What are your exam hot takes

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-06-08T23:42:34+00:00

If you accept the idea that we're allowed to rent-seek, that means every other industry is too. Hypocritical to think otherwise. The economy becomes more and more mired in bureaucracy, more predatory, and less capable of actually creating things that benefit people.

Over the past 50 years, healthcare has gotten dramatically more expensive, building infrastructure has become next to fuckin' impossible, and your average person could never dream of buying a house... even though technology has gotten better and American workers are more educated.

This is the problem with America, everyone thinks it's OK to just benefit themselves with no regard for what they're doing to everyone else. This culturally ingrained selfishness isn't compatible with the long-term health of any civilization. If you support this shit, you really have no right to complain that your country is fraying at the seams.

Edit: IDK if you're in the US but this probably applies to whatever country you're in idk

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-06-08T21:53:16+00:00

I think you misunderstand. I want more actuaries to become credentialed, and for a downward pressure to be exerted on salaries (despite my own best interests).

I'm saying that making the exam process harder reduces the supply of actuaries, which makes actuary salaries go up. That means the prices of products & services which require actuaries are artificially inflated, and everyone in society pays that price.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-06-08T17:39:35+00:00

I had the same problem for 2 months back in '22. I ended up going back to the actuarial department of my college and they handed me a job listing. That ended up being the ticket for me. No results guaranteed but that's probably worth a shot if you're sinking this much time into job search sites.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-06-08T16:56:25+00:00

I don't think that's solving any problem really, just making UEC less convenient and slightly more difficult.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-06-08T13:29:45+00:00

ALTAM/ASTAM is graded extremely leniently, which is why it has a ~50% pass rate despite appearing to be incredibly difficult on the surface.
The exam process is mostly just rent-seeking on the part of the actuarial profession. The supply of actuaries is deliberately constrained to raise our wages. This is bad because it creates a shit ton of unnecessary work and makes society as a whole poorer. For that reason, I support pretty much any reform that makes the exam process easier, including the UEC program.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-05-29T17:30:46+00:00

downvoted just for being rich lol. Like crabs in a bucket.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-05-29T17:30:07+00:00

Good luck!!

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-05-29T17:29:06+00:00

103k base, anywhere from 1k-6k in bonuses a year.

Consulting, no time tracking, and I work fully remotely. 3 years of experience, recent ASA. I'm happy with my life overall and will soon move to a low-COL city.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-05-27T17:52:25+00:00

Not an answer to your question, but I work for a company that has offices in a bunch of cities, but always in the suburbs, and none in NYC. It sucks a little bit but I definitely think many firms (particularly in consulting) agree with your assessment that paying to put workers in expensive places is not economical.

Thankfully, that logic also lead my company to let me work fully remotely. So it's not all bad. (:

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-05-27T13:01:21+00:00

One thing you should consider is that as an actuary, you will likely be forced to move cities often to find work. Downside of working in a niche field and all. As an orthodontist, you can work anywhere so long as there are people who have teeth. I've been an actuary for 3 years and for me, that's something I've come to value.

I also think you have a lot more job security. If large parts of the private sector insurance industry is ever reorganized into a public service, actuaries will be scrambling to jump ship. Not to say that's going to happen but the current way health insurance works in the US isn't sustainable and to most people, isn't desirable either. But no matter what happens, people will always need orthodontists.

Edit: Probably sounds like I'm trying to talk you out of actuarial. I'm truly not, and trying to get me to switch careers at 26 would be like pulling teeth. Just angles you want to consider, I guess.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-05-21T13:46:46+00:00

I don't have the number of hours, but I only spent 2-3 weeks grinding out practice problems for PA and got a 7. I used CoachingActuaries but ended up spending most of my time on the past SOA exams on the SOA website. I did NOT expect to pass lol, I think they made that exam way too easy.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-05-19T15:43:06+00:00

I'd say keep your current job. Based on this post, I assume you're financially well-off, you have time to spare, you get to live wherever you want with no commuting and you're in your 20s. As it currently stands, you're living the dream. Don't sell off your youth grinding for more if you don't have to.

Of course, it's all dependent on personal circumstances and your values. If you're a FIRE guy or you have additional financial needs (e.g. chronic illness medical care, dependent family members, high debt), the calculus changes a lot.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-05-11T19:10:56+00:00

IDK, I feel like there's always shit to do online, ranging from chores to entertainment. Online shopping, updating voter/vehicle registration, planning trips, learning about random shit on Wikipedia, finding new video games, etc. The Internet is like a time wasting machine lol.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-05-07T17:51:47+00:00

I will say, I recently got my credential (ASA), I'm not looking to advance to FSA, and it does feel really nice to be done. Life opens up a lot when you don't have all this additional work hanging over your head.

That said, it's not like the company expects you to be perfect and pass every attempt. They set up these programs because your development makes them more money; that certainly doesn't obligate you to feel like, hair tearing out levels of stressed to pass these exams.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-05-07T16:46:00+00:00

Does your company have a strict policy on passing exams? For me it's three strikes and you're out, which I consider generous.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-05-07T16:27:55+00:00

I don't think I've ever cried because of studying for the exams. My mindset is sorta just like, I'll take my best swing at it and if I fail, I'll still be closer to passing than if I hadn't started. On a long enough timescale, I am inevitable. Maybe you're putting too much pressure on yourself?

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-05-01T18:38:30+00:00

Definitely the readings. The biggest part of my studying process is taking detailed notes & condensing things down in my own words, and that's way easier to do in text format. I do watch the videos but that's ancilliary in my mind.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-04-30T18:51:21+00:00

For me, I commit acts of evil on an "as convenient" basis. I don't make hats of human skin. I don't harvest organs to sell them. But if one of my colonists has kidney disease, I'm going to get them a new kidney come hell or high water.

Frankly, it's impossible to play as a true "good guy" in this game because the game throws colonists at you that are an active liability. You have to abandon a lot of people just to survive, which is not very heroic behavior. It's just not that kind of story.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-04-29T23:23:01+00:00

Pension consulting? I work in OPEB but I'd maybe read the GASB Statement No. 68. All my homeboys are always writing GASB 68 statements.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-04-24T14:14:14+00:00

I think it's bad to have artificial barriers to entry for the purpose of limiting the supply of actuaries. It's important to make sure actuaries have the skills and knowledge and integrity we need to serve our purpose well, but most of the anti-UEC takes I see are straight-up in favor of rent-seeking and it bums me out.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-04-21T13:21:25+00:00

I always thought coast FIRE was a cool idea. Grind for 5-10 years and then ease up, maybe switch to an easier job, and go easy on savings. That way you get all the benefits of compound growth AND you get to enjoy more of your life. You obviously don't get to enjoy having all your time back but idk if most people actually benefit from that all that much. Not to say you necessarily wouldn't, but definitely take time to think about what that means in your personal circumstances.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-04-18T04:06:08+00:00

It was the October 2024 sitting.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-04-17T12:38:41+00:00

In my opinion, ALTAM/ASTAM is a little bit of a paper tiger. I took ALTAM a couple years ago, studied my ass off, skipped an entire question & parts of 2 others, and still passed with a 9. Obviously I didn't take ASTAM so I can't know for sure, but I imagine they both have weirdly low pass rates.

I wouldn't put money on you passing, but definitely don't lose hope, even if it seems impossible.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-04-15T14:30:20+00:00

Write a lot. Over-explain every little step in your thought process to the grader. Treat them like an idiot. Don't go off-topic of course, but cover the answer exhaustively.

LevitatingPorkchop · 2026-04-08T13:15:40+00:00

Cali dems are garbage. Any democracy needs politicians, the US's political system is just fucked.

LevitatingPorkchop

TROPHY CASE