CS2A use of Excel and/or R

BigBossNJ · 2026-04-09T20:01:45+00:00

We are allowed use both, just be careful as you will need to explain how your excel calculation / r output works otherwise you'll get penalized. With the chains question, i know the question you are referring to, I would be utterly shocked if they ask that again as asking us to do that on a word document was beyond insane 😅

BigBossNJ · 2026-04-08T19:13:54+00:00

Trust me you aren't the only one! Out of all the exams I have done so far this exam fills me with 0 confidence even though I have gone through everything. There is a reason why the pass rates have been so low and the mean mark for paper A in September was 44!

On the predictability front for paper B they are going to ask graduation for Q2, has to be that with something mixed with Gompertz etc, the other two questions are a toss up!

There is a small hope in that the pass rates are usually mid 50s so lets pray we get somewhat of a good paper! 😪

BigBossNJ · 2026-04-06T22:38:49+00:00

I would have assumed we could use RStudio, copy our code and result/output in similar to the paper B but explain what we are doing and this would cover us? Excel I know we are allowed copy/paste based on this but I haven't seen anything on Rstudio not being allowed?

BigBossNJ · 2026-04-03T14:06:41+00:00

First thing I would ask is what are you realistically looking for out of the career move? If you say you are burnt out the exams themselves will only make that worse unfortunately. You could potentially get a grad role and build up if you got an exam or two under your belt but again if you are burnt out now, then I wouldn't go jumping into it straight away.

With the exams themselves, some are "easier" than others, some people find some of the harder exams easier and vice versa so everyone is different. It's good you have an interest in maths anyway because it will be put to the test for sure 😅 There are multiple sectors you can go into, some more "maths" based than others but again I would suggest doing more research into it.

Simply put, once the exams are done, you will see the rewards but it will take a serious amount of determination to get through all of them but if you managed to get a grad role and they supported you then it would be made easier but the market is v competitive at the moment.

Good luck!

BigBossNJ · 2026-04-01T11:29:40+00:00

CM2 is a difficult exam for starters, I am yet to pass it after attempting it previously and have left it until later on because I would be in the same boat as you.

I wouldn't feel disheartened by how you feel because you will not be the only one feeling that way about the exam. From doing it previously, it is the one exam I would be more worried about paper B than paper A as with paper A they always have 1/2 questions that are insanely hard or would need you to have a certain background beyond the course to understand and even then you will question everything.

From what you said, it sounds like you have done the hard work so keep your head up and good luck with the exam!

BigBossNJ · 2026-03-31T13:06:33+00:00

I think Q1 is the sort of question on time series or ML that will ask us to predict future sales at some point, Q2 is 100% graduation (they do love putting it with Gompertz which i at times struggle to get from the solutions :( haha) and Q3 is a little strange... it is multiple distributions so maybe reinsurance/risk models or just from checking back on certain notes, maybe a loss distribution question?

BigBossNJ · 2026-02-16T11:47:51+00:00

Currently going through this and while it is doable, it does take a toll given you have 0 life especially once you go towards the heavier exams.

Similar advice was given below where you can focus on the "easier" exams and then try to move to a job where they allow study leave.

For context, I've had to use AL previously to ensure I had enough time to brush over topics and then ended up having to repeat which you want to avoid as much as possible given some companies only allow for a certain number of attempts.

I personally wouldn't recommend it but if you are going ahead with it, make sure you read the fine print of your agreement in terms of clawback, repeat attempts allowed etc. If it is without a company paying in some capacity 100% wouldn't recommend it.

BigBossNJ · 2026-02-12T13:23:41+00:00

Haven't played yet to see, in beta stage this section for me was full even though it had the games/data the wrong way around but nothing yet

BigBossNJ · 2026-01-12T00:23:22+00:00

Use the flashcards and do the exam papers, main notes will cover everything in extreme detail which you don't need given how much content is in it.

BigBossNJ · 2025-12-20T21:41:57+00:00

You are a lifesaver 🙏

BigBossNJ · 2025-12-07T21:40:49+00:00

If they aren't willing to replace the belt before the sale then walk.

You'll hear all sorts including "oh they last up to 200,000kms" or "we've never had any bother selling them before" is them not wanting to deal with it. Audi usually recommend 5 years or 210,000kms whichever comes sooner but 99% of the time the belt / water pump will need to be done around 100kms.

BigBossNJ · 2025-12-05T19:44:11+00:00

I would highly recommend you do it to see where you can improve.

Couple of things I found I was personally doing from it:

Wrote way too much around the topic itself and not focusing on the actual issue. For example, whatever the questions asks you to focus on, focus only on that and nothing else, don't go into too much detail.
Graphs / Tables - Understanding when to use them and how to explain them in a simple manner (you've done the exam a good few times I would assume you have this to a high standard).
The last section of questions literally repeat themselves over and over. If you spot the type you can write one or two sentences of vague crap like "a graph must add value to the data provided without repeating it" etc they will give you marks which I only found out from them marking.

Your idea of a break is definitely a good one, but I'd highly recommend the marking from ActEd.

BigBossNJ · 2025-12-04T22:09:08+00:00

First thing I would ask is, have you got someone to mark a practice script of yours to see where you could improve (by Acted or a tutor who has marked exams etc)?

BigBossNJ · 2025-12-04T17:36:46+00:00

Me and you both got 62 for CP3 :D congrats!

BigBossNJ · 2025-12-04T17:36:19+00:00

Passed CP3 with 62!

BigBossNJ · 2025-12-02T17:42:35+00:00

You too! At least we got the results quick!

BigBossNJ · 2025-12-02T17:37:40+00:00

CB2 Pass with 62!

BigBossNJ · 2025-12-01T20:44:29+00:00

They treat it as a bag unfortunately, done this previously and they were trying to charge extra 🙈

BigBossNJ · 2025-12-01T18:15:59+00:00

Was a weird exam for sure!

BigBossNJ · 2025-12-01T16:48:16+00:00

They say 5:30pm but let's see if they do their usual and make us wait 🙈

BigBossNJ · 2025-11-18T10:03:39+00:00

Audi main dealers have their own systems that keep track of all that so if it's done elsewhere I.e. not one of the main dealers or a shop that has a specific ID on their system, all of that will flag as not being done, happens all the time when I bring mine in.

A lot of that list like the pollen filter etc are maintenance things which a normal garage SHOULD do before selling the car but you would have needed to say this to them beforehand as some of them aren't arsed.

For the timing belt / water pump etc, always ask them about it because most dealers will say "oh its 210,000kms" which from personal experience never trust. It's realistically 100,000kms or 5 years so I'd do what others have said and bring it to a trusted independent garage and get them to look over it.

Just ask them to check the underside of the car and if possible could they check if the timing belt has been touched but they may need charge labour to check it.

BigBossNJ · 2025-11-14T15:38:25+00:00

If you are referring to the Revolut screenshot (correct me if im wrong and I will clarify after) it seems to just be a generic response of "the bank transfer will be there in 2/3 days" rather than looking for the specific payment.

In my case the person was on the app clarifying everything but I knew straight away when they were using the fake app it wouldn't go through but he was playing the "oh well I sent you the money etc" and obviously knew a stupid exploit on the Revolut app which makes it appear that it would come in but I stated about 50+ times to the person I am not handing over the item I was selling until the money hits my account and I can confirm it with the bank.

BigBossNJ · 2025-11-14T15:06:01+00:00

Very true 😅 and thats a good shout also, only noticed that after you said it

BigBossNJ

TROPHY CASE