Mahler Exams

[YoungestEverFSA]

How do Mahler exams compare to real thing? Harder? Easier?

Thanks y'all

[Vorian Atreides]

Given that he served on the Exam Committee for several years, you're likely to find that they are comparable. Some of the actual exam questions are easier than Mahler's, some are more difficult. However, if you're able to work through the Mahler's sample exam questions, you're likely to be doing well and on track to doing well on an exam.

[Howard Mahler]

I try to make my practice exams similar in difficulty to the actual exams.

I would appreciate any feedback on my Spring 2007 exams,
which have been expanded, rearranged, and revised from the past.

Here is a thread on a discussion of my previous practice exams from the Fall, most of whose questions made it into my Spring 2007 exams.


http://www.actuarialoutpost.com/actu...ad.php?t=94905

[Vorian Atreides]

Originally Posted by Howard Mahler

. . .most of whose questions made it into my Spring 2007 exams.

After attending your seminar, I also like the idea of looking at past exam questions and asking yourself, "How else could they have asked this question? What other 'angles' could be done with this same question?"

This not only provide an active process to review the material, but also allow one to prepare themselves for anything the exam committee might come up with.

[peem]

Originally Posted by Howard Mahler

I try to make my practice exams similar in difficulty to the actual exams.

I would appreciate any feedback on my Spring 2007 exams,
which have been expanded, rearranged, and revised from the past.

From my experience so far, your practice exams have been comparable to past exams as far as level of difficulty - some questions more difficult and longer, others more straightforward - which seems to be similar to the structure of SOA's exams.

I did the SOA's May and Fall 2005 exams (was able to start/finish about 1/2 to 2/3 of the questions-answers not always correct but correct methods to solving the problems). Then I did your practice exam 1 (able to start/finish < 1/2 of the questions). I was a little discouraged. I just finished your practice exams 2 and 3. I feel better now (able start/finish about 1/2 to 2/3 of them). Not doing so well on practice exam 1 was probably just the luck of the draw.

To feel anywhere close to good for the exam, I hope I can start/finish around 75% of each of the later practice exams.

[Howard Mahler]

16A, p. 7, Q. 18: The continuously compounded returns for the next nine years are:
What is the price of the stock after nine years?

16A, p. 15, sol. 18:
100 exp[4.7% + 6.3% + 7.0% + 3.1% - 1.5% + 1.1% + 3.3% + 5.8% + 7.2%]

16H, p. 8, sol. 1: Since F(2) = .56971 > 0.3903, there are two jumps.
Each jump, is LogNormal with parameters: alphaJ - sigmaJ2/2 = .04 - .12/2 = 0.035, and sigmaJ = .10.
Using the next random Standard Normals, the 2 jumps are: exp[0.035 + (0.57)(.10)] = 1.0964, and exp[0.035 + (-2.22)(.10)] = .8294.
Therefore, S4 = (304.30)(1.0964)(.8294) = 276.72.

16L, p. 5, Q. 13: (D) P <= R.

16L, p. 10, solution 4: letter solution is D.