I went to see them down at OAA a few weeks ago, im considering going on the september course for 6 months.
Personally I think I would benefit from instruction in the class room to ensure I pass it first time, I also dont think 5k is too bad for 6 months worth of instruction.
The fella there was giving Bristol a bit of a slating saying the only reason they get such good results is down to their extensive question bank which is going to be useless in a few months when the new european sylabus kicks in, effectivley making the old questions useless.
Pretty sure he was scaremongering however its well worth thinking about.