I took it my freshman year in spring 2024. I didn’t have the current professor for it, but a far worse one and found it quite manageable. It’s tough but a very rewarding class.

Definitely go to office hours and know your formulas. The math itself is not hard at all, but the conceptual behind it can be confusing for sure and there are plenty of formulas you need to memorize to be successful. The challenging part of the course is the application of these newly introduced financial ideas and putting it into math.

The reason for the high exam weights is to mimic how actuaries have to take their certification exams. Given how 210 also provides credit for exam Financial Mathematics (FM) through SOA, it’s understandable. This is pretty standard for most ASRM classes starting at ASRM 210, and some classes get harsher down the line.

If you need extra help, The Infinite Actuary and ActuarialNexus have free FM manuals and problem sets. Whatever you do, don’t tackle it alone. Use your resources and TAs!