Fellowship Exams Twice a Year

[The Obese Dog]

Originally Posted by Animals Are Delicious

There have been numerous times at work where recalling lists was actually helpful. I'm all about being able to derive things from first principles, but there is a very obvious benefit of crystallized intelligence.

Your claim that the exams don't test understanding is ridiculous. Granted, it's not understanding at the level of a proof, for example, but it tests something.

SOME of the lists are important, MOST aren't.

[twig93]

Originally Posted by Roy Hobbs

Also, any FSAs out there who didn't think their learning was sequenced and they lost out because they wrote CSP before DP or the other way around let me know.

I'm in the process of flipping between APM and FET. It is definitely *very* helpful to do FET first as the material for APM builds from it (in some cases later chapters of the same books). Sadly, I had to do APM first. I really *really* wish I could have focused on FET first.

[twig93]

Originally Posted by country squire

You mean...cheapening the FSA credential by making it easier to attain? I don't think you'll find much support for that 'round these here parts.

A mere three years ago the exam committees were limited to 1500 pages of reading material. In the 2000 system the FSA exams typically contained roughly 1500 pages of reading material.

In the last three years the syllabi have mushroomed out of control to nearly double their size three years ago.

My understanding is the 2,700 page syllabi are completely unprecedented in the history of the Society of Actuaries. So don't talk about this "cheapening the FSA credential" unless you are prepared to point to older syllabi that are 2,700 pages or longer.

[Animals Are Delicious]

Originally Posted by twig93

I'm in the process of flipping between APM and FET. It is definitely *very* helpful to do FET first as the material for APM builds from it (in some cases later chapters of the same books). Sadly, I had to do APM first. I really *really* wish I could have focused on FET first.

I did APMV then FETE as well. The exams seemed independent to me - what material on APMV required FETE knowledge?

Originally Posted by twig93

A mere three years ago the exam committees were limited to 1500 pages of reading material. In the 2000 system the FSA exams typically contained roughly 1500 pages of reading material.

In the last three years the syllabi have mushroomed out of control to nearly double their size three years ago.

My understanding is the 2,700 page syllabi are completely unprecedented in the history of the Society of Actuaries. So don't talk about this "cheapening the FSA credential" unless you are prepared to point to older syllabi that are 2,700 pages or longer.

Two points: 1500 pages time, there were one or two study manual and one or two seminars.
Now, it seems everybody writes study manuals and give seminars. Also, note that a (big?)
chunk of those 2700 pages are not testable.

[The Obese Dog]

Originally Posted by no

Two points: 1500 pages time, there were one or two study manual and one or two seminars.
Now, it seems everybody writes study manuals and give seminars. Also, note that a (big?)
chunk of those 2700 pages are not testable.

Does it matter how many study manuals there are? People only use one. They don't help as much as you'd think (not for me personally, at least).

I took DP-GH last fall...95+% of the material was testable.

[johnny6now8]

They need to split up the DP and CSP exams into parts.

The CSP exam at 2700 pages is a ridiculous amount of material for someone that has a heavy workload.

[bdschobel]

Originally Posted by johnny6now8

The CSP exam at 2700 pages is a ridiculous amount of material.

IFYP.

Bruce

[_BullDog_]

Originally Posted by johnny6now8

They need to split up the DP and CSP exams into parts.

The CSP exam at 2700 pages is a ridiculous amount of material for someone that has a heavy workload.

and my understanding is that the FETE and the AFE exams have even more material on them.

[mlschop]

Originally Posted by johnny6now8

They need to split up the DP and CSP exams into parts.

The CSP exam at 2700 pages is a ridiculous amount of material for someone that has a heavy workload.

But it'll never happen.