Anyone else feeling sick?

[smarty pants]

The anxiety is really getting to me. I've been fine up until last Thursday when results came out for 1-4. I didn't take any of those exams but it made me realize that results may come out early for everyone else. I don't ever remember results coming out early, but people in our office said that back in 1995 or something like that they came out a week early.

I dread the initial period where I find out results are posted and my heart sinks into my stomach. I'd rather skip all the drama.

[New at pd]

I'm there with you, pal. Is this your first essay exam as well?
Good luck on Friday, or Thursday, whenever we find out.

I'm with Smarty Pants too. I felt fine until the grades came out on Thursday (I supervise one student, who did not pass 3), but now a nervous wreck I am.

First essay exam for me.

[twoleft]

The butterflies are in my gut as well and won't leave. I just want it to be over. I hate to wish time away, but this is one instance where I would like it to be Saturday morning and the results were known and I was over the initial high or low from finding out.

My bet is that the results won't come out early as they did last week. We will have to sweat it out until Friday afternoon.

[New at pd]

There's a part of me that (still) has some faith in the SoA. I think that
they try to be equitable in their treatment of students. If one group gets results early, so should the others?

:D

[Axsuetarian]

as much as I want to agree, I doubt we will get out results early.

How's this for a rancid idea: Give the exam 1-4 writers their results one day early and give the WA exam writers their results 3 weeks late!!

[Axsuetarian]

as much as I want to agree, I doubt we will get out results early.

How's this for a rancid idea: Give the exam 1-4 writers their results one day early and give the WA exam writers their results 3 weeks late!!

[New at pd]

There's no need to shout.

[NYC Triathlete]

Smarty Pants,
I am with you. I hate waiting and I wish they never released the 1-4 results early. Good luck.

[slam]

I agree with you guys about the results coming out a day early. See my comments in the Course 1-4 section, "They're out" for which I was criticized a couple of times.

[bambi]

I'm pretty nervous. I felt decent after the exam...but when I logged onto this website and realized that everyone else felt pretty confident, I didn't feel like I did that well after all. I almost think that the more "fair" the exam is, the harder it is to pass. So, now it's very borderline for me.

BTW NYC Triathlete, do you do triathalons? I did 2 last year and will be doing 1 this year.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

You don't like to wait, and you don't like the 1-4 results being released early?
Oooooooh-K.
First-born, eh?

[FIOB]

That is a witty comment I have to admit, but I don't like waiting and I don't like the results being released early. It's very simple. Now we have to wonder all morning Thursday anticipating another early release, and we'll probably have to go through the whole anticipation thing Friday all over again. In addition to not knowing if we are going to pass, we now have to wonder when it is we'll find out if we passed. I suppose the next step is to not tell us exactly when the exam will be.

[BigMactuary,]

I have been checking the SOA website every 15 minutes or so since last Thursday. I have even tried different combinations in the web address to get to my result - nothing has worked so far.

I am thinking has our fate been decided by now? Are the grades finalized and only need to be put into SOA system or can someone still pass or fail between today and D-day?

I vaguely remember my exam id and will quickly go thru the numbers released to see if that number is in there. If yes then i will confirm it by looking at my ticket. if not then i will still have a chance cuz i may not be looking for the right number. see how psyched up i am.

[Enough Exams Already]

Everybody: IT'S JUST AN EXAM!!!! UNCLENCH!!!!

Getting tweaked now won't change your grade or make the pass list come out any earlier. You're fretting yourselves for nothing. The list will come out in it's own time, and you'll have your answers soon enough. Take a deep breath and chill.

If you're that nervous, go study for Course 5. Channel your nervous energy into something useful.

[New at pd]

If you're that nervous, go study for Course 5. Channel your nervous energy into something useful.

Which is why I started preparing for C5 on May 15

[Dr T Non-Fan]

Too much emotion being invested here. What kind of actuaries are you folks planning to be (or already are)?!?!
I'm not anxious. But just like at my wedding, I wasn't nervous until the music started, and I actually had to do something.

[NYC Triathlete]

Yes I am a triathlete, and yes I am a firstborn child...and darned proud of it too.

[bambi]

I already tried channeling my nervous energy by studying for Course 8....and I fell asleep.

[Old Man]

I heard that results for 1-4 came out a day early because some companies were complaining about their students wasting away a whole day checking every 15 minutes to see if results were released. Of course, now we have to waste away potentially 2 days. The only logical thing to do is release ours on Wednesday.

[smarty pants]

Like I said before, this is an uncontrollable nervousness. I have channeled my focus on other things for nearly 10 weeks and was reminded last Thursday of what is to come. I'm not ready to jump off a bridge or anything but I can't ignore that this is the 3rd essay exam I've taken, and I haven't passed one yet even after studying 300+ hours each time. I don't think I'm consciously trying to waste time thinking about something I can't change. Believe me, I wouldn't think about it if I could. The only time I'm guilty of wasting is trying to explain this to people who are fortunate enough to not understand what I put myself through. I have done a lot better this sitting however and it just comes with the territory. I do feel better discussing it with others in the same boat so if you don't like it, then YOU can spend your time studying instead of replying.

[Actuarial Genius]

I agree with smarty pants, this feeling in our gut isn't about to go away. I don't think telling someone to "calm down" has ever worked in the history of nervousness, but thank you for trying to ease our nerves by giving us a horrible solution of "try studying".

Oh, by the way, results still aren't up yet. Wait....let me hit refresh for the 50th time today....yep... they're still not up yet.

[Fartmanistan]

I agree with smarty pants, this feeling in our gut isn't about to go away. I don't think telling someone to "calm down" has ever worked in the history of nervousness, but thank you for trying to ease our nerves by giving us a horrible solution of "try studying".

Oh, by the way, results still aren't up yet. Wait....let me hit refresh for the 50th time today....yep... they're still not up yet.

Actuarial Genius - GET BACK TO WORK!

[Dr T Non-Fan]

Uncontrollable emotions? I think these are tested on during the Course 7 seminar.

NYC tri: just a quasi-educated guess. I'm also guessing about 3 years between you and your nearest sibling?

[Actuarial Genius]

Fartmanistan - I will get back to work as I have plenty of it. I have to fix all the errors you're making while you're pretending to not check the soa website as many times as I have.

[NYC Triathlete]

Pretty good Dr T Non-Fan...I have one brother 5 years younger. So I had five years of being an only child and 26 years of being the only daughter. On top of it all I have some very cool parents, so I've really been very lucky.

As far as the whole "being nervous" thing goes, it's perfectly normal and I know it will not go away until I know if I passed or not. When I first started competing in running and later in triathlons I used to get nervous before races and a friend told me that being nervous means that whatever it is you're nervous about actually matters to you. So as long as nerves don't make you completely lose your marbles (or your lunch) it's all good.

So be proud of your nerves, pals :-)

[Axsuetarian]

I hate waiting. I hate not knowing. I hate being so angry, waiting and hating and not knowing

Oh, why can't they just release already!

:shake: :viola:

[Transdermal Celebration]

ahhh, yes...
i yearn for sweet release. :o

[Dr T Non-Fan]

You have displayed the traits of the first-born whose only-childness was snatched from her at an early age.
All those emotions might come from somewhere else, though.

[bambi]

NYC triathlete,

Just to take your mind off of things. I am trying to put together a relay team for the Ironman in Hawaii. I can do the swim distance. I am looking for a biker to bike 110 miles or a runner to run a marathon. Interested in either one?

[Transdermal Celebration]

bambi,

That's pretty cool... I have run 3 marathons (all under 4 hrs) , but the ironman is extreme, but maybe a relay team would be the way to go. Goodluck on assembling your team! I personally can't do anything like that until exams are done (7 and 8 to go, if i passed 6).

good luck on exam day.

:horse:

[Buru Buru]

I am pretty confident that I didn't pass, so I am not nervous at all. envy me. :P

[Axsuetarian]

Today's the big day??

[New at pd]

It would only be fair that today's the big day. Good luck to all.

[Axsuetarian]

It would only be fair that today's the big day. Good luck to all.

OH, I HOPE SO!! You're right, it really would be fair to release today.

I don't think I can be productive until they come out!

[New at pd]

I would say that there has been a sharp decline in concentration and productivity since last Thursday's release of exams 1-4. I'm holding up better today than yesterday. You?

[Axsuetarian]

Sliding fast! I can barely look away from this forum/SoA website......Plus, it's going to be 95 or so today, so I don't see myself walking around outside to try and get my mind off things.

[New at pd]

Yeah, today is supposed to be ~ 90 here in Red Sox land. A good idea to stay in and see how many time you can hit the refresh button.

[twoleft]

Save yourselves. It won't happen today- fair or not. Those who got their results early last week caught a break. I don't think it will happen again this week.

Good luck to all. By the end of the day tomorrow, this madness will end!

[toomuchtime]

I spent way too much time last night thinking about results coming out. I hope they're today because I don't want to do that again tonight.

I will not be getting much work done until they do come out

[FSA Wannabe]

I've lost track of how many times I've hit the refresh button. This is absolutely driving me crazy. As time goes on, my productivity gets worse.

[Axsuetarian]

AAAAAAAAAAA, I am so useless today.

[NYC Triathlete]

Dr T Non-Fan: Stick with actuarial work. Psychology/ psychiatry is not your forte.

Bambi: Hawaii sounds tempting but not this year. I've got this thing called SOA Course 5 to worry about.

Good luck to everyone with the results.

[bambi]

Marathon/Triathalon = physical torture and Waiting for exam results = mental torture :evil: . Hmmmm, I have a FEELING that results will come out tomorrow, but I may be wrong. Good luck everyone.

[monkey grass]

All of my finger nails are now nasty looking little nubs!

[jets fan]

Is the SOA like the CAS in that they will only post results at a specific time of day? For the CAS, they'll only do it between 3:00-3:30.

[BigMactuary,]

What time did they release the results last Thursday?

[toomuchtime]

I saw a post in the Course 1-4 area in the "They're out" thread that was posted at 20:45, which I think is 4:45 Eastern.

I wonder if that was an hour or so after they were posted because most people were probably waiting until the following day...

[Dr T Non-Fan]

NYC Tri, it's just a hobby. Never took a course while in college. (Afraid of what I might find.) I find the Birth Order Theory very interesting, but as a middle-born, I'm supposed to find new things (which should distinguish me from my sibings) interesting. It has flaws, and there are always exceptions to the rule. That's what I hate about psych.

[M.]

I saw a post in the Course 1-4 area in the "They're out" thread that was posted at 20:45, which I think is 4:45 Eastern.

I wonder if that was an hour or so after they were posted because most people were probably waiting until the following day...
4:45 Eastern is when I noticed the aforementioned post.

[Axsuetarian]

This may sound silly, but:

Has anyone ever tried simply calling the SoA to ask if results will be out as scheduled. I mean, why not just call today and ask if results will come out today or tomorrow. I guess the worst that could happen is the person says they don't know.

??

[yeppers-wsmn]

go for it.

let us know what you find out.

[Axsuetarian]

Well, I called, but didn't find out much.

The person at the SoA said that exam results would be mailed tomorrow, but she didn't know when the grades would be available. COULD be today, but likely tomorrow.

Atleast I called.

[BigMactuary,]

".......Grades would be available........"?

Grades would not be available this week anyway. Also, I hear that they put the results on the website the day they sent them out in mail.

I wonder why the staff at SOA works only till 5. Cant they put in 2 extra hours tonite and get us our results?

[M.]

Perhaps a good follow-up question to SOA would be, "So which day did you mail the Course 1 - 4 results?"

[Kira]

Even though they posted the results early this time for C4, my results didn't arrive in the mail any sooner than in the past. I've always received my results in the mail on Monday. So I think they sent the Course 1-4 results out on Friday even though they were out on the website on Thursday.

[Axsuetarian]

You're right BigMac, I meant Pass/Fail, not grades.....YOU SEE, I'm going bonkers over here!

[C8 Guy]

Perhaps a good follow-up question to SOA would be, "So which day did you mail the Course 1 - 4 results?"

I posted a question in the Exam 1-4 thread asking if anybody received their results on Friday. No responses yet.

[NYC Triathlete]

I guess tomorrow will be the lucky day.

The question of utmost importance to me now is: should I go to my early morning (6 am) bike workout with my friends or should I sleep in and avoid the extra hours of anticipation and nausea. I have never puked while cycling so that might be interesting?

[Axsuetarian]

Oh, just release them already. C'mon please!

[actuary1995]

Anyone have a macro that will refresh the results page every five or so seconds? Maybe it can pop up a window if four or five digit numbers appear, or even better, pop up a congratulations window if it finds your candidate number.

[bambi]

NYC Triathlete,

I say go for the bike ride. Working out is a great stress reliever. If you do end up throwing up, it might be kind of amusing. All the vomit would get caught in the spokes of your bike and splatter all over your friends. :D Yes, I know I'm a sicko. Good luck.

Forming a relay for a Triathlon in Hawaii sounds interesting. If I were going all that way, I don’t think I would want to spend so much time and energy there even if it is only one leg of a Triathlon. But anyway, perhaps you could try hooking up with people who live there.

[FoxtrotFool]

anyone got a macro that would just pop up a random window that says "congradulations!" after some random time lag? I'm sure that actuary1995 would apprieciate that.

-time passed-

-oops, sorry to be snippy... I kinda of realized that I wasn't being very nice... guess I am being affected by not having my exam result.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

How about a third of a leg for each leg of a triathlon? Nine miles seems a lot easier, especially after a few hours of rest off the bike.

[Axsuetarian]

Man, this waiting is driving me nuts....I would have been fine If they didn't release results Thurs. of last week.

I guess we should all just hope that they do release results today, and not 3+ weeks late

[toomuchtime]

I did call yesterday. I spoke with someone who said they helped put the results together. She said they would be mailed today (Friday), and the results would be available this afternoon.

Good luck everyone!!!

[Traci]

"""How about a third of a leg for each leg of a triathlon? Nine miles seems a lot easier, especially after a few hours of rest off the bike."""

Because maybe they LIKE THE WAY IT'S DIVIDED UP AS IT IS AND DON'T WANT TO SEPARATE IT ANY FURTHER!!!

GOD YOU ARE OBSESSED!!!!


Just teasing ;-) Results day stress, you know

This application (Webmon) will automagically go out and check the site for any changes. I have it set up to check the main page and the eande page for any changes. Hope it Helps! Now you can get back to work! :D

http://download.com.com/3000-2381-10111909.html?tag=lst-0-1

[Transdermal Celebration]

Is there a c6 student out there that doesn't now that More online monographs are now available? :horse:

[Axsuetarian]

LOL, tell me about it Barryf! They manage to put NEW stuff on their site right around 3 PM EST yesterday, just so each of our hearts could skip another beat!!

Oh well, the wait will end in TMinus 6 hours (or less) and counting!

[PensionAggie]

Thanks for the tip MBA...this saves me from checking constantly...

No thanks to my company's firewall for not allowing me to use this genious tool...

Back to refreshing every 2 minutes...

[FIOB]

Thanks MBA. Webmon looks pretty cool. My blood pressure is going down already.

[bambi]

So, I had a dream last night that the pass rate was 10%!

[Abducens]

I like how they are sitting on the results this week when they were out Thursday for the kiddies last week.

Actually, I heard that C6 only had a 15% pass rate since that is all the results support, but they know that'd be a nightmare, so they don't know what to do!

[New at pd]

you don't say?

I hope you are making that up Abducens!!!!!!!

If you are making it up...I hope you fail with a 5!!!!!!!!!!


Just kidding! :crazy:

[BigMactuary,]

2pm EST approaching. one question resonates in the minds of thousands if not millions of hard working actuaries - can the SOA spit it out finally?

reporting live from scahumburg, IL, this is America's favorite burger!

[bambi]

Good luck guys. I think they're posting the scores now....because the exam hotline is ringing, ringing, and then busy. It's not the usual recording, so you know what that means.

[New at pd]

Good luck to all -- just creating good karma for all of us.

[The Drunken Actuary]

I like how they are sitting on the results this week when they were out Thursday for the kiddies last week.


Nice.

[Axsuetarian]

C'MON, GIMME, GIMME, GIMME, GIMME!!!!!

[zzzman29]

I doubt they are setting up the hotline, as results usually come out on the web site several hours before the hotline is set up.

[bambi]

GIVEUS GIVEUS GIVEUS a 6!

[T-roy Boy]

This is rediculous!!! 1:05 CST and still not here

[FoxtrotFool]

bambi, they won't give us grades... how about just 'pass'

[bambi]

FoxTrotFool,

I know, but I like to think of the score too. So, how about "Give me six instead of give me five!"

[BigMactuary,]

The SOA just became the most hit site in the US surpassing Pamela Anderson Lee's 5 official websites combined. The SOA president will give a statement shortly at which time results would be announced.

Once again, reporting live, the one you can always eat!

[zzzman29]

They should just declare these days insurance company holidays. I can't get anything done anyway. I can't concentrate, I'm probably just making a mess of my projects I'm working on that I'll have to clean up next week, and I'm sitting here typing on a discussion board....

AAAAAAAHHHHRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH just tell us already.
:wall:

[Transdermal Celebration]

"Gimme four, Willy!"
Gordon Chumway, otherwise known as ALF

good luck to all on this most slowly passing of days.

[Ponderer]

Isn't it lunch time in Chicago around this time? It's Friday after all, so maybe the SoA folks, whoever are charged with posting the result, just happened to take a longer lunch hour today.

[zzzman29]

You realize the web site administrator from the SOA is currently sitting and watching the Rebel Outpost forum with his finger over the mouse button just waiting to click the "upload" button, while he is cackling maddly to himself about the control he currently holds over all of us.

:evil:

[FoxtrotFool]

Someone said that the reason that the result was posted last thursday was because some SOA IT guy wanted to take a 3 day weekend. :)

Ofcourse, it would be really stupid for the webmaster to take the day off on one of the 4 days in the year that there will be a huge number of web hits.

[bambi]

Guys, I called the hotline! I PASSED! YIPPPEEE! I GOT MY ASSOCIATESHIP!

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

[zzzman29]

Bambi is right. The hotline is up. The website is not. I failed congrats to those that passed. I will be slaving over the one thousand six hundred and seventy two pages of that material again next may. :shake2:

[EconWiz]

They're out. Pass rate was 34.7%.

[Axsuetarian]

They're up!!!

LIST OF PASSING CANDIDATES - COURSE 6
Spring 2002

12 604 1099 1963 2609 3352 4168
17 609 1125 1979 2614 3354 4169
34 610 1136 1984 2626 3362 4186
81 641 1144 1986 2635 3363 4190
90 659 1149 1999 2651 3385 4192
93 665 1157 2004 2653 3395 4199
94 668 1175 2009 2679 3401 4230
127 670 1176 2037 2683 3418 4255
135 675 1198 2043 2689 3423 4258
138 684 1241 2047 2697 3455 4319
150 695 1246 2107 2705 3458 4347
158 696 1248 2183 2708 3463 4426
165 709 1277 2194 2710 3467 4440
169 723 1283 2207 2717 3474 4470
172 725 1297 2208 2808 3511 4471
185 748 1302 2220 2812 3566 4529
199 761 1330 2221 2833 3581 4542
214 790 1343 2247 2853 3588 4586
215 801 1348 2250 2857 3592 4594
218 805 1365 2256 2902 3600 4751
235 821 1380 2257 2917 3606 4808
244 825 1403 2262 2983 3652 4819
247 839 1413 2264 2990 3655 4841
252 840 1457 2289 3001 3678 4844
255 842 1496 2290 3053 3682 4851
344 852 1500 2324 3068 3690 4894
357 871 1510 2326 3069 3700 4925
361 872 1538 2327 3072 3715 4957
379 879 1540 2328 3074 3735 4958
380 886 1542 2330 3076 3867 4960
387 893 1546 2398 3081 3936 4998
391 894 1548 2423 3103 3942 5008
392 897 1564 2459 3111 3948 5009
415 898 1566 2464 3115 3949 5022
419 904 1574 2474 3116 3968 5036
420 912 1587 2491 3119 3971 5049
423 914 1668 2496 3124 3982 5068
430 932 1669 2499 3139 4008 5080
431 939 1698 2502 3143 4013 5083
444 953 1732 2509 3144 4064 5109
448 955 1752 2518 3145 4068 5110
456 958 1758 2532 3148 4092 5135
475 959 1762 2538 3158 4100 5145
520 993 1772 2546 3219 4102 5152
525 997 1808 2549 3220 4106 5153
530 1048 1818 2555 3257 4112 5158
533 1060 1820 2584 3280 4137 5162
534 1077 1824 2585 3282 4152 5164
553 1086 1859 2588 3286 4153 5171
588 1092 1897 2602 3343 4155 5176
602 1094 1912 2606 3348 4166 5181

COURSE 6 MAY 2002 PAGE 2

5183 6669 8078 10667
5215 6763 8081 10700
5227 6780 8102 10708
5254 6871 8106 10752
5285 6900 8107 10771
5307 6901 8110 10792
5379 6906 8183 10803
5404 6987 8209 10804
5438 7015 8259 10890
5453 7034 8277 10901
5467 7051 8305 10961
5471 7162 8328 11024
5548 7216 8333 11046
5562 7265 8344 11080
5572 7287 8347 11178
5601 7288 8348 11393
5604 7296 8386 11398
5637 7303 8433 11467
5656 7370 8439 11473
5698 7383 8443 11483
5699 7385 8509 11528
5879 7387 8535 11571
6010 7404 8562 11647
6013 7406 8569 11703
6022 7407 8575 11988
6055 7408 8611 12013
6060 7418 8696 12021
6065 7422 8747 12033
6067 7426 8759 12097
6103 7429 8815 12115
6134 7431 8942 12190
6139 7434 9080 12360
6142 7436 9123 12384
6153 7439 9187 12411
6166 7498 9401 12421
6172 7519 9496 12783
6180 7534 9558 12859
6263 7537 9783 12909
6270 7591 9786 12910
6347 7755 9854 13162
6352 7817 9955 13234
6372 7874 9968 13296
6379 7881 10059 13303
6399 7929 10094 13305
6410 7932 10200 13307
6433 7958 10411 13317
6464 8023 10424 13321
6465 8030 10502 13325
6509 8032 10601 13327
6583 8038 10604 13390
6584 8075 10622

[FoxtrotFool]

The web site is out, too. Hit Refresh...

I passed too! Now I can get back to studying for course 5.

Good luck everyone.

[Transdermal Celebration]

i passed that biznitch.
i'll be studying for c8 tonight. 6 down, 2 to go!

[zzzman29]

Isn't this like the first time that course 6 pass rate was lower than all the otehrs?
:viola:

[bambi]

I'll be studying for course 8 too - 1 more sucker to go!

[Transdermal Celebration]

How did you guys get the pass rates? :horse:

[EconWiz]

It's on the website:

http://www.soa.org/eande/pc0205per.html

[Actuarial Genius]

damn straight!

First shot at 6, knocked it outta the water! Now I just have to tackle Course 5 for the second time! Good luck to all.

[New at pd]

Yeah, baby!! No more spring exams!!

[LB]

I passed and I skipped the two 8 pointers in the afternoon completely. I guess I did the other stuff OK.

[Actuarial Genius]

damn straight!

First shot at 6, knocked it outta the water! Now I just have to tackle Course 5 for the second time! Good luck to all.

[zzzman29]

Man, I answered every single damn question! Although the 2 big questions (10 or 12 I can't remember) I had to explain conceptually, cause I forgot the formulas.

[zzzman29]

Hey actuarial genius, how come I got censored, but you didn't???

[NYC Triathlete]

I passed as well.

That makes the fact that I sacrificed my entire 2002 tri season entirely worth it. One more and I am an ASA baby!!!

Bambi--congrats--enjoy Hawaii!!!

See you all on the Course 5 boards!

[Ponderer]

Just curious - this is my first shot at course 6, and I failed. How many of you passed this baby in just one shot (other than Actuarial Genius)?

[LB]

first time

[BC]

First time for me also.

[Botsy]

What's with the low pass %? C6 has been killer. 30%, 40% now 35%. Lowest of the 5 SoA exams this sitting. What's the deal?

As you can probably tell, I failed.

[Ponderer]

3 so far. Did you guys attempt 202 and/or 203 before? I did not. But I studied harder for this exam than I used to when I took the math exams. I don't know what I could have done to pass because I did not skip over any sections on the syllabus, and I attempted every single problem on the exam as best I could. The only thing that I did not feel good about was I did not pay as much attention to the sample exams (2000 and 2001). It'll be interesting to see what score I got...

[VP]

Results have been out for more than an hour, and they're still not linked on the SOA main page or the EandE page. Amazing.

[FoxtrotFool]

first time, too.

Ponderer, Get the HYPE cards, and start memorizing. I swear that I got about 30 points or so on the list questions just from his 'good' mnemonics. That's more than the difference between having to get the numerical questions right vs getting a good structure on the numerical questions.

VP, it's there, you have to hit refresh...

[New at pd]

first time -- I'm sure I'll see a 6 in a couple of days.

[BC]

I have a gift for mathematics. My weakness is that I can't easily memorize. I was lucky that of the "list" problems on the exam, I actually knew 3 of the lists (2 of those 3 were the ONLY two mnemonics from the JAM cards that I actually knew; "LIST DePT Ca" for the duties of a trustee, and "MY CLEVER TIPS" for the risks of fixed-income investing, a question we actually predicted would appear in my study group) and probably ended up with about 12-15 points of 27 on the 5 list problems. Basically, I had to figure out how much room I had in my head for lists, which lists I thought were the most important, and got lucky.

However, I may also have aced every single one of the problems, and problably lost no more than 5 points on them of the 58 available on the 9 "numerical" problems.

I studied the past exam problems, including the 2000 "practice" exam, every problem in the textbooks, and every problem in the JAM study guide.

I failed exam 5 on my first try because I didn't spend sufficient time memorizing. I didn't on this exam either, but it mattered much less.

[Ponderer]

So some say HYPE cards and memorization, or exam taking skills, or luck. I think I do lack the exam taking skills necessary to pass these essay exams. Apparently these skills are different than what's required on the math exams. I will have to rethink it....

[NYC Triathlete]

first time and I passed...

[bambi]

Ponderer,

I had a lot of problems when I started taking the essay exams. I swear after taking exam 200, I was completely discouraged. I think that especially with course 5, you have to put in A LOT of work. With the math exams, if you understand the concepts and formulas, you were pretty much good to go. There is certainly a difference with the written answer exams. What I did when studying for these exams is really take a look at the old exams to see a trend of the kinds of questions that were asked by section. In addition, I looked at how the questions were answered. The graders are looking for answers very similar to the model solutions. I hope this helps. Hang in there and don't give up!

[FoxtrotFool]

Ponderer, don't be too hard on yourself.

Yes, exam taking skill is important. And it is definitely a learned skill. (as supposed to some math skill which arguably is borned with. Course 5 and 6 are significantly different from course 1-4.

LOL on the lists, BC. On HYPE, those two list were ... A trustee that CARES wont FAIL, and Investments have YIELD CuRVE risk.

One thing you will need to practice is to be able to put together lists in an organized fashion. (even the math questions) Work out every problem through bulletted lists. Good study aid helps too.

[BC]

When I took 5, I thought the HYPE cards were better than the JAM; for financial reasons I ended up with only JAM for this sitting of 6.

I would recommend reading the section in one of the JAM guides about test-taking; it shows solution outlines, and I believe Mike is/was a grader for some of these exams (I think he's also an item-writer for one of the 8-exams). You might find it enlightening.

The first time I took exam 5, I felt like I got about an 8, and was stunned to get my 5. I went to the JAM seminar, got a better idea what was expected on the problems, and so when (after my second attempt) I felt like I got an 8, I had a better idea what was expected and indeed got exactly that.

I would also recommend you determine the areas you think you were weak (especially easy if you get a 4 or 5 because of the summary) and focus on those areas the second time through. Not surprisingly, I got 10s on the pension problems the sitting I failed, but 1s on many of the list problems. So I knew I had to shift my focus; I didn't spend much time at all on the pension section the second time around.

And yes, there is a certain amount of luck involved, unfortunately. With 1500+ pages of material, they can't test all of it, and most people can't know all of it. If the stuff you don't know intersects the stuff they don't test, you have better odds of passing.

[twoleft]

Ponderer, I passed and it was my second try.

I know you've probably seen it 1000 times, but go to the JAM seminar. It can only help you. Carmody has some excellent test taking tips and since he is a former grader, he knows what they are looking for. In addition, he he makes up good problems and also puts together a grading outline that you can compare your answer to. It's definately worth the price of admission.

Good luck next year. I know it sucks to have to think about taking again, but you'll hopefully get it on try #2

[Ponderer]

Thanks for all the encouraging words, folks! I will bear them in mind. Good luck to us all next time.

[bambi]

Hey NYC tri-

Congrats too! If you can do tris, you'll get course 5. Feel free to contact me if you're interested in putting together a team when you pass course 5 in November!

Anyone recall who seemed well-prepared for SoA6 this past semester?

[smarty pants]

Well I started this thread so I might as well finish my original thought. I wasn't at work to see my score on the internet and avoided the phone all day. I looked on the internet when I got home late tonight and found my number. It would have been nice knowing this earlier but I just couldn't do it by phone in front of my coworkers away from the office.

I felt like there was nothing more for me to be able to study. I knew all the lists and knew the main concepts for problems. The only thing that could kill me is multiple choice or "creative"/BS problems. I think I did all right on the MC though. Now I just need 5 for my ASA.

I am a little worried about 5 because the MC was very nitpicky and difficult. I think the problems are relatively easy but many many lists. Any thoughts on how to study for their vague MC questions?

[Transdermal Celebration]

smarty pants,

forget about the MC, it's a sucker's bet. You could get all of them wrong and still get a 10. just concentrate on the essays, and you'll get the MC by osmosis. i am good at MC and test taking, and I only got 21/30 on the MC on course 5, which is pretty good. But that's only a 3 point difference from somebody who only got 50% right... it would be much more valuable to study the essay/lists and possibly know one more list question than to know the MC stuff.

hope this helps and good luck!

[Tim Hortons]

Just curious - this is my first shot at course 6, and I failed. How many of you passed this baby in just one shot (other than Actuarial Genius)?

1st time.... sooooo sweet.

Is anyone out there taking course 8R & 8P? I'm thinking of only taking the smaller part of the exam (8p) this sitting and 8R next year. Any thoughts on breaking them up in this way? I heard a lot of people do this and I don't want to try to take both if that would mean failing them both.

[Peter Pan]

C6 2000 - 5
C6 2001 - 5
C6 2002 - Pass

So, for those of you who missed out, just keep at it. If I had to rank the degree of difficulty from most to least it would be:
2001 (most)
2000
2002 (least)

So, ASA at last.

I sat 8P last year because could not stomach 8R & 8P after C6 failure. So the result was C8P = 5. It may be an option to take 8P and maybe do C7 if you have not already done C7 ? Entire C8 is alot more work than C6 or C5 so might be a bit late starting now.

[papa bear]

Peter Pan, are you saying I can take C8 before taking C5 or C6? How about C7 before C5 and C6? I always thought you have to be an ASA (having passed C1 -6) before you can take either C7 or 8?

:o

[Peter Pan]

As far as the rules go I don't think there is anything that says you cannot take C8 before C5 or C6. However, would think if you are taking C8 in say Investments, then it is wise if you have first passed C6.

As far as C7 - you cannot complete it prior to ASA.

[In England]

I passed! And I'm looking to see who else passed, especially the ones who helped out by posting questions and answers starting way back in January (Zapped, where are you?).

Those of you (65%! that's tough) who weren't so lucky - I've been trying to pass this stupid thing since Nov. 1998, so if I can pass it, you can, too!

Now back to 8I . . .

[chucky almendinger]

I passed. and I took the APC on Friday, so I'll be an ASA. I felt more confident on this one than any exam I've taken. So today I get the results, and I bet it will just be a 6.

MC was my weakest area, and I was worried I would flunk on that. I felt like I got full credit or very close to it on every essay question.

so it goes.