Sharpe & Clear For CFA® Program Level I candidates · 2027 exams
The essentials of Level I, in about 65 hours of lessons.
Not a heavy textbook: short lessons, interactive visuals and small games that make hard ideas simple, even satisfying. Then 2,400+ exam-style questions to make it stick.
Free module: just your email. No card, no password.
Try it now · no account
Don’t read about it. Play with it.
500+ interactive tools and 290+ practice games in the course: visuals you drag, calculators, quick games.
Six small demos, made the way our lessons work. Pick one.
These demos need JavaScript. Turn it on, or try the free module.
The full course, all 87 modules open
Everything you expect from a prep course.
- 87modules, on all ten topic areas
- 430+short lessons
- ~65 hof lessons, about 10 minutes each
- 500+interactive tools, plus 290+ practice games
- 2,400+exam-style questions, every answer explained
- 2,400+flashcards with spaced repetition
- 1,250+quick checks inside the lessons
- 650+exam trap cards, a few each day
- A printable cheat sheet for every module
- 1,900+ glossary terms, one tap away
- A daily study plan to your exam date
- Progress, XP and streaks
- Phone and laptop, synced
Shorter
Less reading. More doing.
Lessons of about 10 minutes, one idea at a time. We cut the padding, not the topics.
Simpler
Hard ideas, made simple.
Plain words first. Then a picture you play with. Then the formula, once it already makes sense.
- 1 · Words
When interest rates rise, the bonds you already hold get cheaper.
- 2 · Picture
- 3 · Formula
P = C/(1+r) + … + (C+F)/(1+r)N
Inside the app
Practice that sticks.
Built on the two study techniques research rates highest: practice testing and spaced repetition.
Exam-style questions
2,400+, with three options like the exam. Every answer explained, with the lesson to review. Timed mode: 90 seconds a question.
A cheat sheet for every module
Key points, formulas, exam traps and vocabulary in one place. Ready to print.
Flashcards that come back on time
2,400+ cards. Rate each one, and the app schedules your reviews, just before you would forget.
A daily plan to your exam
Pick your exam window: the app turns the hours left into a daily goal. Progress, XP and streaks keep you going.
Exam traps, a few a day
650+ trap cards: the classic mistakes, from the lessons you have finished. Meet them here, not on exam day.
- How the exam works
- A 300-hour plan
- Your time budget
- Attacking a question
- Calculator setup
- The last four weeks
- The final week
- Exam-day checklist
- Mindset and recovery
An exam playbook
How the exam works, how to pace it, and what to do in the last four weeks. One tab away in the app.
Research: in a 2013 review of ten study techniques (Psychological Science in the Public Interest), the two rated highest were practice testing and spaced repetition.
How it works
Start in two minutes.
Try a whole module, free
The very first one, Returns: Measure, Require, Adjust. Just your email: no card, no password.
Pick your exam window
The app turns the hours left into a daily goal.
Learn in short bursts
About 10 minutes a lesson: words, then a picture, then the formula.
Practice until it sticks
Questions, flashcards and trap cards come back at the right time.
Compare
Typical prep course vs Sharpe & Clear
| What you get | Typical prep course | Sharpe & Clear |
|---|---|---|
| Lesson notes | ✓ | ✓ |
| Exam-style questions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Flashcards | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pictures you can move, small games | Varies | ✓ |
| Price | $299–$1,600+ | $99 founding, then $149, then $199 |
"Typical" means the usual complete Level I courses. Prices come from public price lists, October 2026. Some of those courses also add live classes or personal tutoring: this one does not. Our dates are in the offer below.
Founding member price
One payment. Access until your exam.
Founding member
$99one payment, access until your exam
$99 is the founding price, for our first members. The price then steps up, on dates announced in advance:
- $99Founding memberUntil 31 October 2026 at 23:59 CET, or until the first 100 buyers have joined, whichever comes first
- $149Launch priceFrom 1 November 2026 to 31 January 2027
- $199Standard priceFrom 1 February 2027
Dates and times are in Central European Time (CET).
If the first 100 buyers join before 31 October, the founding price ends then, and this page will show it.
One free extension to your next 2027 exam window if you fail your exam or defer it.
- The whole course, all 87 modules: short lessons, interactive pieces, exam-style questions, flashcards, trap cards and a cheat sheet for every module.
- Every update included: we keep correcting, clarifying and adding practice.
- Access until one week after the Level I exam window you choose at checkout.
- On your phone, tablet and computers, synced.
- One payment. No subscription, nothing renews.
Before you pay, you tick a required box: "I want immediate access, and I understand that I lose my 14-day right of withdrawal once access starts." Your confirmation email repeats it. That is why you can try the course first, on this page and in the free module. We refund only in the cases listed in our refund policy.
You buy through Link, a Stripe company: the checkout page shows "Sold through Link", and your receipt and invoice come by email. In the EU, the UK, the US and many other countries, Link also calculates and collects the VAT or sales tax. Prices are in US dollars and include VAT or sales tax where it applies; checkout may show the amount in your own currency. On your card statement, the payment appears as LINK.COM* SHARPECLEAR. By buying, you accept our terms of sale and use.
FAQ
Questions and answers
Is a shorter course enough?
Every module is checked so you can answer exam-style questions on it. The lessons are shorter because they cut padding (repeated explanations, side stories, long transitions), not topics: the course covers all ten Level I topic areas in 87 modules, and the hours follow the exam weights CFA Institute publishes. Then you practise, with 2,400+ exam-style questions.
What makes it different from other prep courses?
Many courses are fixed notes and a bank of questions: you read, then you answer. Here, hard concepts are made simple: plain words first, then a picture you can play with, then the formula. A slider bends a curve, a tower of cost layers changes with the method you pick, a short game sorts the look-alikes. You still get everything you expect: lesson notes, exam-style questions with explanations, flashcards with spaced repetition and trap cards. And because each lesson is short, about 10 minutes, it is a focus-friendly way to study on a busy day.
How much does it cost?
The founding member price is $99, until 31 October 2026 at 23:59 CET, or until the first 100 buyers have joined, whichever comes first. The launch price is $149, from 1 November 2026 to 31 January 2027. From 1 February 2027, the price is $199. Each price is one payment, with access until your exam, in US dollars and including VAT or sales tax where it applies.
What does "until your exam" mean?
At checkout, you choose your Level I exam window: February, May, August or November 2027. Your access lasts until one week after the last day of that window, and the checkout shows the exact date. For example, if you choose May 2027 (testing from 11 to 17 May 2027), your access runs until 24 May 2027. You pay once: no subscription, nothing renews.
What if I fail my exam, or defer it?
We extend your access once, free of charge, to the Level I exam window you sit next, if it is in 2027. Just write to us from your account email before your access ends, and tell us the new window. We don't ask for proof.
Which exam is it for?
The course follows the 2027 Level I topic areas and weights, used from the February 2027 window onwards. If you sit the exam in November 2026, this course is not the right fit.
What exactly do I get?
All 87 modules, from the day you buy, on all ten Level I topic areas: short lessons, interactive tools, exam-style questions, flashcards, trap cards and a cheat sheet for every module. We keep improving the course, and every update is included until your access ends.
Can I get a refund?
Access starts as soon as you pay. So before you pay, you ask for immediate access and confirm that your 14-day right of withdrawal ends when access starts. That is why you can try everything first: the live pieces on this page and the full free module. We refund a double payment, a technical failure we cannot fix, content that is not as described, and whenever the law requires it, if you ask within 60 days. Refunds are paid back through Link, which sells the course. Details: refund policy.
On which devices does it work?
Works in any recent browser, nothing to install. Use it anywhere: home, work, school. Up to 3 devices are signed in at once; signing in on a new one simply signs out the oldest.
Do I need an account to try it?
Not for the live pieces on this page. For the full free module, you need a free account: just your email, no card and no password. You sign in with a link or a code we email you.
Is there a tutor? Can I ask questions?
No. The course is fully self-study: lessons, interactive tools, and practice questions with written explanations. It includes no tutoring, no personal coaching and no answers to individual questions. If you spot a mistake in the content, please report it: we fix confirmed mistakes for everyone.
How do I pay?
At checkout, by card or another method shown there. You buy through Link, a Stripe company: the checkout page shows "Sold through Link", and your receipt and invoice come by email. We never see your card number. On your card statement, the payment appears as LINK.COM* SHARPECLEAR.
Does it replace CFA Institute's own materials?
No. Sharpe & Clear is an independent course that sits next to CFA Institute's own materials, not in their place. CFA Institute does not endorse, promote, or warrant the accuracy or quality of the products or services offered by Sharpe & Clear.
Can you promise I will pass?
No one can promise that, and we don't. We built the course on the study techniques that research rates highest, but the result depends on your work and on exam day.
Start free. Decide later.
Study the whole first module before you pay anything.
Not ready yet?
Start with our free study playbook (PDF): how the exams work today, a study plan you can copy, and the classic traps. You also get occasional emails with new lessons and study tips.
Or watch our free video lessons on YouTube: the same approach, plain words first, then the picture, then the formula.