Questions re: exam syllabi

[yanz]

I had a very hard time coming up with a thread title, since the most natural candidate is "questions for the exam committee" but that's essentially this whole forum's topic, and yet I see few committee responses (other than Bruce and a few others).

Anyway, I mentioned in one of the other threads the fact that if I have questions regarding the exam syllabi, I wouldn't know who to ask and would assume everyone at the SOA is too busy to answer anyway. I received responses that this is not the case, but I still have no idea who to go to with questions, and, now, I actually do have a syllabus question. So I propose that we put syllabi questions here.

Anyway, my Q:

For the FET DP exam, there is a set of textbook readings referenced as Chew's The New Corporate Finance and a separate set referenced as Chew's The New Corporate Finance: Where Theory Meets Practice. Apparently, there are in fact 2 different books out there with those 2 titles. Is that indeed the exam committee's intent, or was the "Where Theory Meets Practice" bit accidentally omitted in one of the citations? It seems important to know whether we're actually dealing with one or two books here...
Thanks.

[no]

Chew's The New Corporate Finance and a separate set referenced as Chew's The New Corporate Finance: Where Theory Meets Practice. Apparently, there are in fact 2 different books out there with those 2 titles.

I am sorry, I do not have an answer to your questions. However, I have the latest edition of The New Corporate Finance: Where Theory Meets Practice edited by Donald Chew. I am very much interested in buying the other book. Would you happen to have the publisher or the ISBN#? Thank you in advance!

[JMO]

Amazon.com has paperback of The New Corporate Finance and does not mention The New Corporate Finance: Where Theory Meets Practice.

Have fun.

[no]

Amazon.com has paperback of The New Corporate Finance and does not mention The New Corporate Finance: Where Theory Meets Practice.

Have fun.
You did look at the cover photograph?http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0071188533/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-7847977-7216015#reader-link

[Mary Hardy]

Anyway, my Q:

For the FET DP exam, there is a set of textbook readings referenced as Chew's The New Corporate Finance and a separate set referenced as Chew's The New Corporate Finance: Where Theory Meets Practice. Apparently, there are in fact 2 different books out there with those 2 titles. Is that indeed the exam committee's intent, or was the "Where Theory Meets Practice" bit accidentally omitted in one of the citations? It seems important to know whether we're actually dealing with one or two books here...
Thanks.

I guess it's obvious from the other answers, but there aren't in fact 2 books, just one. It is common to exclude the subtitle from the book title, but I apologise (on behalf of the exam committee) for lack of consistency.

[yanz]

Ok, let me clarify the question: I have The New Corporate Finance: Where Theory Meets Practice, Chew, D., Third Edition, 2001. Is this the same version/edition I need for the FET exam? If not, which version do we need? My understanding is that different versions of the book have (or don't have) the "Where Theory Meets Practice" piece as part of the title.

[Mary Hardy]

Ok, let me clarify the question: I have The New Corporate Finance: Where Theory Meets Practice, Chew, D., Third Edition, 2001. Is this the same version/edition I need for the FET exam? If not, which version do we need? My understanding is that different versions of the book have (or don't have) the "Where Theory Meets Practice" piece as part of the title.

This is the only one you need. The discrepancy arises simply because two different people drafted the different parts of the list of reading. One believes in subtitles and one doesn't. So: one book. And it's the latest edition available at all good amazon's.

Also? Investment Guaranteees=Investment Guarantees: Modeling and Risk Management for Equity-Linked Life Insurance =Investment Guarantees: The new Science of Modeling and Risk Management for Equity-Linked Life Insurance (but only at Amazon -- my publisher wanted 'the new science' in and I nixed it).

[bdschobel]

I'm going to point out this confusing discrepancy to the SOA staff, who can fix the course of reading.

Bruce

[Take 2]

I'm going to point out this confusing discrepancy to the SOA staff, who can fix the course of reading.

Bruce 3:38 a.m.?! :eek: Insomnia, Bruce? Or were you just catching up on Sievert's voicemails?

[bdschobel]

I never stop working! :)

Bruce

[yanz]

Ok - one more: the SN order form is available on the SOA site - does that mean that SNs are available? Last sitting, I waited well over 4 weeks, finally called the SOA, and found out that while the order form was out, the SNs weren't actually ready yet and wouldn't be for a while. So, are the SN's actually ready (so if I order today, I can expect them to be delivered within a week or two, given that I'm in the US)?

[JMO]

I wouldn't know who to ask and would assume everyone at the SOA is too busy to answer anyway.
I'm not sure why you make that assumption. Have you ever called them? E-mailed?
Isn't there an exam ombudsperson you could contact?

[yanz]

I'm not sure why you make that assumption. Have you ever called them? E-mailed?
Isn't there an exam ombudsperson you could contact?

I don't know - that's the point. Yes, for something as simple as "are the SN's ready yet" I could call the SOA, but for something more syllabus-specific like "there's an ASOP listed in the learning objectives but the ASOP isn't actually on the syllabus - are we expected to know it" - I would have no idea who to contact.

[Kenny]

I don't know - that's the point. Yes, for something as simple as "are the SN's ready yet" I could call the SOA, but for something more syllabus-specific like "there's an ASOP listed in the learning objectives but the ASOP isn't actually on the syllabus - are we expected to know it" - I would have no idea who to contact.

The best place to start is always ombudsperson@soa.org. My experience has been they will forward the message to the correct person, or let you know who you need to contact.

[yanz]

Thanks, Kenny. That's helpful.

[yanz]

posted by wat? elsewhere

I was looking at other tracks' syllabi today for Exam DP and noticed that for the Financial Economic Theory Exam, the syllabus is marked with a "FINAL" at the top of the first page, under the description of the exam.

Does this mean that the syllabus is finalized? If so, will this be the convention for other tracks?

[yanz]

There have been Qs regarding whether or not copies of the formula sheet/CS for FET will be posted online somewhere or if we just have the copy mailed to us.