Suggetestd order of study for Exam III

[Darth Tater]

All,
I realize this is a common topic of conversation, biut after finishing exam II, I want t oget the early jump on III. Is there worth in studying the books for this exam? I have an extensive mathematical background (BS, MS, teacher, tutor, etc.) and a fair number of Stat under my belt. Is there merit to getting Arch-3 and Mahler? Or am I diluting myself into believing that I can pass without reading all the material at least two or three times -- like I do now?!?!?!

Thanks in advance,

ZV

[bg23516]

Arch 3 and Mahler should be fine. You may need another source for more Life COn problems to practice on, but I hear Arch added problems for next sitting.

[The Drunken Actuary]

Or am I diluting myself I wouldn't get too diluted. You'll want to be at full strength on exam day. :P

[Double High C]

Or am I diluting myself I wouldn't get too diluted. You'll want to be at full strength on exam day. :P

When you drink more, are you diluting yourself (as would be the case for NDAs), or are you actually becoming more concentrated?

[The Drunken Actuary]

Or am I diluting myself I wouldn't get too diluted. You'll want to be at full strength on exam day. :P

When you drink more, are you diluting yourself (as would be the case for NDAs), or are you actually becoming more concentrated?
Yes.

[Onto3]

On the same lines as this topic. . anyone have any experience with the HTP C3 manual? I had Life Con in college so I really am looking for two GOOD manuals.

[ARCH]

While we have added several problems to each chapter, I still recommend having additional sources for practice problems.

Several sources exist.

Good luck to everyone waiting for results!

[Regular Joe]

I used HTP Exclusively, and I felt that it did an excellent job of focusing on the stuff you have to know. There aren't many problems to work on, but I think it is a great starting point.

[glenn]

Arch has 4 or 5 sample sections on their site if you want a preview:

http://www.archactuarial.com/samples.html

[Macroman]

On the same lines as this topic. . anyone have any experience with the HTP C3 manual? I had Life Con in college so I really am looking for two GOOD manuals.

The HTP book has good expanations of the Life Contingencies topics. It is also very practical telling you about the type of topics that are likely to be tested on the exam.

IMO it generally falls short in Loss Distributions, probability and Simulation. The manual was last revised in 2000 and the author (Gordon Klein) has gotten out of study manuals and exam preparation seminars in favor of University teaching (University of Iowa). The erratta have not been revised nor any notes about changes in the syllabus been added for some time. Klein still has his website up http://www.howtopass.com but you can see by looking at it that it has not gotten much attention for some time.

Finally, Klein's excersises, while illustrative, are too few and do not come with solutions. This makes it extra confusing when one has a unreported typo.

In conclusion, I like Klein's writing but there are now better options out there.

Life Contingencies only: Batten
General prep: Arch or Actex (some ppl like BPP, have not seen it myself)

Of course Mahler has a great rep with Loss Models (I have not seen his work). I think Arch, old exams, and the text cover this adequetely.

[Onto3]

Thanks Macroman! You post was detailed and infromative.

One of my concerns with the HTP manual is that I noticed that it has never been revised/updated. That made me nervous, but I had a few people who passed C3 on the first try recommend that manual to me with the explanation that it is a good review of the material but should be supplemented with problems from something else.

Thanks again

[Woody]

Thanks Macroman! You post was detailed and infromative.

One of my concerns with the HTP manual is that I noticed that it has never been revised/updated. That made me nervous, but I had a few people who passed C3 on the first try recommend that manual to me with the explanation that it is a good review of the material but should be supplemented with problems from something else.

Thanks again

I have the HTP manual and it is good for some extra review of formulas, but it does not have nearly enough problems to do. Plus, the problems are not exam type problems. Oh, one other thing. The manual is LOADED with typos. It made it really frustrating when I was trying to do a problem and after racking my brains for an hour it turned out that there was either an error in the formula, the problem or the answer.

I would only recommend this manual if you have the extra money just lying around and you don't know what else to spend it on.

If Klein was to ever revise the manual and provide more exam type problems, I would definitely recommend it. He does his best to try and explain the material in a way that is understandable and he succeeds at times.

[Onto3]

I have the HTP manual and it is good for some extra review of formulas, but it does not have nearly enough problems to do. Plus, the problems are not exam type problems. Oh, one other thing. The manual is LOADED with typos. It made it really frustrating when I was trying to do a problem and after racking my brains for an hour it turned out that there was either an error in the formula, the problem or the answer.

I would only recommend this manual if you have the extra money just lying around and you don't know what else to spend it on.

If Klein was to ever revise the manual and provide more exam type problems, I would definitely recommend it. He does his best to try and explain the material in a way that is understandable and he succeeds at times.

hmmm. . typos. .. my worst nightmare. . .

[totask]

Thanks for Macroman!

I just find that there is An Interactive CD ROM: Introduction to Actuarial Models and Modeling: An Interactive Approach. Is it worth buying ?

And I know you talked about Mahler. Could anyone explain what Mahler is in detail?


Until know, I was told Actex is good.

[Macroman]

Not having met Mahler or had any of his study materials I can't go into too much detail there. He is the most respected authority on the Loss Models material by readers of this forum and has study materials and seminars on the topic.

Mahler's work is strictly in the Loss Models area. This can also be of some help in understanding parts of Actuarial Mathematics particularily ruin theory. The distributions for the exam are all parameterized according to the Loss Models book, so his presentation should be helpful in that regard.

I don't have the Jones CD and don't know anyone who does. The comments here have not beeen favorable.