Which study guides/manual better for preparing course 3?

[mchung]

Dear all,

Which study guides/manual better for preparing course 3? :horse:

What study methods do you using?
Any special techniques? :viola:


I am considering apply SOA course 3 in next sitting. :oops:

Michael Chung

[megasoft]

I'm using Arch-3 plus Actex. Arch is cool, really concise and chopped all those very difficult proofs and the extra stuff which are hard to understand (like those apperaed in Actex). Actex do have some excellent examples and past-papers excesice, my friend told me that there was a question in Actex is very similar to one of the exam question in May 2002 (it about hospital charge, Loss Model kind of material)

Mahler's note is also widely recommended. I have't use it in this session. But it doesn't cover the material in Life Con.

hope this help

[mchung]

Dear megasoft

where can I got Mahler's note ?

If u pass course 3, can u sell Arch-3 to me?

Contact me mchung63020@sinaman.com

Michael Chung

[megasoft]

U may check the Mahler's note website. Order it from there.

I'm using a 2001 version of Arch-3. If u dont think it is not up-2-date. U can take it of course.

[mchung63020]

Dear megasoft.

What is your private e-mail?
I tell you my residental address, u can forward the ARCH-2001 version
to me. OK ma?

Would u use it in the future?

Michael Chung

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

I'm probably going to order BPP for course 3 with the hope that I will not need the texts or another guide. (I'm still paying for my own stuff) Anybody with experience think this is a good/bad idea? They claim it is a replacement for the texts, and at $400 it better be! Thanks.

[Nathan Hardiman]

FYI --

ARCH Solutions has revised ARCH-3 for the Spring 2003 sitting. The biggest change is that we've added over 100 additional problems to the manual. In addition, Robin Cunningham taught the Course 3 review seminars for Actex this fall. While doing so, he came up with more straightforward explanations for several topics (transition probability matrices and simulation algorithms, in particular) -- so these have been incorporated into ARCH-3 for Spring, 2003. The new version of the manual will be available in bookstores in the next week or two.

As always, a sample chapter (and solutions to relevant exercises from the textbooks) are available for free on the "Download Samples" page of our website (www.archactuarial.com).

Good luck to all test takers this week!

Nathan Hardiman
ARCH Solutions

[Howard Mahler]

New England Actuarial Seminars, 781-784-0170.

www.neas-seminars.com


Dear megasoft

where can I got Mahler's note ?

If u pass course 3, can u sell Arch-3 to me?

Contact me mchung63020@sinaman.com

Michael Chung

[Macroman]

I'm probably going to order BPP for course 3 with the hope that I will not need the texts or another guide. (I'm still paying for my own stuff) Anybody with experience think this is a good/bad idea? They claim it is a replacement for the texts, and at $400 it better be! Thanks.

Not that many people have said that they have tried BPP. Personally if you are going to try to economize I think the ARCH manual plus the Actuarial Mathematics text book is a better bet. The combination is lower cost than BPP and covers all the material. A lot of people have said that they have passed just using study manuals and more have said that they have skipped the Loss Models and simulation books and passed. Nobody even discusses the probability book much because there is little in there that has been tested mostly Markov chains. Markov chains are well covered in all the study manuals I have seen.

Other than the AM I really do believe that ARCH or how-to-pass or ACTEX gives you enough coverage to skip the texts if you choose. From what I have heard, Mahler's notes do a pretty good job of replacing the LM text as well...they are not an economy package tho'.

[The Drunken Actuary]

20,9,1,3,1, 25, 500, 6000+. Interesting. As for the question: what's with the dead horse?

[Macroman]

20,9,1,3,1, 25, 500, 6000+. Interesting. As for the question: what's with the dead horse?

it's evident that everything is post count to you TDA...why don't we see you in the Survivor contest?

[mchung]

Dear Macroman/all users,

:P Would you tell me where can I oder Mahler's Notes/ARCH?

Michael

[mchung]

Dear all,

Do u think CSM Study Manual for course 3, better or not?

Would u tell me the question's distribution?
(for Life Con, Loss models, similation, applied probability models)

For course 2, Microeconomics 25%, Macroeconomics 15%
Finance 30%, Theory of Interest 30%..


Michael Chung

[megasoft]

mchung,

you may drop me a line to lofi303@hotmail.com about books