So what did you think?

[smarty pants]

Difficult/easy?
too many problems/ not enough/ indifferent

I thought there was way too much busy work regarding calculations. Too many problems. What does an exam like that test? Speed? How practical is that? I was well prepared and I'm at the mercy of a crapshoot.

[Daisy]

I also thought the exam was very difficult to finish. I ususally finish with time to spare ...but I barely finished with enough time to review my answer sheet. Also - does anyone know if they ever post the exam before the results come out?

[EntryAgeAbnormal]

I also thought the exam was too long...not necessarily too difficult...just a lot of intensive work, especially in calculating the initial unfunded liability. There was also less 404 material than I expected...and the only DB/DC combo question seemed to be laid out very poorly. In addition, there were several questions asking the change in NC, change in Min Cx, etc., essentially requiring the calculations to be done twice.

I'm not sure if they ever post the exam before the results come out...I'd be interested in the answer though.

[The Matrix]

Here are my comments for what they're worth:

The problems seemed very long because most involved calculating AL, PVB, and/or NC from scratch. A few problems (5 pts) asked for all three;

There were very few deductible limit problems -- there seemed to be a lot of "Calculate 1st year MFSA" problems.

This exam seemed to be somewhere in between EA-2A (2001) and (2002) in terms of difficulty (and my feeling is that it was closer to 2001).

I also ran out of time (but, of course, I "answered" every question).

Daisy: Good question. I don't think so. Usually exams post AFTER results come out. I know this is true of SOA Exams, but JBEA may force the SOA to do something different (for example, did you know you can request YOUR answer sheet from the JBEA for past exams -- and they will provide it to you?).

[Buru Buru]

I agree that the exam was too long, but not necessarily difficult. I had to blindly guess on a bunch of the questions at the end without even looking at them. If I didn't pass, it was only because I ran out of time. It seems so unfair that I knew the material very well, but just wasn't fast enough. I guess fairness is never a concern to those who create these exams.

[EntryAgeAbnormal]

I also believe that I was very well prepared for this exam, but was forced to "guess" on a few questions that I actually started but did not have the time to finish.

The variation of each year's exam is amazing. Maybe it is due to the fact that a lot of the item writers often change. The 2001 exam was relatively more difficult than the others. The exam for 2002 was way too easy resulting in a very high required percentage just to get a 6. The recent exam, when it really comes down to it, primarily tests speed.

I know that the pass mark is adjusted for such circumstances, but a consistent exam would be great. It is tough with all the preparation to often come away feeling as passing is left somewhat to chance. This is mostly a statement of the obvious. I'm not the first to say so and I suppose that I will not be the last.

Any comments or thoughts on specific exam questions?

[smarty pants]

I probably blindly guessed on 4 or 5. There were another few that I wasn't sure of and wanted to come back to but had absolutely no time. When I worked the 2002 exam for practice, I scored very well and had 30+ minutes to spare. This one was quite different. The difficulty probably was a little easier than 2001, but just impossible to finish. The thing that's stupid is that you have to focus on going SOOOOO quickly that easy problems become either difficult or time consuming because you make a silly mistake and start going in circles. I have no idea what to expect for a grade. I knew more than enough to pass, but we'll see what happens. I think the E & E committee for the Joint Board, SOA & CAS should focus on writing "fair" exams rather than revamping the entire system.

[WWSituation]

I actually thought the exam was fair. Maybe the bar was set so lo with EA-2B last year - but I didn't think that this years exam was out of line.

I'd be pleasantly surprised if the pass mark was below 70% again this year.

[dankoon]

How did you do on those that you need to know preretirement decrements? I assumed that were none. I thought it was strange.

[pbj]

It was stated in the general assumptions in the beginning that unless otherwise noted, there were no preretirement decrements.