Mark Meldrum

Mark Meldrum, also branded simply as Meldrum, is an online prep provider for the three levels of the CFA Program. It started from the lecture videos of Dr. Mark Meldrum and now sells full study packages: reading-by-reading video lectures, PDF notes, a question bank, mock exams, live instructor-led classes, mentoring and a mobile app. It is a learner product for CFA candidates, and through its parent's partner program it also reaches professional associations that want discounted prep for their members. The site says 250,000+ learners from 180+ countries have studied with Meldrum. The footer names Meldrum Publishing, LLC with an address in Alpharetta, Georgia, and the privacy policy describes MarkMeldrum.com as "A CeriFi Company". FRM prep is offered alongside through CeriFi's Bionic Turtle brand.

The teaching approach

The site builds its case around Dr. Meldrum himself. His profile says he has taught at higher education institutions in Canada and the U.S., has over 20 years of market experience across currencies, commodities, equities and fixed income, and has been trained in pedagogy and assessment, which the site notes are not taught in the CFA Program. He teaches each level "the same way he would teach it in a University course", and the profile is blunt about what that means: "This is not a 'crash course'." Rather than repeating slides, it says, he explains why things work the way they do, with the aim of preparing candidates for their careers as well as the exam.

Three other instructors share the teaching. Richie Owens, CFA, has over 20 years of teaching experience online and in classrooms, taught live review classes in London, Europe, New York and across the U.S., and now writes material and runs office hours from New Jersey. Darrin Kerr, CFA, CAIA, FRM, a former Merrill Lynch equity research analyst, has over a decade of experience teaching all three levels. Mack Sawatsky, CFA, has worked on content development and student support since 2020.

What the study packages include

The lecture videos follow the CFA Institute curriculum "LOS by LOS", one video per reading, and end-of-chapter question videos walk through the official book questions. Seminar videos break single hard concepts into steps and are released through the year. Lecture PDF notes reproduce what is on screen, and a formula sheet covers the formulas candidates must know.

The question bank holds "thousands" of exam-style questions. Candidates build quizzes as wide as a whole level or as narrow as one learning outcome statement, flag questions, rerun only the ones they got wrong and choose the difficulty. Mock exams, in AM and PM sessions, are delivered online with automatic grading and benchmarking against other subscribers. A study planner builds a schedule from the candidate's weekly hours, start date and exam date, and performance stats show strengths and weaknesses. After a package expires, an Archive of reading videos stays available in the app for 3 years. The Android and iOS apps download videos for offline viewing, and package holders get access to a Discord community.

Packages and prices

The pricing page lists packages per level and exam year. For the 2027 Level I exam, the four options are:

• Instructor-Led Online + Applied Analysis, $1630 USD. 32 hours of live sessions with Q&A, all archived for on-demand viewing, additional seminar videos, 6 mentor hours with CFA charterholders ("$450 value"), unlimited instructor comments under the recorded sessions, office hours, and Applied Analysis modules on sector deep dives, financial modeling and practical AI applications.
• Instructor-Led Online, $1310 USD. The live classes and support without the Applied Analysis content.
• Self-Study + Applied Analysis, $750 USD. The full video, notes, question bank and mock exam package plus Applied Analysis, with up to 10 questions to the instructors.
• Self-Study, $440 USD. The core video, notes, question bank and mock exam package.

Level II and Level III packages follow the same pattern, and the home page announces a Level III instructor-led cohort for the February 2027 exam starting October 26. Sections can be bought one at a time, which the FAQ says works as a payment plan: once a candidate has bought every section, the account upgrades to the full package. Mentoring and tutoring hours are sold separately.

The FAQ explains why there are no discount codes: "As our prices are already at an industry low, there is no further room for discounts on the packages." Payment is by credit or debit card, processed through Stripe, or by wire transfer on request.

Policies to know before buying

Three rules matter more here than at most prep providers.

No refunds. The FAQ and the terms both describe "a strict no-refund policy", because all content is available immediately after purchase. In some cases the terms allow an account credit for use on the site. The way to try before buying is the free content: a free trial needs no credit card and lets candidates preview Level I, II and III material, with progress carried over on upgrade. A separate free access package covers 2018 curriculum videos on YouTube for selected Level I, II and III topics.

One-Fee-To-Pass. According to the FAQ, only the Level I and Level II instructor-led packages include One-Fee-To-Pass, which extends the package to the next exam date at no charge after an unsuccessful attempt. Every other package can be moved once to an earlier or later exam period for a $100 fee.

Candidates only. Packages are for registered CFA candidates with a CFA Institute ID number, and the terms prohibit shared company accounts and study-group sharing, which the site enforces with two-factor authentication and usage tracking. New-year packages are released only once CFA Institute opens registration for that exam year.

Support answers by email, usually within one business day, Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.

FRM prep and partnerships

The FRM menu leads to Bionic Turtle, which the partnerships page describes as "Globally respected FRM prep, featuring interactive and scenario-based learning". The same page offers associations and member organizations a partner program run by CeriFi, with "Special discounts for your members", "Revenue-sharing opportunities", a branded landing page and no exclusivity requirement, covering CFA and FRM prep packages, mock exams, webinars and self-paced modules.

Who it suits

Meldrum suits CFA candidates who want to understand the curriculum rather than memorize it, and who like learning from one consistent lecturer. The $440 Self-Study package is a low-cost way to get the full video library, question bank and mocks, and the instructor-led packages add live classes, mentoring and, at Levels I and II, the One-Fee-To-Pass cover. The home page also quotes survey answers from candidates who chose Meldrum on recommendations from friends and colleagues.

The strict no-refund rule is the main caution, so it is worth using the free trial first. Candidates who prefer short, exam-trick-focused review over full lectures may find the university-style approach more than they want.