and is regularly updated.
• Comes with useful tools e.g. flashcards.

Cons

• Similar to Schweser, the material is summarized down to an extent that you may miss some small items.
• Uppermark is neither an official or global brand name. In fact, the provider had some issues of delivering text books on time when CAIA changed its curriculum in 2012. This could be a reason why you may want to stick with an institutional review course provider.

Official CAIA Study Prep Materials Currently on Sale!

Here are the discounted CAIA Study Guides through Amazon:

For Your Further Reading

Any comments, thoughts and questions on these review course providers? Please drop us a note below.

Professional Standards and Ethics

• Professionalism
• Integrity of Capital Markets
• Duties to Clients
• Duties to Employers
• Investment Analysis, Recommendations, and Actions
• Conflicts of Interest

Introduction to Alternative Investments

• What Is an Alternative Investment?
• The Environment of Alternative Investments
• Quantitative Foundations
• Statistical Foundations
• Foundations of Financial Economics
• Derivatives and Risk-Neutral Valuation
• Measures of Risk and Performance
• Alpha, Beta, and Hypothesis Testing

Real Assets

• Natural Resources and Land
• Commodities
• Other Real Assets
• Real Estate and Debt
• Real Estate Equity

Hedge Funds

• Structure of the Hedge Fund Industry
• Macro and Managed Futures Funds
• Event-Driven Hedge Funds
• Relative Value Hedge Funds
• Equity Hedge Funds
• Funds of Hedge Funds

Kaplan Caia Level 2

Private Equity

• Private Equity Assets
• Private Equity Funds
• Private Credit and Distressed Debt

Structured Products

• Introduction to Structuring
• Credit Risk and Credit Derivatives
• CDO Structuring of Credit Risk
• Equity-Linked Structured Products

Ethics Regulations and ESG

• Asset Manager Code
• Recommendations and Guidance
• Global Regulation
• ESG and Alternative Investments
• ESG Analysis and Application

Models

• Modeling Overview and Interest Rate Models
• Risk Credit Models
• Multi-Factor Equity Pricing Models
• Asset Allocation Processes and the Mean-Variance Model
• Other Asset Allocation Approaches

Institutional Asset Owners and Investment Policies

• Types of Asset Owners and the Investment Policy Statement
• Foundations, and The Endowment Model
• Pension Fund Portfolio Management
• Sovereign Wealth Funds
• Family Offices and the Family Office Model

Risk and Risk Management

Uppermark Caia Level 2 Question Bank

• Cases in Tail Risk
• Benchmarking and Performance Attribution
• Liquidity and Funding Risks
• Hedging, Rebalancing, and Monitoring
• Risk Measurement, Risk Management, and Risk Systems

Methods for Alternative Investing

Uppermark Caia Level 2 Questions

• Valuation and Hedging Using Binomial Trees
• Directional Strategies and Methods
• Multivariate Empirical Methods and Performance Persistence
• Relative Value Methods
• Valuation Methods for Private Assets: The Case of Real Estate

Accessing Alternative Investments

• Hedge Fund Replication
• Diversified Access to Hedge Funds
• Access to Real Estate and Commodities
• Access Through Private Structures
• The Risk and Performance of Private and Listed Assets

Due Diligence & Selecting Managers

• Active Management and New Investments
• Selection of a Fund Manager
• Investment Process Due Diligence
• Operational Due Diligence
• Due Diligence of Terms and Business Activities

Volatility and Complex Strategies

Caia Level 2 Test Dates

• Volatility as a Factor Exposure
• Volatility, Correlation, and Dispersion Products and Strategies
• Complexity and Structured Products
• Insurance-Linked and Hybrid Securities
• Complexity and the Case of Cross-Border Real Estate Investing

Caia Level 2 Book