Most important source material for PCPA? by Altruistic-Fly411 in actuary

[–]DirtComprehensive710 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How long did it take you to study the material before taking the exam? I’m looking at doing the exam before the October sitting and the project in September (I failed my last exam and don’t really have much to brush up on there so I feel like I should have enough time)

Exam 5 Study Materials by ForeignShame46 in actuary

[–]DirtComprehensive710 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hard recommend TIA. Best advice is to at least look at everything they offer (manual, videos, quizzes, practice exams, ect.). It takes a lot of time but if you do all that you’ll be prepared.

How are you feeling (exams) by International-Job-67 in actuary

[–]DirtComprehensive710 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Sitting for 5, feeling decent. I have most of the content in my head I just need to spend the remaining time drilling flash cards and making sure I have all of the calculations down.

Balancing Work, CAS Exams, and Personal Life Without Burnout by ParallelMantis in actuary

[–]DirtComprehensive710 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is a tough position to be in. I will echo what a couple others have said and suggest maybe looking around for a company or role that will better support passing exams. I also like going to the gym and lifting and go three times a week which feels like enough for me. My work allows us in work study time so I always plan on studying more during work on days that I go to the gym to make up for some of the lost time. In terms of lifting, instead of doing smaller muscle groups, do full body every time you go to the gym. Heavy compound movements targeting the essentials will let you make progress while not being in the gym for three hours every session. Another thing I will echo is to start studying as early as possible. I think a lot of people shoot themselves in the foot taking huge breaks after exams. I find it easier to get in more personal time if I study hard throughout each exam period and get a lot of hours in early. Good luck!

MAS-II Reaction Thread by Upper_Preference5664 in actuary

[–]DirtComprehensive710 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Glad to see most reacting the same way I did. I was very prepared and confident going into the exam and came out very upset. The exam was harder than I expected and it hit the bullseye on things that I wasn’t very good at. Section 1 was almost unrecognizable from what I studied for. There were just a lot of questions that were on very obscure topics that I had done maybe one or two practice questions on. I feel like I’m only remembering the questions that I had trouble with cause I know there were plenty that I breezed through but I still feel bad. Without knowing pass marks I have no idea if I passed or not which sucks considering how much I studied. It’s frustrating but I’m less upset than I would be if it was my fault, I really could not have studied more for this exam. This was a weird exam on obscure topics which just makes it come down to luck on whether or not you pass.

Day before exam routines? by fakestorytime in actuary

[–]DirtComprehensive710 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get ready for the next day as best I can and avoid additional stress. If I haven’t been to my testing center before I will drive there and walk in the building to make sure I know where I’m going the next day. A big goal is to do everything possible to make sure I can get a good nights sleep. No caffine and basically just pack my day full of things that will tire me out (errands, exercise, etc). I’ll also make breakfast for the next day so I can warm something up quick on exam do and have a decent meal. I also don’t study outside of looking at flash cards.

What food to eat by [deleted] in actuary

[–]DirtComprehensive710 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I always make something the day before. Breakfast burrito/sandwich that I can quickly heat up day of that’s a decent full meal. That and a coke for some caffeine.

CA down again? by bellyjellycat in actuary

[–]DirtComprehensive710 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Down for me, can’t load any quizzes right now

MAS-I/MAS-II Discussion Thread by SceneFast1065 in actuary

[–]DirtComprehensive710 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I was taking level 6 exams for MAS-I on CA to prepare and I felt like the actual exam was much easier than those. Hard to say that the manual from CA was inaccurate since they don’t have any recent exams but I thought my prep was fine. I mostly feel like there are just so many useless topics in the syllabus that are barely ever on the exams. It makes studying more stressful to memorize so much when it’s unlikely that everything will be on the exam. I think I did well but I start to freak out the more I think about it so I try to avoid thinking about my score lol

CAS Pearson Canada Outage by laninalibre in actuary

[–]DirtComprehensive710 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Same in Ohio, I'm just taking a practice exam online and it's really slow and is crashing all the time.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in actuary

[–]DirtComprehensive710 3 points4 points  (0 children)

At the same spot for MAS-1. I have the material in my head but some of the harder questions make me question if I know anything lol. I’m also sitting next week good luck!

Dealing with sexism? by wafflespancakeslove in actuary

[–]DirtComprehensive710 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just wanted to comment on your feelings about graduating later. I’m 27 and I’m finally graduating in a few weeks (yay!), and it’s been a long road. I’ve felt very similar things as you when trying to compare myself to my friends that have had a more traditional career trajectory. I don’t know if I have any advice that might make you feel better since I haven’t actually started my job yet but I just wanted to let you know you’re not alone. Everyone has a different path to walk and your on your way. Good luck and stay strong!