Becoming a Paperless CFA® Candidate

a cfa candidate studying on mobile technology

Paper is the past! Gone are the days of binders, textbooks, and journals, and with them, the heavy briefcases to lug around all day. Now is the time to become a paperless student. Below are five compelling reasons why you should:

1. One Device

As a paperless CFA candidate, you only need one device to study. It can be a desktop, laptop, tablet, or cell phone – anything with a screen and internet access! One device means everything you need is all in one place, and you have even fewer things standing in the way of a successful study session. So, say goodbye to having to carry around a heavy briefcase of notebooks, textbooks, and other study materials. Go paperless and review all your study materials on a single device.

2. Save Money

Being a paperless CFA candidate is simply a good investment. An all-digital platform lets you pay a defined amount for everything you need. You don’t have to buy the latest edition of the same textbook you already have or an additional workbook with more practice questions. With a digital platform, you already have in your pocket every updated lesson, each new lecture, and new question added to the QBank.

3. Study Anywhere

If you wanted to study in a paper-dependent world, you had to bring the materials you needed with you. If you did not have them, you were out of luck. In contrast, as a paperless student, no place is off-limits for studying (as long as you have an internet connection; even if you don’t, there are still many offline options)!

Review digital flashcards on the train or in the back of a cab. Do ReadyDecks on your lunch break at work. Wherever you are, all you need is that one device you probably already have with you (we pretty much live out of our cell phones).

4. More Dynamic Learning Opportunities

Let’s face it; you can do many more things on a phone, computer, or tablet that you simply cannot do on paper. Create flashcards at the tap of a button. Turn handwritten notes into searchable text. Get more information on a difficult practice question without even lifting a finger.

To put it simply, you have more attractive, accessible, efficient, and dynamic learning materials at your disposal with paperless studying. In effect, you waste less time scratching notes on a pad and more time learning.

5. Less Waste

Think about all the paper you have used and thrown away in your years as a student. Where is it all now? Probably in a landfill — unless you’ve saved all of it. What about those old textbooks? The test prep workbooks? The spiral notebooks? Landfill!

As a paperless student using more efficient and effective digital learning tools, you will stop wasting paper and time.


Get UWorld Finance and join the paper-free revolution. Save effort, money, the earth, and your precious time by becoming a paperless CFA candidate.

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