What's everyone's practice exam schedule?

[JoeSpo]

Just curious to see how others are preparing!

Mine is:

Nov 20
May 2005 SOA Exam FM
30 SOA DM Questions

Nov 21
Nov 2005 SOA Exam FM
Actex Exam 1

Nov 22-23
ACTEX Exams 2-5

Nov 24
ASM Exams 1-2

Nov 25-27
Chill Time :guitarwo:

Nov 28-29
ASM Exams 3-5

Nov 30-Dec 4
Re-do any problems I got wrong

[panther]

That's a solid schedule. I will be doing TIA and ASM exams in the final two weeks leading up to the exam. Word of advice: the released SOA exams are far too easy compared to what it's like now. They also don't have DM material. I would recommend using those two you mentioned as practice problems and nothing more.

[jprep]

Edit: This post is a bit negative, please read my next post first. You've got a good plan set for FM through P and MFE!


Nov 25-27
Chill Time :guitarwo:

I certainly hope that by chill time, you mean chill time with some study time put in. Seriously, your schedule goes from Nov. 20 to Dec. 4 - that's only 2 weeks of practice exams. This is your first exam, but I might be mistaken in assuming that you have not had a course in financial mathematics at school yet. If you have had such a course, you'll probably do okay. If not, you're going to be smacked down by this exam, since it is your first.

I like how your schedule incorporates 4 exams (exams 2 - 5) in the timespan of 2 days, which is 2 exams per day... perhaps do more of this on the weekends, if possible.

Well, I think we should let you attempt some practice exams first, then you can judge how well off you are, and subsequently, how much study time you devote. May I ask how far you are in the material for FM? Are you already through with it? Since you are in college, I would not wait until Nov. 20th to start taking practice exams if at all possible. Many people here have already started taking practice exams, and some (including myself) are soon to start.

Good luck with your studies though, I know you'll do well!

[jprep]

Actually, your study schedule is very well set, and I'm actually quite impressed! You just need to consider starting a week earlier, for safety reasons.

From your thread in the Exam P forum, you certainly have your plan set out as far as P in January, then MFE in April/May. Why risk messing up your well-laid-out plan with a possible fail for FM? Please don't take any chances.

As for my study schedule... Once I get Dr. O's book (which I solely bought for the 18 practice exams), I'm going to hammer away at them as fast as possible. In the meantime, I'll do whatever free exams I can get my hands on - the ADAPT, etc. free online exams. Good luck in your studying.

[Sloop John B]

Nov 25-27
Chill Time :guitarwo:



As in, gorge yourself with turkey time? I know that's what I'll be doing.

I still haven't worked out a schedule yet... I should probably get on that.

[JoeSpo]

That's a solid schedule. I will be doing TIA and ASM exams in the final two weeks leading up to the exam. Word of advice: the released SOA exams are far too easy compared to what it's like now. They also don't have DM material. I would recommend using those two you mentioned as practice problems and nothing more.

Hmm... now that you mention it, I am a little pressed for time so perhaps I shouldn't do the SOA example exams at all? Can anyone comment on the difficulty/helpfulness of TIA exams? And they are $20 for only 2 right? :/

Edit: This post is a bit negative, please read my next post first. You've got a good plan set for FM through P and MFE!



I certainly hope that by chill time, you mean chill time with some study time put in. Seriously, your schedule goes from Nov. 20 to Dec. 4 - that's only 2 weeks of practice exams. This is your first exam, but I might be mistaken in assuming that you have not had a course in financial mathematics at school yet. If you have had such a course, you'll probably do okay. If not, you're going to be smacked down by this exam, since it is your first.

I like how your schedule incorporates 4 exams (exams 2 - 5) in the timespan of 2 days, which is 2 exams per day... perhaps do more of this on the weekends, if possible.

Well, I think we should let you attempt some practice exams first, then you can judge how well off you are, and subsequently, how much study time you devote. May I ask how far you are in the material for FM? Are you already through with it? Since you are in college, I would not wait until Nov. 20th to start taking practice exams if at all possible. Many people here have already started taking practice exams, and some (including myself) are soon to start.

Good luck with your studies though, I know you'll do well!

Actually, your study schedule is very well set, and I'm actually quite impressed! You just need to consider starting a week earlier, for safety reasons.

From your thread in the Exam P forum, you certainly have your plan set out as far as P in January, then MFE in April/May. Why risk messing up your well-laid-out plan with a possible fail for FM? Please don't take any chances.

As for my study schedule... Once I get Dr. O's book (which I solely bought for the 18 practice exams), I'm going to hammer away at them as fast as possible. In the meantime, I'll do whatever free exams I can get my hands on - the ADAPT, etc. free online exams. Good luck in your studying.

jprep,

It's not negative at all! In fact, I think it's very positive in the sense that you are being so helpful!

First, yes, I am taking an FM course. Last semester I took an FM course that covered up to derivatives. This semester I am taking a course that goes over everything from last semester and then goes into derivatives. In the course we just finished put-call parity, and options that consist of combining various puts/calls/forwards/longs/etc. (And as a random side note: I didn't do too well on this derivatives section compared to interest theory)

The course will finish all the material on Nov 19th, which is why I plan to start practice exams on the 20th. Another problem is that I have my second set of midterms coming up this week and next week. I also have a research paper due in a political science class before the 20th, so I'm bogged down.

Being in college sometimes hinders your time you can devote towards actuarial studies, especially during the first and second midterms and finals.

Perhaps I could try to cram 3 exams in some days, what other ones would you recommend? I will look up ADAPT, and perhaps TIA, but I'm not sure if that's worth the investment... Maybe If I do poorly on the others and still feel insecure I will purchase TIA.

And what is this about 18 practice exams in Dr. O's manual?! That's a lot of practice that I could use!!! Didn't he write ASM? Because I have the 9th edition and it only has 5... Is there any way we can buy the additional practice exams?

Thank you for the kind words; I have a feeling you will also perform excellently on the exam!! :toast:

And I'm not sure if my plan is that well laid-out because of that darn P exam... :/

I just wish I had taken the FM exam last semester, then I wouldn't be in this competition for time! And I heard that P is harder, so even though I may be able to pass FM with 2 weeks of practice and 7 months of learning the material, passing P with 2-3 weeks of practice and only 4 months learning HALF the material and 1-2 weeks learning the other half is a whole other story...

But hopefully I will check the syllabi and find out my classes cover more than half the material...

Thank you for all the input!!

As in, gorge yourself with turkey time? I know that's what I'll be doing.

I still haven't worked out a schedule yet... I should probably get on that.

Absolutely!! In fact, I guess :guitarwo: is the wrong smiley! Maybe I should have used :bighug: which kinda looks like he is opening his mouth and stuffing a big piece of cheese into it... or maybe :exams: if you tend to fill up a plate of food every hour like me on Turkey day :)

[jprep]

And what is this about 18 practice exams in Dr. O's manual?! That's a lot of practice that I could use!!! Didn't he write ASM? Because I have the 9th edition and it only has 5... Is there any way we can buy the additional practice exams?

Yes, Dr. O wrote the Exam P manual for the ASM company, but he did not write the ASM manual (which has only 5 practice exams) for FM. He wrote something with the company NEAS, I believe. I don't believe that the practice exams are sold separately, you just have to buy the whole manual, which is what I'm doing (Plus, I only have TIA, so it might be good to have a second reference).

Thank you for the kind words; I have a feeling you will also perform excellently on the exam!! :toast:

And I'm not sure if my plan is that well laid-out because of that darn P exam... :/

I just wish I had taken the FM exam last semester, then I wouldn't be in this competition for time! And I heard that P is harder, so even though I may be able to pass FM with 2 weeks of practice and 7 months of learning the material, passing P with 2-3 weeks of practice and only 4 months learning HALF the material and 1-2 weeks learning the other half is a whole other story...

But hopefully I will check the syllabi and find out my classes cover more than half the material...

Half of the material? Perhaps January is too ambitious after all. The second half of the material covers quite a lot of material. You can certainly try though, and I suggest no matter what you do, that you study early anyways.

Absolutely!! In fact, I guess :guitarwo: is the wrong smiley! Maybe I should have used :bighug: which kinda looks like he is opening his mouth and stuffing a big piece of cheese into it... or maybe :exams: if you tend to fill up a plate of food every hour like me on Turkey day :)

I enjoyed reading that... that was absolutely hilarious!

[bdlh]

JoeSpo, seeing as this is your first exam I recommend as much studying as you can get. In the future though, everyone is different with how much they need to study and how to study. I know people who have gotten a 0 with 200 hours of studying and people who have passed with 50 (I don't recommend this even if you are successful once). You will figure this out what works for you as you go.

For most of us though, exams are difficult and require a lot of studying. I think you are being very ambitious to try to pass three exams that quickly while still in school. Hopefully you succeed but if not don't be discouraged, it is not easy. If you pass them all (or even two) you will have a big leg up when you graduate, but even attempting them will give you good experience and show dedication to the field (which employers like). Good luck.

[panther]

The TIA exams are on par with the real thing, and some might say they're slightly more difficult. It just depends on what random set of questions you get come exam time. The benefit of the TIA exams is that you get video solutions to each problem with James explaining the solutions thoroughly, which is something not available with the manuals. You can also email James if you have any questions, but the solutions provided are more than adequate in my opinion.

Since I gather that you're a student, you get a 50% discount on TIA material too. Even at $20 (without the discount), it's a steal in my opinion.

[JoeSpo]

Yes, Dr. O wrote the Exam P manual for the ASM company, but he did not write the ASM manual (which has only 5 practice exams) for FM. He wrote something with the company NEAS, I believe. I don't believe that the practice exams are sold separately, you just have to buy the whole manual, which is what I'm doing (Plus, I only have TIA, so it might be good to have a second reference).

Half of the material? Perhaps January is too ambitious after all. The second half of the material covers quite a lot of material. You can certainly try though, and I suggest no matter what you do, that you study early anyways.


Ouch, well, since I cannot afford the entire Dr.O manual, would you mind commenting on the TIA exams after you take them? On how difficult or how useful? That would be very helpful! :oops:

I checked my classes' syllabi and it seems that we cover around 3/4 of exam P's syllabus. However, the part of 3rd section of the syllabus that we do cover, is covered very vaguely because it's near the end of the semester. Since you have taken it, would you say that each part of the syllabus is about 1/3 of the exam? For easy reference it's located here:

http://www.soa.org/files/pdf/edu-2010-fall-exam-p.pdf

This is better news than having to study half the material, but it's still pushing it. I hate how you have to register so early for the exams... I want to wait until I pass/fail FM before I consider trying to tackle P in 1 month of studying! :swear:

JoeSpo, seeing as this is your first exam I recommend as much studying as you can get. In the future though, everyone is different with how much they need to study and how to study. I know people who have gotten a 0 with 200 hours of studying and people who have passed with 50 (I don't recommend this even if you are successful once). You will figure this out what works for you as you go.

For most of us though, exams are difficult and require a lot of studying. I think you are being very ambitious to try to pass three exams that quickly while still in school. Hopefully you succeed but if not don't be discouraged, it is not easy. If you pass them all (or even two) you will have a big leg up when you graduate, but even attempting them will give you good experience and show dedication to the field (which employers like). Good luck.

Well the reason I suddenly decided to become overly ambitious and pass 3 in two semesters is because I'm going to try to graduate early, but at the same time stick to my original goal of passing all of the prelims. My original plan was FM and P, sophomore year, MFE and MLC, junior year, and C, senior year. But when I went to make classes for next semester my advisor and I discussed graduating early, and we think it's a great idea. I am currently taking on $30,000 in loans per year, $20,000 of which is in my parents' names and is their responsibility. If I can just work a little harder and not put them further in debt, I will by all means push.

Because on the plus side, if I can make it through this 3-exam rush (FM december->P january->MFE march), it's smooth sailing from there... I will have 2 semesters to finish the other 2 exams!

Anyway, enough rambling, thanks for the positivity! I think you're right that if worse comes to worst, I will still have 2-4 by the time I graduate, and it does show dedication through my attempts to get them completed!

[JoeSpo]

The TIA exams are on par with the real thing, and some might say they're slightly more difficult. It just depends on what random set of questions you get come exam time. The benefit of the TIA exams is that you get video solutions to each problem with James explaining the solutions thoroughly, which is something not available with the manuals. You can also email James if you have any questions, but the solutions provided are more than adequate in my opinion.

Since I gather that you're a student, you get a 50% discount on TIA material too. Even at $20 (without the discount), it's a steal in my opinion.

Oh wow! I was completely unaware of that discount... So I can get them for $10?!? I will be looking into that for sure! Thanks for the info!!! :tup::tup: (that definitely deserves TWO thumbs up!)

[jprep]

Since you're still in college, let me give you the best advice ever for your career...

GET AN INTERNSHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, I should say it's the best advice for getting an entry-level job.

It's okay to pass only 4 of the prelims, by the way, if you have an internship. Or even 3. So you could graduate early. But only graduate early if you know that you will not need another internship at that time. People have spoken of delaying graduation merely for the chance to get an internship.

To get an internship, you have to first qualify by being a member of the following "group", whose qualities I will detail below:

1.) You are taking college courses right now.
2.) If you qualify for a summer internship, you will still have to take classes the semester after. i.e. you have to graduate after the internship. i.e. you can't go straight to a job offer from the internship, because you still have to finish school. i.e. the company who offers the internship is relaxed, and feels no need to hire you full time if they don't want to, so everything is cool with them and they'll be fine with bringing you on for an internship. They're just "trying you out", with no long term committment.

This is why some people delay graduation - they didn't get an internship yet, so they want to make sure that they still qualify for an internship next summer. Internships are NOT offered to you after you graduate.

[jprep]

I admire your thoughtfulness in trying not to get yourself into further debt - you are truly thinking like an actuary!

The test questions for exam P will incorporate all sorts of topics into 1 question. So even if a question deals with an early topic, it may still incorporate some of the material that you have not studied yet. Take a serious look at the SOA 142 to see what I'm talking about - that will give you a good idea of where you stand as far as what material you have seen and what material you have not seen yet.

[sammygirl]

I think we also have to take into account the fact that Joe is a genius with financial math and thus his study plan is excellent and he'll do great!

HAHA FOUND YOU! :wave:

[astallmann]

The TIA exams are on par with the real thing, and some might say they're slightly more difficult. It just depends on what random set of questions you get come exam time. The benefit of the TIA exams is that you get video solutions to each problem with James explaining the solutions thoroughly, which is something not available with the manuals. You can also email James if you have any questions, but the solutions provided are more than adequate in my opinion.

Since I gather that you're a student, you get a 50% discount on TIA material too. Even at $20 (without the discount), it's a steal in my opinion.

where do these come from? Like where can we buy this? I've never heard about it before but I'm incredibly interested from what it sounds like. I just wish I would have seen this sooner

[jprep]

where do these come from? Like where can we buy this? I've never heard about it before but I'm incredibly interested from what it sounds like. I just wish I would have seen this sooner

TIA = The Infinite Actuary

http://www.theinfiniteactuary.com/

[JoeSpo]

Since you're still in college, let me give you the best advice ever for your career...

GET AN INTERNSHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, I should say it's the best advice for getting an entry-level job.

It's okay to pass only 4 of the prelims, by the way, if you have an internship. Or even 3. So you could graduate early. But only graduate early if you know that you will not need another internship at that time. People have spoken of delaying graduation merely for the chance to get an internship.

To get an internship, you have to first qualify by being a member of the following "group", whose qualities I will detail below:

1.) You are taking college courses right now.
2.) If you qualify for a summer internship, you will still have to take classes the semester after. i.e. you have to graduate after the internship. i.e. you can't go straight to a job offer from the internship, because you still have to finish school. i.e. the company who offers the internship is relaxed, and feels no need to hire you full time if they don't want to, so everything is cool with them and they'll be fine with bringing you on for an internship. They're just "trying you out", with no long term committment.

This is why some people delay graduation - they didn't get an internship yet, so they want to make sure that they still qualify for an internship next summer. Internships are NOT offered to you after you graduate.

I am going to apply for internships immediately after my first exam, and I also might have a connection through my parents for one this summer.

HOWEVER, I was under the assumption that if worse comes to worst and I don't get one, I can always get one after I graduate, but you're saying I won't qualify? I always thought that you could apply specifically for an internship, even if you have graduated, so that the company looking to hire will still feel "relaxed," as you said, since you're not applying for full-time........

Now I'm worried...! :x

I think we also have to take into account the fact that Joe is a genius with financial math and thus his study plan is excellent and he'll do great!

HAHA FOUND YOU! :wave:

lol! :clap:

Easy there Sam... you're embarrassing me!! :oops:
You'd be surprised how many people are doing 3 times better than me this semester! I'm not that good anymore... :shake:


On a side note, I looked into the TIA discount and found this on their site:

How can I obtain a student discount?

Any full time college student can obtain a 50% discount off the online seminar. To receive a discount code, you can request to join our group on Facebook. After being accepted, post under the appropriate topic for a discount code. The code will be emailed to your Facebook inbox.

So it looks like the exams are excluded, but if I'm lucky, maybe it's a general discount code and will work anyway! :guitarwo:

[Sloop John B]

HOWEVER, I was under the assumption that if worse comes to worst and I don't get one, I can always get one after I graduate, but you're saying I won't qualify? I always thought that you could apply specifically for an internship, even if you have graduated, so that the company looking to hire will still feel "relaxed," as you said, since you're not applying for full-time........



I think this may be true in other fields, but I haven't heard of people having much luck with that here. You'd probably be better off just looking for full-time positions once you graduate. At least you'll have a few exams knocked off, right?

[JoeSpo]

I think this may be true in other fields, but I haven't heard of people having much luck with that here. You'd probably be better off just looking for full-time positions once you graduate. At least you'll have a few exams knocked off, right?

Ahhh! Yeah, but, I always heard it's hard to get full-time work if you have too many exams and no experience! Something about how the company feels they should be paying you more since you have a lot of exams, but since you have no experience, exams mean nothing, so then they would prefer someone who DOES have experience with only 1, or even no exams, even though you really don't want more pay, just the minimum so that you can get experience in the first place...

Does that make sense...? :/

[Sloop John B]

Ahhh! Yeah, but, I always heard it's hard to get full-time work if you have too many exams and no experience! Something about how the company feels they should be paying you more since you have a lot of exams, but since you have no experience, exams mean nothing, so then they would prefer someone who DOES have experience with only 1, or even no exams, even though you really don't want more pay, just the minimum so that you can get experience in the first place...

Does that make sense...? :/

I think that was true a few years ago. I actually recall seeing a post from one of the recruiters saying with no experience the ideal candidate would have two exams, the next best would have one, and then three or more. I'm sure if I looked at the date from that post it would be at least a couple years old and probably not so relevant.

These days there are a LOT of people passing P and FM and not enough jobs. Even those with three (or more exams) seem to be having a bit of trouble.

I think the best course of action is to just keep studying and passing exams and keep applying to jobs.

[Sloop John B]

I actually found the thread, there's a few points from both sides, but note it's from 2005.

http://www.actuary.ca/actuarial_discussion_forum/showthread.php?t=58304

[JoeSpo]

I think that was true a few years ago. I actually recall seeing a post from one of the recruiters saying with no experience the ideal candidate would have two exams, the next best would have one, and then three or more. I'm sure if I looked at the date from that post it would be at least a couple years old and probably not so relevant.

Ouch, I hope you're right! I remember seeing a similar post about a year ago which has scared me to this day!

[JoeSpo]

I actually found the thread, there's a few points from both sides, but note it's from 2005.

http://www.actuary.ca/actuarial_discussion_forum/showthread.php?t=58304

Thanks!

I don't like this quote though:


The "2, 1, 3+" quote was a year or two ago, I think. I'd probably say 2, 1 or 3, 4+ now.

I plan on having 5 (but I guess that's technically 4?), I sure hope this has changed...

[jamesy628]

Well it sounds like you both are still in college. While in college, I was offered three actuarial internships before my senior year, and before I had passed any exams. I ended up passing P that summer. During my senior year, I was offered 3 full-time actuarial positions (2 of them were the companies I had rejected their internship offers for) all with just one exam passed. Truthfully, I think a lot of consulting firms are looking for people with 1-3 exams passed and insurance companies may look for more.

But personality is definitely everything. When competing with thousands of candidates with internship and exam experience, you definitely need the "it" factor to wow an employer into hiring you. Don't get too hung up on justy passing exams in college. Do extra curricular activites, be social, and keep your GPA high. And sending your resume out to a ton of companies doesn't hurt either :)

[bdlh]

Well it sounds like you both are still in college. While in college, I was offered three actuarial internships before my senior year, and before I had passed any exams. I ended up passing P that summer. During my senior year, I was offered 3 full-time actuarial positions (2 of them were the companies I had rejected their internship offers for) all with just one exam passed. Truthfully, I think a lot of consulting firms are looking for people with 1-3 exams passed and insurance companies may look for more.

But personality is definitely everything. When competing with thousands of candidates with internship and exam experience, you definitely need the "it" factor to wow an employer into hiring you. Don't get too hung up on justy passing exams in college. Do extra curricular activites, be social, and keep your GPA high. And sending your resume out to a ton of companies doesn't hurt either :)


I agree with all of this. I also got an internship with no exams passed (I passed P a month after being offered the position) and was hired full-time with just P. I have a friend who had the same experience. I think a lot of it depends on where you live and what the competition is in your area.

[utexas210]

11/20 -11/30- Dr. O's practice exams (18)

11/30-12/2- Actex practice exams (5)

12/3-12/5 ASM practice exams (5)

not there yet but hopefully i can pull it off by December 8th!!!

[jprep]

I agree with all of this. I also got an internship with no exams passed (I passed P a month after being offered the position) and was hired full-time with just P. I have a friend who had the same experience. I think a lot of it depends on where you live and what the competition is in your area.

It would help if you stated whether you got the internship before the recession. Thanks!

[JoeSpo]

11/20 -11/30- Dr. O's practice exams (18)

11/30-12/2- Actex practice exams (5)

12/3-12/5 ASM practice exams (5)

not there yet but hopefully i can pull it off by December 8th!!!

Wow! Kind of similar to my schedule except you're doing all 18 of Dr. O's too! good luck! :) How are you doing so far?

I have slightly fallen behind schedule and just finished the 11-05 practice exam... All I have to say is wow, you guys weren't kidding! Half of the questions could be done in your head without writing anything down!!

The 09-05 was definitely more difficult... I think I spent about 10 hours on it trying to completely understand everything haha.

Tomorrow I start actex and then asm exams! :joe:

[jprep]

I just finished Exam 9 in Dr. O's manual, and they've been kicking my butt. I got 25 or less on the past 2 exams, but a 34/35 on exam 9. He likes to use some of his lengthier problems, in addition to questions from CAS 6 and 8 (well, some of those are easier swap or put-call parity questions).

He likes to make questions 1-25 on Theory of Interest (usually from past exams, like Course 140), then for questions 26-35 he does DM questions that he either made up himself or got from CAS 6 or 8. I feel super prepared with swaps, forward and pre-paid forward prices, and put-call parity, but his exams don't have those true-false kind of questions, or those "theory" questions. Still, it's good stuff, I'll just have to make sure that I supplement with other exams like the free ADAPT ones, for the DM material.

utexas, how are Dr. O's exams treating you?

[utexas210]

Jprep: I took the first couple of Dr. O's practice exams and I decided to adjust my schedule a bit. His questions would be great if I started them a month ago but at this point I feel like some of them are too lengthy and involved for me right now. I understand his approach "if you can do these, then the real exam will be a walk in the park" but I don't have enough time before the exam to devote to problems that have no chance of being on the exam. Especially since I've still got a ways to go on the DM material and I'm going to have to devote some serious hours to that material. So I'm going to go through all of the Actex and ASM exams first,(should be finished with those in Nov.) then I'll plow through as many of Dr. O's exams as I can. Joespoe: Let me know what you think of the actex exams, I got a 21/30 on the first test, got all of the interest theory questions right but only one of the DM questions. So I know what I need to work on! Good luck! You guys sound like you'll both do just fine.

[bdlh]

It would help if you stated whether you got the internship before the recession. Thanks!

I got my internship summer of 08 and started full time summer 09, so basically right in the midst of it.

[jprep]

I got my internship summer of 08 and started full time summer 09, so basically right in the midst of it.

You got your foot in the door before the recession. With an internship, it was only going to be a matter of time until you got a job anyways, recession or not. So the real thing to note isn't whether you got your foot in the door before or during the recession, but that you got an internship, period. Thanks for your story, though! People who have had an internship have plenty of hope.

[jprep]

Jprep: I took the first couple of Dr. O's practice exams and I decided to adjust my schedule a bit. His questions would be great if I started them a month ago but at this point I feel like some of them are too lengthy and involved for me right now. I understand his approach "if you can do these, then the real exam will be a walk in the park" but I don't have enough time before the exam to devote to problems that have no chance of being on the exam. Especially since I've still got a ways to go on the DM material and I'm going to have to devote some serious hours to that material. So I'm going to go through all of the Actex and ASM exams first,(should be finished with those in Nov.) then I'll plow through as many of Dr. O's exams as I can. Joespoe: Let me know what you think of the actex exams, I got a 21/30 on the first test, got all of the interest theory questions right but only one of the DM questions. So I know what I need to work on! Good luck! You guys sound like you'll both do just fine.

You're right - his DM questions are too lengthy, and don't include theory and true/false problems, which will show up on the exam. So I think you have the right idea in saying that you'll do the other practice exams first. Good luck!

[JoeSpo]

Let me know what you think of the actex exams, I got a 21/30 on the first test, got all of the interest theory questions right but only one of the DM questions. So I know what I need to work on! Good luck! You guys sound like you'll both do just fine.

The actex ones are disappointing so far... Out of the first 3 exams I got a total of 4 wrong, all of which were DM questions. I only planned to do 2 today, but each one took me almost exactly 1 hour and 40 minutes each so I did 3........

I can't wait for ASM... Even the SOA 09-05 questions were 10 times harder than actex so far...

Since you're pressed for time and already seem to handle actex's interest theory questions, maybe you should just do the last 10 DM ones of each actex exam and do Dr. O's int. theory questions instead. Actex's are very straightforward... Mostly just calculator mashing problems, in fact, I think my right-pointer finger is slightly sore on the tip from so much calculator mashing!!!:-o

I can honestly say that a lot of the int. theory questions on exam 2 and 3 seemed to be exactly like the int. theory questions from exam 1 with different numbers :confused:

Oh and btw, I have the 2008 Actex if that makes a difference :p

[utexas210]

Yeah I've got the 2008 edition of Actex also, just went through my first ASM practice exam, it's definitely WAY more difficult than the Actex practice exams, so they should give you more of a challenge Joespo.

[Sloop John B]

Has anyone tried this yet? http://adapt.saltsolutions.com/

Opinions so far?

I was thinking of trying it out tomorrow. I have the last two ASM exams to do but want to space them out during the week (maybe do one on Tuesday and the last one on Friday) so I can have everything be fresh for when I sit on the 7th.

[jprep]

Adapt seems okay, but be careful to check your answers when the test is done... they are still ironing out the misplaced correct answers (as in, one answer choice is shown to be the correct answer, when it's actually another). It is a beta, after all. But I'll continue to use it after I'm done with Dr. O's exams.