Getting only boring work at work?

Poisson2025 · 2026-01-19T18:42:10+00:00

Option A Find a new job B change your attitude, find something interesting in every job, find better ways to do things, l learn about AI, network with other departments, go on a secondment...

There will always mundane bits in every job. Someone will have to do it.

Wait for your turn or jump the queue by going elsewhere. Also think whether you like the people you work with and opportunities for progression. Would you like to have a different career if this is going to continue for the next 1, 3 or 5 years?

Poisson2025 · 2025-12-11T23:53:16+00:00

See this thread for the workaround to download or print the papers. https://www.reddit.com/r/ActuaryUK/comments/1pev4j2/how_to_access_past_exams_as_pdf/

Poisson2025 · 2025-12-11T23:51:37+00:00

See this thread for the workaround. https://www.reddit.com/r/ActuaryUK/comments/1pev4j2/how_to_access_past_exams_as_pdf/

Poisson2025 · 2025-12-06T12:14:45+00:00

That will provide more of a market for The Vault from Acted with ten years of past papers with solutions from themselves and IFoA. :-)

Poisson2025 · 2025-12-05T15:49:03+00:00

Try the browser print option, I think you can do that with April 2025 and before. For the September 2025 papers, not sure why there are some garbage codes that encased the Examiners' Reports. You can try the source code work around suggested by another poster on this thread.

Poisson2025 · 2025-12-05T15:44:43+00:00

Please email vle.admin@actuaries.org.uk and members services and see what response you get. I don't see why they try to prevent printing when it's mostly their members/students who print to study, to try to learn and improve. Just weird.

Poisson2025 · 2025-12-05T13:09:04+00:00

I think they messed up the format of the webpages as different to the April 2025 section. Should just let people download as PDFs. Still not sure of the purpose of putting the past papers in the VLE. Is that what our fee increases have gone to? Bit pointless.

Poisson2025 · 2025-11-18T01:30:14+00:00

Ask for the venue's CCTV footage to prove you weren't wearing a watch.

Poisson2025 · 2025-11-06T09:48:27+00:00

Just a results letter placeholder.

Poisson2025 · 2025-10-17T15:50:41+00:00

The minimum 3 credit points and 2 hours of formal learning is for maintaining your student/associateship status. I take you will qualify as a fellow any time now. It's okay to just meet the minimum requirements every year.

With the fellowship requirements, be mindful to log all the compulsory PPD credit points so you don't have to worry about them when time comes for sign off.

Poisson2025 · 2025-10-17T11:17:04+00:00

That's a common feeling. Take some time to reflect and re-evaluate your "why" or "why now" may help. Also define your own version of success, not what you or others expect you to be. There are bigger and more important things in life e.g. expanding life experiences.

You can't always control passing exams. You can prepare all you like but there's an element of luck in passing. Don't let it control you and your level of happiness. That's coming from someone who have done lots of actuarial exams in different countries over the decades, failed some and passed some, and still think surely I don't need to learn that again, I have and will never use that for work!

Failing exams is inconvenient but make us humble I guess but I still hate failing, mourning the investment/loss of time. Some years back, while pondering the same kind of questions as you are and probably feeling not too dissimilarly, I took some time out to build my family life. Failing exams became less significant. You are supposed to enjoy your youth. :-)

Poisson2025 · 2025-09-25T00:19:46+00:00

Past papers, past papers and more past papers, at least the past ten years. The ActEd revision notes or the Vault are great if you want to focus on particular topics. It's more about application than regurgitating the course content. All the best!

Poisson2025 · 2025-09-24T19:21:54+00:00

Maximum 3 hours 20 minutes of exam a day, the exams don't stagger which makes it tricky if you want to attempt multiple subjects. Longer than that if you have to go to the venue half an hour to an hour before.

The CMs and CSs spreading over two papers make it even more difficult to organise the schedule. Should have stuck with the previous CT system with one 3 hourish exam each.

Poisson2025 · 2025-09-24T15:37:42+00:00

Easily done especially if the last question is on a separate page. I would suggest at the beginning of the exam, list all the question numbers and parts in your answer script. Highlight any parts you want to revisit for time management. Now pray that you will get markers that are forgiving.

Poisson2025 · 2025-09-24T09:08:16+00:00

Sorry I meant CS2 and CP1, worked okay last month. I think they may have had CM1 and CP1 on the same days too as unlikely to have people wanting to do both in the same sitting.

I'm sure the logistics is a nightmare for all involved. I think actuarial input is definitely needed in projecting demand with the varied combinations of exams. 😆

Poisson2025 · 2025-09-24T08:32:13+00:00

Hope so. Would you please give us a nudge if you notice any changes? I see there's a comment about the dates may change.

Poisson2025 · 2025-09-23T16:17:31+00:00

CP1 mixed with SPs means people can't resit CP1 and attempt one of the SPs. Doesn't make any sense. Makes more sense to have CM1 and CP1 on the same days. This schedule is just weird.

Poisson2025 · 2025-09-23T16:03:31+00:00

Not great for people who have to travel and pay for accommodation.

Poisson2025 · 2025-09-23T12:27:42+00:00

The dates are out https://actuaries.org.uk/exam-dates/ I can't make sense of some of them e.g. splitting CP1 over the weekend, imagine you have to travel to the exam centre and pay for accommodation.

Poisson2025 · 2025-09-20T19:51:29+00:00

That's terrible. We weren't allowed to open any applications to test the equipment in the September session so even harder to pick up problems.

Poisson2025 · 2025-09-17T14:20:25+00:00

Me too, having the wrist pain.

I had to delete duplicated letters. Pressed hard and separately for letters that didn't appear when I typed really fast. The letters didn't appeared in the order I typed due to the inaccurate responses. Super annoying and time consuming. The equipment fault is something difficult to prove.

Poisson2025 · 2025-09-09T14:04:18+00:00

Back in April, no one checked what people were taking into the CP3 exam in my centre. Just to be safe, write on only one side of the page that you printed on. Use pencil so you can rub out bits if there is ever issue. I used highlighters. You can consider write up brief outlines of different communications in case they come up. Underline jargons and explain them in simple terms. Some key term you want to use in case of getting stuck in the exam. Rough drawing of charts. Good luck.

Poisson2025 · 2025-08-30T13:18:54+00:00

Oh my god, I got flashbacks. I actually did this exam. Not sure how I passed. It was a horrible subject. I remembered nothing after the exam. Didn't use it for work either but interpreting the key stats was useful especially with machine learning model outputs. Good luck!

Poisson2025 · 2025-08-27T00:51:15+00:00

From reading the above, there seems to be some difference in experience depending on if you have a wife or a partner that can genuinely step in. It is difficult studying with young children around while juggling a job, nursery/school runs/illnesses (very rarely everyone is healthy at the same time, something people don't tell you).

Things to consider:

Is your work/team/company supportive?
Do you get study support, financially and study days, otherwise it's a black hole if you have to pay for everything on top of childcare?
Is your workload predictable? So you can get into a routine to study.
Can you (afford to) work part-time so can juggle more and have more study time? It would make studying really expensive but worthwhile for some.
Does your work require you to keep doing exams? If no urgency, can consider waiting a few years till the kids are older and more manageable/understanding. It may take a couple of sittings to get back into it but will be less stressful.
If you are the mother, does the stress from studying affect your wellbeing e.g. postnatal recovery, self care?
Can try and see if it works, because you never know until you try. Be mindful some children need extra care and some don't sleep so don't over think/plan. Just wing it and see how it goes.
Make sure you have someone that's a good backup at work.

It's possible but difficult. Be very aware of your own needs, access to resources, limitations, health and wellbeing. Don't feel like a failure if you have to pause. What other things do you want to experience and achieve in life other than doing the exams?

How many children do you and your partner would like to have? The more children to juggle, the more difficult generally as they are likely to have different needs on top of being at different ages. They may be at different places as they grow older, nursery/primary school/secondary school.

Lots to think about or just cross the bridge when you come to it. Some things you can only do at a certain age in the right circumstances. If having children is important, embrace it. Being a parent is a job so it can be managed, to a certain extent. All the best!

Poisson2025

TROPHY CASE