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Ballack
10-29-2002, 06:48 PM
It's that time again. Do you have any exam superstition that you'd like to share? I always wear the same clothes on the exam day. Given the fact that I both passed and failed many times, I don't know if this still means anything. :-?
ne11er
10-29-2002, 06:51 PM
I'm the same way. Same outfit...although I believe the jeans have changed. And I can't say I mark the socks and underwear. :D
Dr T Non-Fan
10-29-2002, 07:52 PM
Arrive early. An hour before the exam. That keeps the traffic voodoo gods from catching me.
MountainHawk
10-29-2002, 08:03 PM
My only superstition is that I'll never use pencils on an exam that I've used before. Stop at a supermarket on the way to the exam every sitting and buy a new pack.
The Original Student
10-29-2002, 08:28 PM
I used to only use the same pencil that I used in practice problems because "it already knows the material"

I've given up on superstition for the most part, mainly due to necessity.
Pi Man
10-29-2002, 08:36 PM
i make it a point to get lost on the way to the exam, sometimes even going to the wrong exam location....

comfortable yet tastefully dressed, make sure i shave (you NEVER know who you could run into), and bring as little as possible [i hate those geeks who read their flashcards right up to the bell.....]. if you don't know it by then, there's always next sitting...
MountainHawk
10-29-2002, 08:51 PM
Student --

That's interesting. I always figured it was better to have pencils that had never made a mistake before. :)
Cynic
10-30-2002, 02:32 AM
i make it a point to get lost on the way to the exam, sometimes even going to the wrong exam location....

comfortable yet tastefully dressed, make sure i shave (you NEVER know who you could run into), and bring as little as possible [i hate those geeks who read their flashcards right up to the bell.....]. if you don't know it by then, there's always next sitting...

Yeah, right. My superstition is to never study the day before the exam. If you show any sign of unpreparedness (is that a word?) when the exam is near, the SOA god will try to do tricks on you. :P

BTW, Pi Man, your superstition seems to be to stop studying 2 weeks before the exam (based on your countless posts recently).
Jonas Grumby
10-30-2002, 06:54 AM
I always bought that morning's NY Times and did the crossword before the exam. Concentrating on something completely unrelated to exam-type material seemed to clear my head.
Pillow
10-30-2002, 07:31 AM
... the SOA god will try to do tricks on you. :P
The SOA gods will look down on you with favor if you provide a sacrifice. I've heard that they prefer mole over pig. :P Want to help me catch the mole playing around this forum??? ;)
the mole
10-30-2002, 08:49 AM
Just catch that gopher instead. The SOA is no more discriminating than 42, so they won't be able to tell the difference either.

(For those of you looking for the sacrificee, take the one whose eyes don't have the flair of mine.)
thing
10-30-2002, 01:00 PM
I like to shave my head and have my most recent avatar tattooed into my scalp the night before an exam... :D
GadgetGeek
10-30-2002, 01:35 PM
I stuff my pants with cellophane so that I make annoying crinkling noises to distract my fellow test takers. I also pound the buttons on my calculator, slurp my water (prompting a coffing fit), tear off my pages dramatically, tap my pen while reading the questions, and set my watch to chime every half hour. I also load up on bean burritos the night before.

OK, what I really do is pair myself up with a "failing" candidate so that I'm the "passing" one (assuming roughly 50% effective pass rate). Have to be careful that I don't pair up with an ineffective canidate as that messes up my system.
failed8v
10-30-2002, 03:53 PM
I am going off the thread with a story.

Last year I forgot my pencil case. I was bit shaken during the whole bus
ride (about 50minutes) then I took a cab in the city driving around looking for stationary shops none were open. I had to borrow some pen from the
exam center, I was the only candidate. Then on top of that half of my exam booklet was missing.

I did not fail because of these ...
MountainHawk
10-30-2002, 04:08 PM
GadgetGeek --

I personally think that instead of having the system we have now, tehy should just make it a head to head elimination contest. As people signup, put them into random groups of three. Announce the groups 2 days before the exam, and the high scorer in each group wins. That way, you can concentrate your distraction efforts more effectively. :)
Redhead
10-31-2002, 01:58 PM
Back to the thread...I always buy new calculator batteries the day before, and play a particular song on the way to the exam center. I don't think it's working...
ThE BlacK ScoRpioN
10-31-2002, 02:11 PM
Back when I was in college, I was going out with a chick from the program and we would basically do the "you know what" the morning before the sitting. It worked for her, as she passed all the exams she tried as we were going out together.

Then, at my first job, I hooked up with another actuarial student for casual "you know what" and after I told her about the pass ratio of my ex, she would call me up the night before the exam for some pre-exam-booty. (She was an SoA student so this didn't interfere with my studying of CAS exams.) And guess what... it worked!!!

I really think I have a gift. So, ladies, next sitting, just remember to give me a call in advance - I still have a few spots available :D
Tom Servo
10-31-2002, 02:34 PM
I still have a few spots availableThe ointment should clear that right up in a couple weeks.
G. Gordon Wolfe
10-31-2002, 06:07 PM
I always used the same Cross pen.

And I was one of those that studied right up to the last second. Why not? There was always some remaining tidbit or mnemonic device I was trying to shove into my brain. Better that than restudying the material the following year.

For those of you still sitting exams, take chocolate. It's a great mid-point pick-me-up.
Sandman
10-31-2002, 06:39 PM
No food allowed in the exam room Wolfie. Unless you've got a medical clearance from the SOA for your chocolate habit. Which seems reasonable to me, but you know how the SOA is.

They also say no smoking, but I didn't see anything about injectible drugs. Maybe that's covered under the "only writing utensils and approved calculators" at your desk stuff. "Proctor! Can you help me find a vein?"

As far as exam superstition -- I always bring about 10 times as many pencils and pens than I need. (Pens for doing calcs, pencils for filling in ovals). My pretext is that I need lots of pencils, so that I don't have to worry about sharpening them while I work, and I need lots of pens because ... uh ... well I need lots of pens. It's just my way.
G. Gordon Wolfe
10-31-2002, 06:43 PM
No food allowed in the exam room Wolfie. Unless you've got a medical clearance from the SOA for your chocolate habit. Which seems reasonable to me, but you know how the SOA is.

Is this something new? Did the CAS adopt this, too? No wonder you "kids" :wink: are always complaining how hard the exams are nowadays!

F' that.
ThE BlacK ScoRpioN
10-31-2002, 06:47 PM
It was certainly not forbidden at my test center, waaaaaaaaaaay back wheeeeen... don't know if CAS allows it or if the dudes at our center were not aware of that rule.

The CAS now has the post-exam surveys on-line? do you need to provide proof that you went to the exam or can anyone vote? Conspiracy theorists could think some Fellows are fixing the polls and vote that the exams were waaaaaay too easy... ;)
MountainHawk
10-31-2002, 07:07 PM
At my CAS test center, we can have food, and even colored drinks!!!

Not sure if thats policy, or just the proctor.
Elisha
10-31-2002, 08:23 PM
At my CAS test center, we can have food, and even colored drinks!!!

Not sure if thats policy, or just the proctor.

I think that our actuaries (our exam site is at work) who proctor don't care - probably just as long as the food isn't loud.
thing
11-01-2002, 06:51 PM
I always have chocolate available for during and especially just after the exam. Last sitting, when I was the only person at that particular test center, I went ahead and ate right there. Other times, I've taken a quick snack break.

Except for my first test (where there were around 35 people), there's never been more than 2 other people taking an exam at the same time and place as me. I invite him/her/them to join me for lunch after. Pizza and reflections on what was a killer on the test with an almost total stranger: what could be better?
Manos
11-08-2002, 05:45 PM
In every CAS exam center where I have taken an exam, food and drinks are allowed.

As for my superstitions, I always bring at least two calculators and multiple pens and pencils. I also play Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog" before I take every exam. It doesn't always help me to pass, but it sure helps me get psyched for the 4 hours of hell! 8)
TwistedMentat
11-08-2002, 05:52 PM
It is still a month and a half away, but does anyone have any successful techniques for the day that the results are released?
Continuously Discrete
11-12-2002, 10:00 PM
I eat four sticks of butter before every test. Keeps me feeling fine.
MountainHawk
11-12-2002, 10:54 PM
It is still a month and a half away, but does anyone have any successful techniques for the day that the results are released?

No, but remember, the grade keeps changing until you open the paper, and cannot change from fail to pass, but CAN change from pass to fail, so open it ASAP> :)
Avi
11-13-2002, 10:58 AM
It is still a month and a half away, but does anyone have any successful techniques for the day that the results are released?

No, but remember, the grade keeps changing until you open the paper, and cannot change from fail to pass, but CAN change from pass to fail, so open it ASAP> :)

Schröedingers Test?
Luke Skywalker
11-14-2002, 11:56 PM
I use the force. I don't bother to study, I just 'feel' the right answer.
Don Quijote
11-15-2002, 04:44 AM
My exam habits...

Always eat Chinese food for lunch the day of the test. Especially important waaaaaay back when I would take 2 exams the same day.

Never call the phone line or look on the Web for passing numbers. They can lie, but the paper has the truth.