Guides · 5 min read
Study for the CFA exam by audio
The CFA curriculum is long, and much of it is prose: ethics cases, economics, portfolio management. That makes it well suited to listening, as long as the formulas are read clearly and you have a way to review.
Updated 6 October 2026
What you can import
Aethel imports DRM-free EPUBs and text-based PDFs. If your study materials are available to you in one of those forms, you can import them. Materials that are locked to a store or a course platform can't be imported by Aethel or any other app.
Your own notes and formula sheets work too: export them as a PDF or a text file.
Formulas, read properly
E(Rᵢ) = R_f + βᵢ(E(R_m) − R_f)
Aethel says
E of R sub i equals R sub f plus beta sub i times the quantity E of R sub m, minus R sub f
The capital asset pricing model, as Aethel reads it.
Finance shorthand is expanded as well: basis points, year on year, EBITDA, earnings per share and fiscal-year labels are read as words rather than letters.
What to listen to, and what to read
- Listen: ethics cases, economics, portfolio management, the narrative parts of financial reporting.
- Read at a desk: long calculations and anything you need to practise with a calculator.
- Both: formula-heavy readings, first read, then listened to as review.
Review on the move
Every reading you open gets review cards. Five minutes a day in Review, on the bus or in a queue, keeps earlier readings fresh while you work through new ones. Save the week's readings offline before you travel.
Questions
Does Aethel replace a prep provider?
No. Aethel helps you get through and review the reading. Practice questions and mock exams from your prep materials are still essential.
CFA Institute does not endorse, promote or warrant the accuracy or quality of Aethel Audio. CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.