EA2A Advice please

[ericturner29]

I'm planning on taking EA2A for the first time this fall. Does anyone have any thoughts/advice on study manuals, seminars, etc?
Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Q]

I've been reading the old posts in the prior two years to see what the advice was then. It probably hasn't changed much since then. Check out page 2 and page 4.

Any new advice would be appreciated.

[benjamce]

I will be taking it too, I just took EA2B and here is what I found:

- ATEX is outdated, the DVD seminar wasn't great since some of the questions and regs were outdated. You would do a problem and see something that no longer applied and the solution said to skip that part (not cool!).

- I took the Farber seminar, so I'd highly recommed that. If you don't do it, get the ASM manual (he wrote the one for 2B which he gives you at the seminar, so he probably did the 2A one as well).

- get the ERISA outline books from ASPPA, much easier to read than the code.

Just my 2 cents ... of course comments from someone who already took it would be helpful.

[yankeetripper]

Farber's seminar and study notes for EA-1 and EA-2B were both awesome. I can only assume EA-2A seminar is just as good. If your interested here is a link to registation http://www.asppa.org/education/ed_ea_course.htm

[Yank]

I highly recommend Rick G for both his EA-2A and his EA-2B seminar.

His problems are good, but they are great when you consider his detailed solutions.

[DaveyDo]

I suggest taking a seminar. The earlier the better.

Farber and Groszkiewicz have different teaching techniques. In Farber's seminar, you will take a lot of notes as he goes over all of the topics and examples. Groszkiewicz will use prepared overheads which he gives you copies of. There is a lot less note taking with Groszkiewicz. He also gives you the exact reference to the code, regs or whatever is being talked about. You also get a lot of practice problems which are harder than the exam. Both will answer questions after the seminar. You have to decide which teaching technique you prefer.

I would also try and be as prepared as possible before taking a seminar. I recommend Farbers study notes and his 110 problems. If you get through his notes and the 110 problems, you should be well prepared for the seminar.

[Kenny]

What materials do they provide prior to the seminar and how early do you get them?

What comes with Farber's seminar? If I attend his seminar does that include the ASM study manual, practice problems, and/or solutions to past exams or will I need to buy additional materials?

It appears Rick G. provides all the solutions and his handouts, but only sends them 1 month before the seminar. Is that all? Or do they actually send them shortly after registering? If I attend Rick G.'s seminar do you need to purchase additional materials?

[DaveyDo]

Farber's seminar provides the Course Outline and review which retails for $75. He usually sends this out in advance but I'm not sure how far. The seminar might include the prior year's answers but I'm not sure. ASPPA should have more details.

Rick G. sends his out in advance. It was about 2-3 weeks before the seminar but I took the earlies seminar. Rick G's website explains what you get for the seminar. I believe it includes past exam answers. (Exams more than a few years old are almost useless anyway.)

Rick G. provides a lot of material but I like to have more than one source. For example, on EA2B, Farber has a spin off flowchart that does a better job of explaining it than Rick G. does.

If your company is paying for everything, then buy Farber's outline and his 150 questions. If you can get through these, even if you have to look at the answers, you should be well prepared for a seminar.

You can purchase Rick G's seminar material but are not eligible for updates unless you took his class before.

I hope this helps.

[Fortran_Man]

Rick G's seminar is great. I've taken his 2a and 2b seminars and passed on the first try. His study manuals direct your study time to stuff that has a high likelyhood of being asked. After the seminar he is available to answer questions via email, fax or phone. I've found his response time on those questions to be excellent.

Since passing the exam, I continue to use his study manual because I have found it to be a great help in performing my job. He has even helped me years after the seminar on clarifying some difficult questions on real life client situations. I can't say enough about the guy.

Thank you for everything Mr. G.

Fortran_Man

[Rick_G]

Thanks SO much, F_M, you are TOO kind! :oops:

Anyone can always download last year's seminar overheads from my web site (http://www.softwarepolish.com/actuarial/ea2study.htm). This way you can always have updates for recent law changes.

Based on the earlier comments, I updated the seminar descriptions on the web site to reflect the mailing date of July 15.

[Rick_G]

Just in case anyone wants to get a head start on NEXT spring's exam :)

I have updated the ZIP file with the EA-2B seminar overheads to reflect the latest version (includes updates through April 28, 2005).

[Traci]

THANKS Rick! And Welcome to the Outpost! :)

[Rick_G]

Traci, I have been a fan of the Outpost (and a lurker) for several years.
Keep up the good work! :notworth: