First attempt with a 10

[Trout]

Hi,

I was thrilled when I got my slip and found a 10 is on it. Since it is my first attempt for course 4, I am really happy. I felt good after exam, but not like this. Just want to know how many people out there have a 10 in their first attempt? How do you celebrate?

[The Drunken Actuary]

I took Courses 1-4 last sitting and got a 10 on all of them except for course 3 where I only got a nine. But that's ok because I didn't study for that one. I studied during breakfast the morning of the exam for the others. And I celebrated by having dinner with the president, drinks with the cast of Seinfeld, and sex with Carmen Electra and her better looking sister.

[Milwaukee Dave]

You seem to have forgotten your visit with the ghost of Princess Diana Spencer.

hey good boy Trout, how many question do u think u got them right in the exam ? and how many hours did you spend on stuying? I do think the mark may be varied in great difference if u r an actuarial major or having a good study notes or attended a seminar or employed a private FSA tutor as your personal coach. Which one/them do u have? I don't want a 10, just want two 6s for 2 courses in one exam session.

SD

[New at pd]

I got a 10 on C4 in November 2001 on my first try-- I think it was a bigger deal for others than it was for me -- I was just psyched to know that I passed.

Some companies have a bonus for getting a 10 -- sure wish we had that.

Congratulations!

[treyso]

A 10 just means you wasted time studying. A 7 is the best score of all. You put in enough time and you didn't have to sweat it.

[phdmom]

I also got a 10 on my first time taking course 4. I didn't study an excessive amount (~300 hrs) but everything clicked the last 2 weeks or so before the test, and I felt really good about the exam while I was taking it.

Now let's hope that course 5 will be the same way.... :wink:

[The Drunken Actuary]

A 10 just means you wasted time studying.That's what everyone who didn't get a 10 says.

[Brutè]

Course 4 sounds like a really easy exam.

[Cho Da]

Which is why the CAS way of reporting grades as 0-5, Pass is preferable.

[WQN]

I prefer the 0-5, Pass concept as well. I've always wondered why the SOA thinks I need to decipher what an 8 really is. I admire the 10 score but it varies from each sitting as to what it takes to get a 10. However, IMO, knowing whether you got a 1 or 5 is meaningful.

Course 4 is not easy, my opinion is that by the time a student gets to Course 4 they know how to study for these things only to have that familiarity taken away with the pass. Courses 5 and 6 are quite different.

[Brutè]

Which is why the CAS way of reporting grades as 0-5, Pass is preferable.Why is it preferable - so I won't make a joke about Course 4 being easy on an internet discussion board where a few people have claimed to get 10s?

And what's with that picture of Lucifer? Does that have anything to do with your username?

[Cho Da]

Once you make the cut, who cares by how far? It's not going to help you study for the next exam which is written and graded by a different set of people.

By your command.

[the ladies man]

Damn, I feel like an idiot now that I didn't pass. It was my first attempt and I got a 5. Oh well, suck it up for next time I guess.

Congtrats to those people who passed.

[jets fan]

I guess the argument can be made that if you take a test, you are entitled to know what your score is on it. Half of me subscribes to this point of view.

OTOH, while I do congratulate all of you who got a 10, I congratulate all of you who got a 6 just as much. The end result is the same (unless your company gives some kind of reward for a 10, but I've never seen this). Another part of me thinks that all these grades do is feed the egos of those who want to compare themselves to others. A few sittings (or years) from now, the fact that you passed the exam is the only thing that will be relevant. Does anyone at my company care that I got a 10 on part 1 years ago? No, and if I ever even mentioned it, I would be considered very arrogant. You don't need 10s to get associateship/fellowship and if you become an associate/fellow, nobody's going to care what your score was on the exams.

[M.]

Don't feel bad, ladies man. I got a 3 on my first attempt. Turned that into a 9 this time around. Don't let the boasters get you down!

[Juggler]

I got a 10 on my first attempt at course 1. But I guess that's a little different than course 4. I felt good after the exam but I really didn't know what kind of score I was going to get because it was my first exam ever. I was just happy that I passed, then when I got my slip in the mail I was freaking out!!!

Juggler

[Kira]

OK, now I'm feeling like the biggest idiot of all! This was my first attempt on C4. Although I was pretty sure that I didn't pass after I left the exam, I was shocked to find that I only got a 3!!!!

M.
What did you do to go from a 3 to a 9? Any advice for me???

[Brutè]

Another part of me thinks that all these grades do is feed the egos of those who want to compare themselves to others.Doesn't the exam system itself do that?

[jets fan]

Doesn't the exam system itself do that?

What would make you think that?

[Brutè]

You're joking?

[WQN]

Kira, I went from a 3 to an 8 on course 3. I think the 3 was the biggest motivator. I started the syllabus from scratch assuming I knew nothing. I also changed study manuals.

For Course 4, I used ASM. Manageable and useful. I still read all the textbooks and work tons of problems. I mainly use manuals to help me organize the material and do extra exam like problems.

[jets fan]

You're joking?

No, I wasn't.

[M.]

M.
What did you do to go from a 3 to a 9? Any advice for me???ASM definitely got me over the hurdle. I tried doing a hodge-podge my first time: a little Mahler, a little Actex, a little Temple, a little of the texts. I was all over the place, and never got a solid handle on anything. I also wasted a lot of time in my old college stats book because I didn't have much of a statistics background.

What did you use for your first try? If you did ASM, I would suggest going back through it, but read some of the referenced text along the way to get a better understanding of WHY you follow the steps you're told to.

Hope that helps!

[Brutè]

You're joking?

No, I wasn't.
Some people pass, others don't. Some people pass in less sittings than others. You have students, ASAs and FSAs. Some companies give you bigger bonuses for passing the first attempt. You have the lowly math courses 1-4 then the higher 5-6, 7-8, often with different bonuses attached to different exams. On top of that, all failings are graded 1-5. So the fact that the CAS only gives you a pass as opposed to a grade 6-10 does not really limit the stratification or the ego boosting IMO. I think it is inherrent in any exam system like this. Besides, if I kick butt on an exam, why shouldn't I know if I get a 9 or 10? Is the fact that the knowledge will boost my ego a bad thing anyway?

[urysohn]

I got a 10 and the old 150 and submitted my grade slip to my boss so he could process the exam raise. He kind of smirked when he looked at it and said "So, I guess next time you won't overstudy quite so much?" I agreed completely, and after that it was one 8 and a series of 6-7's (at least, those were the passing scores).

[jets fan]

Besides, if I kick butt on an exam, why shouldn't I know if I get a 9 or 10?

This is a separate issue from ego. I said in my original post that half of me agrees that a candidate has the right to know his score.

Is the fact that the knowledge will boost my ego a bad thing anyway?

It's a bad thing if all someone's going to do is sit there and claim that they're better than anyone who got a lower score. If that someone doesn't know by now, they will learn eventually that it only matters if you pass - it doesn't matter by how much. And to sit there and be competitive about a thing like that really makes a statement about someone's personality.

The exam system itself is not there for ego reasons, it's there to earn a degree. It will only feed egos of people who are egotistical to begin with - the problem lies with the person, not the system.

[Kira]

M. and WQN

Thanks for the response. It gives me hope knowing that you CAN go from a 3 to an 8 or a 9! (Although I'd be more than happy with a 6 or a 7)

I did have ASM and Mahler, but I felt like there was so much material to cover that I was trying to get through everything and didn't have time to really learn it well. I was considering reading the text books this time around, but now you've convinced me. I'm starting with ASM and reading the referenced sections in the books.

Congratulations on passing!

[Brutè]

JF:
I didn't mean to come across argumentative, if that's what I did. I agree that the exams are there for a degree and not to boost egos. I don't want to belabor this any more so can we be friends and go watch the Jets game on the big screen instead?

[Cho Da]

the problem lies with the person, not the system.Though the system (in general) does suck.

[jets fan]

JF:
I didn't mean to come across argumentative, if that's what I did. I agree that the exams are there for a degree and not to boost egos. I don't want to belabor this any more so can we be friends and go watch the Jets game on the big screen instead?

I can't argue with that! :toast:

Though the system (in general) does suck.

I can't argue with that either! :lol: I think that quote would make a good addition to your signature. :wink:

I feel so stupid. I keep saying that C4 is not hard, but I keep failing. Well, the first time I didn't study that much and got a 4, which was not bad given the circumstances. The second time I thought I did good when I left the exam room, and I couldn't believe it when I didn't find my number. I haven't received the grade slip yet. I guess it's a stinking 5. It sucks that I never passed with a 6 but usually failed with a 5. Every time I pass I pass with a 9 or 10. Who needs them?

I got an 11!!!! and then had sex with your sister!!

[toomuchtime]

It sucks that I never passed with a 6 but usually failed with a 5. Every time I pass I pass with a 9 or 10. Who needs them?

I guess that is why "overstudying" is good. If you study for a 10 and miss it because of some curveballs on the exam, you probably still will pass. If you aim for a 6 or 7, those curveballs can be the difference between passing and failing.

I have gotten a few 10's and I will keep trying to get them. I don't want to leave any room for error with these exams - and I sure don't want to take any exams more than I have to.

[treyso]

A 10 just means you wasted time studying.That's what everyone who didn't get a 10 says.

DA : How many hours did you study for your exam? Was this your first attempt?

[Toonces]

I don't understand all of the intrigue about the 10. First of all, with a 55% pass mark, a 10 is only 77%, a C+ where I went to school. On a 40 question test, that's only 9 questions that separates a 6 from a 10. If you want to see bragging, have them give you a percentile. I would guess that a 10 only identifies you as in the top 10% of test-takers.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

I agree with toomuchtime. Most questions before the exam regarding the pass mark seem to be asked with the attitude, "What's the minimum I can do to pass?"
You're either in the insurance business or learning about it. Aim higher, and your losses (missed questions) will not affect the outcome.

I've never gotten a 10. Lots of 7's and 8's (back when 11 exams were the minimum for ASA). If I had ever gotten to a point that I knew the material that well, I'd schedule a day or two off from studying.

[tesla_styx]

But i do agree that there isn't much room between a 10 and a 5. Which is why I aim for a 10... even if i overstudy, its sure better than understudying and waiting an additional 6 months for the raise. I scored 10s on 2 and 3 with just under 300 study hours each. I didn't study for course 1 and got a 6 (while in college...didn't take it as seriously then).

[Alpha12]

Congradulations Juggler!

I got a 10 too. :)

[The Drunken Actuary]

A 10 just means you wasted time studying.That's what everyone who didn't get a 10 says.

DA : How many hours did you study for your exam? Was this your first attempt?
I should have added, 'including me'.

It was not my first attempt, I studied every waking hour that I wasn't posting here (I did not keep track of the hours but it was hundreds) and lets just say my score, while passing, was pretty far away from a 10.

I did not mean to imply that I got a 10. I did not. Ever. Maybe next time, but I will be just as happy with a 6.

[Cynic]

I took Courses 1-4 last sitting and got a 10 on all of them except for course 3 where I only got a nine. But that's ok because I didn't study for that one. I studied during breakfast the morning of the exam for the others. And I celebrated by having dinner with the president, drinks with the cast of Seinfeld, and sex with Carmen Electra and her better looking sister.

...and you said that you did not mean to imply that you got a 10? How much did you drink?

(Of course I know it was a joke, but still you did say it!).

[The Drunken Actuary]

I meant to imply it with that post, but not in the post that was being asked about (I think). OK, its a technicality I guess, but really I thought the sarcasm would come through. I just thought Trout's question about how do you celebrate when you get a 10 on the first attempt was nothing but a thinly veiled way of bragging and deserved a sarcastic response. I mean, I don't mind bragging, I would want to tell people too if I got a ten on my first attempt, but be straight about what you are doing.

Oh, and to answer your question, on Thursday and the following three days A LOT.

[treyso]

My last post in the Course 1-4 section. I studied 250 hours and got passing score...far from a 10. I could have put in 400 hours and gotten a 10, but why not have a life too? :D

[The Drunken Actuary]

Badger I agree that that is the way to go, the problem I hsve is knowing how much I need to study to get a 6. I generally study as much as possible and hope its enough to pass. I have never felt so confident that I thought I could relax my studyining in the knowledge that I am assured at least a 6.