Daniel PREview and REview seminars for Exam M (and Course 3)

[Jim Daniel]

Since my (Jim Daniel's)review seminars for Exam MLC (and old Exam M and Course 3) are less well known than many others, I'm encouraging all participants in my seminars to post their comments in this thread so that one can refer to this thread whenever questions are posted about various seminars. I encourage other teachers of seminars to do the same so that folks have easy access to commentary, both pro and con.

NOTE: Some comments mention my PREview seminars (short introductions as opposed the the REview seminars' nature as a traditional intensive exam-prep seminar). I offered these during 2003-2004; despite the very strong reviews by attendees, adequate attendance never materialized and so I've stopped offering these. My Austin MLC (formerly M) and C Review Seminars have continued to have strong attendance.

Jim Daniel
www.actuarialseminars.com

[The Drunken Actuary]

While I have not actually attended one of these seminars, I have heard that this one is one of the best.

[VernSchil]

I attended a private Jim Daniel's review seminar (non-life only so I can't comment on his life contingencies seminar) for course 3. I thought he was an extremely effective lecturer. I went into the seminar having only seen Markov chains and Poisson processes before. All the remaining material was new to me, and I never once became lost during the lecture. The pace is very fast, but slightly slower than Robert Batten's lightning speed. Mr. Daniel doesn't cover all the material, but I think he definitely knows exactly what are the most important topics and formulas. I think he could have spent a little bit more time on the Klugman study note, as there were a few very important formulas that were not in my seminar notes. Nearly every other formula that I used while preparing for the exam was located in my concise notes. I basically never used the text books again after the seminar. Mr. Daniel also came up with cool little verbal sayings that I never forgot e.g. beta = theta.

The one slight problem I had with the seminar was its structure. Mr. Daniel lectures for the entire morning, and then after lunch we solve problems for several hours. I think towards the end of the session students grew tired and didn't tackle the problems with as much passion. I think it would have been slightly more beneficial to integrate problem solving within the lecture. Overall though I highly recommend his seminar. I feel like it was just as useful as Batten's life contingencies portion.

[jeffpassmore]

I took Dr. Daniel's 150 seminar, which I understand is similar to his course 3 seminar. I've also talked to several people who've taken his and other seminars.

My experience: Dr. Daniel knows the material and teaches it extremely well. He also has a structure that is conducive to getting exam ready (he lectures in the morning then provides problem sets in the afternoon. He shows how to solve each problem before moving on.)

Comments from others: Everyone I've talked to has been pleased with Dr. Daniel's seminars. The worst comment I've heard was "it was good"; many felt it was excellent. I've talked to a lot of students about a lot of exam prep seminars. None have as good a record.

[e.tucker]

I took Dr. Daniel's course 3 seminar and really liked it. I've been to several different seminars since I've taken one for each course 2-6, and this was definitely one of the best. I've also been to one that was TERRIBLE, so be careful to check out seminars in advance.

The reasons I liked this seminar were:
Very well organized
Very thorough
TONS of practise problems during the seminar and to take home
Long enough to cover the material well
Good insights on the exam
Dr. Daniel is a great teacher


Elizabeth Tucker

[ebradford]

I can honestly say that taking the course 3 seminar from Dr. D was the only reason I will (probably) pass. Basically my odds of passing went from <5% to 85-90%, of course I don't have the results yet so I don't really know how I did but I was shocked at how many problems I didn't skip (ie I skipped like 1-3 and that's all).

-Eddie

[KnightsPG]

Anyone else feel like you have people sucking up to the teacher right now? That's the feeling I get as I read through the posts, but honestly I think everyone is being truthful. I'll echo the sentiments of LPorter33, Except that I prefered Daniels structure to Battens. Daniels probably could have given another minute for people to read through problems before starting in on them when we were working on problems as a group, but other than that I thought he was an incredible teacher. If you have the chance to attend, I recommend it.

KnightsPG

[Jim Daniel]

See also
www.actuary.ca/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=13692

Jim Daniel
www.actuarialseminars.com

[kmartina]

I attended both a PREview seminar and a company sponsored REview seminar (of which Jim taught the Non-Life material) for this past sitting (Course 3). I passed. I think the PREview seminar is a great way to get a jump start on the material (as well as assures you start studying soon enough). It doesn't go too in depth, but it gives a good overview that makes the material seem a little more doable. (wouldn't recommend for those that have already seen this material). I would love to attend the Course 4 PREview seminar, however I feel that while the Seminar cost is completely worth the experience, for those not in the TX area the travel expenses associated with getting to Austin might outweigh the benefit. The REview Seminar was great. Jim really pulled the main ideas out and made the solutions manageable. My one piece of advice: take lots of notes. He tends to do a lot of the explanation in the actual problem book, so when you're flipping back through your notes two weeks later they seem rather empty (try copying solutions into your notes as well). Overall, very helpful.

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

You would have to be a complete moron to pass up an opportunity to take Jim Daniel's C3 seminar. There are multiple reasons to take it. They are as follows:

1. Jim Daniel is wicked cool.
2. He makes the material seem very doable, and I do mean doable.
3. Austin is a great place.
4. There is good beer available (in austin, not the seminar)
5. UT is a fantastic college. (currently #5)
6. I am surprised his seminars are not packing as many people as the JAM 5 & JAM 6 seminars, I guess maybe in due time. Dr. Daniel would probably have to quit teaching and make millions as a C3 instructor, that might mean more money in endorsements.
7. Oh yeah, you GREATLY increase your ability to pass, notice I said "ability" and not "chances". This is because you will learn while there which will fo shizzle help you during the exam.

Any other seminar would be uncivilized.