New syllabus

[Car'a'carn]

Readings seem to be twice the amount we had to read for FET.

http://www.soa.org/files/pdf/edu-spring2008-cat-apm.pdf

[Commodore64]

I all ready feel....umm I will let you insert the word.

[Google]

It is as big as the old 8V exam. Lots of dry, difficult readings .

[Car'a'carn]

HOFIS is from the old 6 Exam, on 8V there was mortgage bonds Fabozzi.

[sundwarf]

how different is this syllubus from last year's?

[goodluck]

how different is this syllubus from last year's?

I just skimmed over. I couldnt find some sections form last year and a few new sections are added. Looks like it has more reading compared to last year. They keep expanding the list. And i don't know how fair it is to change the exam each year.:swear:

[Google]

The difference is mostly regarding Fabozzi's text(Handook of fixed income securities). After my quick count, they added 9 chapters and took out several chapters. So, there is more to read from his text.

Hardy's text now lists one extra chapter.

Also, there is one new 2008 Study Note.

That is my hastily assembled comparison.

[Will Durant]

HOFIS is from the old 6 Exam
That book is a worthless steaming pile of cow dung, figuratively speaking. I hated those readings for 6; I can't believe I have to read that crap AGAIN. :exams:

So has anybody started studying yet?

[Car'a'carn]

That book is a worthless steaming pile of cow dung, figuratively speaking.

We'll just hold our noses again :shrug:

So has anybody started studying yet?

After Thanksgiving.

[notmyfriends]

So has anybody started studying yet?

I started on Thursday at about 4:45pm.

[Will Durant]

I started on Thursday at about 4:45pm.
Me too. Started with the Hardy text.

ETA: You need to update your "studying for"

[notmyfriends]

Me too. Started with the Hardy text.

ETA: You need to update your "studying for"

No no, I'm still studying for that too. Want to actually be ready next year ;)

[Google]

Studying for 8V in 2005 (that I obviously didn't pass) was the most boring time of my life. The material was never ending and difficult to comprehend. The APM exam looks very identical to 8V, I am already depressed just thinking about studying that material again.

[campbell]

They kept changing the 8V syllabus, too, I think the last big change was 2005 (why there was a bunch of study notes with 2005 in their ID). I notice only a couple new readings, actually.

Yes, it's a lot of reading. I started last November for the spring 2007 sitting. I got a 6 on the exam. Take it as you will.

[sundwarf]

when will the updated study manuals be released? I want to get them ASAP as I don't want to take any chances this time. I practically (*&^ed my FET exam

[anywhereman_nyc]

They kept changing the 8V syllabus, too, I think the last big change was 2005 (why there was a bunch of study notes with 2005 in their ID). I notice only a couple new readings, actually.

Yes, it's a lot of reading. I started last November for the spring 2007 sitting...

Have you relied only/primarily on officially recommended readings or (at least, for some parts of syllabus) on some study manuals instead?

[campbell]

Have you relied only/primarily on officially recommended readings or (at least, for some parts of syllabus) on some study manuals instead?

I read almost all the readings for APMV, though some I had read when I did 8V and thus did not reread them, but relied on my JAM manual and Carmody's online seminar (Just click on the logo in my signature... I believe they opened registration for the spring seminars. I don't know if the APMV stuff is available yet, but most of Carmody's videos could remain as-is.)

There are a couple readings I skipped entirely in reading the original sources, because they were horribly written and reading the original did not help comprehension (i.e., I did attempt to read everything, but I would stop when I realized it was pointless, and went to the manual). In some of the cases, I read the manual and the original source concurrently.

[anywhereman_nyc]

Thanks for the response, thorough and precise as always.

[AggieAct02]

Summary of new stuff

HOFIS +6 chapters -3
IG, Hardy +2 chapters -1
OFD, Hull + rest of chp 17, - 1.5 chp
+5 online readings -1
- 7 study notes +1

Personally I'd rather reading HOFIS than some of the study notes so I'd say we at least came out even.

[WrestleManiac]

Anyone know a rough page count for all of this material?

[Will Durant]

OFD, Hull + rest of chp 17
I thought it was only 17.4,17.5,17.8 out of Hull chp 17?

[AggieAct02]

You're right. I'm not sure what is going on with the SOA and why so much of what was important last year isn't anymore. As regards chp 17 though, the new material is where the question that wasn't on the syllabus came from last May. I would recommend reading through the other sections since the SOA has proven that they can't remember what is on the syllabus after they change things.

The page count was around 2100 last year but I haven't looked to see how long the new stuff is.

[FrankieY18]

any idea when the seminar will be?

[rekrap]

any idea when the seminar will be?
For JAM/TIA:
http://www.studyjam.com/apm/seminar.asp

Location:
Windsor, CT
Seminar Site & Lodging:
Mariott Hartford/Windsor
28 Day Hill
Windsor, CT 06095

Dates / Times:
March 7-11
Friday 9:00-6:00
Saturday 9:00-6:00
Sunday 1:00-6:00
Monday 9:00-6:00
Tuesday 9:00-4:00

Open seats available Location:
Chicago, IL
Seminar Site & Lodging:
DoubleTree Hotel Arlington Heights
75 W. Algonquin Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005

Dates / Times:
March 28 - April 1
Friday 9:00-6:00
Saturday 9:00-6:00
Sunday 1:00-6:00
Monday 9:00-6:00
Tuesday 9:00-4:00
Open seats available

Goldfarb hasn't updated his site (http://www.goldfarbseminars.com/index.php) for APM 2008, yet.

[FrankieY18]

For JAM/TIA:
http://www.studyjam.com/apm/seminar.asp



Goldfarb hasn't updated his site (http://www.goldfarbseminars.com/index.php) for APM 2008, yet.

Which one is better? Jam or Goldfarb?

[rekrap]

Which one is better? Jam or Goldfarb?

Not done either. Did JAM for 6.

Here's some previous discussion:
http://www.actuarialoutpost.com/actuarial_discussion_forum/showpost.php?p=2000193&postcount=3 (http://www.actuarialoutpost.com/actuarial_discussion_forum/showthread.php?p=2000193#post2000193)
(be sure to read the whole thread, if you like)

And no has asked in general in this thread:
http://www.actuarialoutpost.com/actuarial_discussion_forum/showthread.php?t=109820 (http://www.actuarialoutpost.com/actuarial_discussion_forum/showthread.php?t=109820&highlight=seminar)

[waha]

Did Goldfarb offer an APM seminar in May? I didn't find anything on his website about that. I went to his FET seminar this September since that was the only one available. I am leaning towards JAM at this point since I am close to Chicago and doesn't seem that Goldfarb is offering an APM seminar in 08. Never went to JAM before but did buy his FET manual though.

[carzymathematician]

I think Carmody is da bomb! Trust me, you should attend his seminar..u will not regret it!!

[rsgoldfarb]

I will not be offering a seminar for the 2008 APM exam because I am committed to teaching my CAS Exam 8 seminar in March and will not have time to do both.

I will have a study manual available with reading summaries, practice problems, etc. I expect to complete the manual no later than February 1. Until then, my 2007 APM manual will remain available. Within a couple of weeks I will update the 2007 manual to remove the readings that are no longer on the syllabus and to clearly identify the NEW readings not yet included in the manual.

Visit www.GoldfarbSeminars.com for more information.

Richard Goldfarb

[Caramel]

how different is this syllubus from last year's?

I spent last Thursday evening comparing the new syllabus with the one from May 2007. They are very similar; however, there are a few readings are removed and a few news one are added. In general, still comparable.

I started studying in August and currently at Section 3a of JAM, I was a little pissed when I saw the study notes or chapters that I already read/studied being removed from the new syllabus, but thanks God, there aren't many (less than 5). Otherwise, I would really curse SOA (for the Nth times) because I could have used those summer time lying on the beach instead of studying!

[Caramel]

I think Carmody is da bomb! Trust me, you should attend his seminar..u will not regret it!!

Haha, I like the way you put it, Carmody is "da bomb"?!
I attended his C6 seminar and it was great! Money and time well spent. He upgraded my understanding level by a solid 25% to 35% (however, also my stress level... but I should blame this more on SOA...).

I plan to attend Carmody's seminar again in Hartford or Chicago. I assume you attended his seminar on C8 and I assumed you passed without much troubles. Can you tell me more what you like about his seminar? Did he present more exercises, calculations and sample exam questions to challenge the crowd?

[Caramel]

There are a couple readings I skipped entirely in reading the original sources, because they were horribly written and reading the original did not help comprehension (i.e., I did attempt to read everything, but I would stop when I realized it was pointless, and went to the manual). In some of the cases, I read the manual and the original source concurrently.

Could you be kindly enough to let us know which readings specifically that you simply skipped and were able to still cover/understand it by going straight to the study manual?

I am trying to read everything as of now, but it will help me to be less freak-out when I encounter one of the readings that is of the "unreadable" category.

[Caramel]

Summary of new stuff

HOFIS +6 chapters -3
IG, Hardy +2 chapters -1
OFD, Hull + rest of chp 17, - 1.5 chp
+5 online readings -1
- 7 study notes +1

Personally I'd rather reading HOFIS than some of the study notes so I'd say we at least came out even.

Thank you so much for the breakdown! I truely enjoy the study support I get from this forum :)

[campbell]

FWIW, the "unreadable" stuff were study notes, and the one I'm thinking of in particular was an interminable one on stochastic interest rate models from Oxford something. Nasty. I went straight to the manual on that one. There was one on coherent risk measures that was a mess, but I can't remember if it was for 8V, APMV, or something I was reading for work. This sort of thing got me in trouble on APMV when I answered a question not even on the syllabus.

The Anomalies (sp?) study notes were fun, and I read all of the Hull, Hardy, and HOFIS stuff, because they were (relatively) easy to read. I read all of the short study notes.

I used Carmody's TIA seminar (link in my signature), in addition to the JAM manual for APMV.

[anywhereman_nyc]

FWIW, the "unreadable" stuff were study notes, and the one I'm thinking of in particular was an interminable one on stochastic interest rate models from Oxford something. Nasty. I went straight to the manual on that one. There was one on coherent risk measures that was a mess, but I can't remember if it was for 8V, APMV, or something I was reading for work. This sort of thing got me in trouble on APMV when I answered a question not even on the syllabus.

The Anomalies (sp?) study notes were fun, and I read all of the Hull, Hardy, and HOFIS stuff, because they were (relatively) easy to read. I read all of the short study notes.

I used Carmody's TIA seminar (link in my signature), in addition to the JAM manual for APMV.

I agree that Hull, Hardy, HOFIS are the least arguable parts of the syllabus. I would also add Crouhy & Co. to this list.

What's about Babbel & Fabozzi (does not look easily comprehensible and has a nominal price around $170), Litterman & Co. (with nominal price > $100 and only 4 chapters included), Leo Tilman (with nominal price >= $180 and only 4 chapters included)?

Is it feasible to read it in Carmody or Goldfarb manuals?

[campbell]

Keep in mind, that I had passed 8V with an 8 before, so many of the topics weren't new to me, even if it's from a slightly different point of view. Also, my company paid for all the books, so I got them all, just in case.

That said, it's a lot of reading, and you want to be as effective with your study time as you can.

(I don't know anything about Goldfarb. I understand he can be very comprehensive in explaining concepts. I don't know about when it comes to list-type stuff.)

I did rely on JAM and the TIA seminar for Tilman and Babbel & Fabozzi. I didn't really read Tilman, and I did attempt reading Babbel & Fabozzi. But only one reading. I did not return to the original source for repeated reading and note-taking, like I did with HOFIS and Hull. (Hardy wasn't an issue because I had used that text for a big work project, and remembered most of it without review.)

[anywhereman_nyc]

Sorry if I asked somewhat inconvenient questions.

And as always, thanks for taking a risk to respond!

[campbell]

I understand trying to figure this out. I asked lots of questions of those who had gone through it before. People have different systems/manuals/seminars that worked for them.

JAM can be very barebones with regards to the manual, in that it's a highly condensed form of the reading -- and it's still a large volume of info. The TIA seminar is fleshed out more, and I did a marathon session of watching the videos (for a third time, =at=least=) the week before the exam. I passed APMV with a 6. It was a very difficult exam, and has a large amount of material. I think it's good to try to attack the material from as many angles as possible.

[carzymathematician]

Haha, I like the way you put it, Carmody is "da bomb"?!
I attended his C6 seminar and it was great! Money and time well spent. He upgraded my understanding level by a solid 25% to 35% (however, also my stress level... but I should blame this more on SOA...).

I plan to attend Carmody's seminar again in Hartford or Chicago. I assume you attended his seminar on C8 and I assumed you passed without much troubles. Can you tell me more what you like about his seminar? Did he present more exercises, calculations and sample exam questions to challenge the crowd?

He attacked the seminar in his usual Carmody manner - since u've already been to one of his seminars, you know exactly what I'm talking about! For each section that we went through, he gave a number of sample questions + relevant past exam questions. His explanations were clear and he certainly helped me to see the connections between sections that I didn't even know existed. U're right, I passed CSP with a good grade and I am sure that alot of that was because of him!

[examwritter]

He attacked the seminar in his usual Carmody manner - since u've already been to one of his seminars, you know exactly what I'm talking about! For each section that we went through, he gave a number of sample questions + relevant past exam questions. His explanations were clear and he certainly helped me to see the connections between sections that I didn't even know existed. U're right, I passed CSP with a good grade and I am sure that alot of that was because of him!

Thanks for your explanation. This really helps. Just wondering if you would still go to his seminar if the cost is not reimbursed by your company? This is my case right now. Do the video and the seminar overlap each other? Is it necessary to get the video to maximize the result?

[examwritter]

when will the updated study manuals be released? I want to get them ASAP as I don't want to take any chances this time. I practically (*&^ed my FET exam

I know what you mean. The FET exam was so f***ed up that I am still upset about it:(

[carzymathematician]

Thanks for your explanation. This really helps. Just wondering if you would still go to his seminar if the cost is not reimbursed by your company? This is my case right now. Do the video and the seminar overlap each other? Is it necessary to get the video to maximize the result?

I had to pay for the seminar myself and it was worth every penny! I did not do the online seminar so I can't comment on that. I'll just point out though that there's one big advantage going to the seminar has over the online seminar and that is you'll get to intereact with Carmody and other students face to face. I feel that often times questions and or answers get lost in an email and getting an explanation via email is not quite the same as having a conversation with the instructor.

[examwritter]

I had to pay for the seminar myself and it was worth every penny! I did not do the online seminar so I can't comment on that. I'll just point out though that there's one big advantage going to the seminar has over the online seminar and that is you'll get to intereact with Carmody and other students face to face. I feel that often times questions and or answers get lost in an email and getting an explanation via email is not quite the same as having a conversation with the instructor.


Thanks a lot!! I have made up my mind :toast: