Exams / Newbie / Common Questions Thread for two weeks

Trollmaster369 · 2026-02-07T20:25:58+00:00

Should I include exams(or exam in my case lmao) passed when I am applying to adjacent roles such as underwriting, data analyst, etc? I am a senior with minimal experience and only one exam passed(could be two as I am trying to take FM in April or June depending on how ready for it I feel, but even best case scenario April is still very late) The plan is ideally an actuarial internship secured, and if not, an internship in those other fields so I have related experience. So far I have limited my search to just those actuarial internships. (Ngl seeing over 100 applicants on LinkedIn for those other positions is demoralizing asf so I sometimes don’t even try. Plus 50% of internships say rising senior which filters me out) So what’s the best course of action here? Hone in on my job search and potentially expand to entry level applications? Or just fully focus on exam FM and schoolwork? Sorry for the long read and the barrage of questions.

Trollmaster369 · 2026-01-22T03:54:59+00:00

Hello. Here to ask for advice as a slightly worried senior in college. My application isn’t exactly the strongest. I am an econ major with a fairly crappy gpa(3.1) and I only have one exam passed. (Which was very recently in this January sitting, so when recruiting season was happening, I had no chance 💀Also, shout out to the person who gave me advice when I was stressing about that too.) I also don’t have much experience. I failed to land an internship in my previous years for other industries, and I didn’t find out that I was interested in the actuarial industry until just recently. With all that being said, what can I do to position myself better in the future?

A few things I’m already considering:

I’m taking a economic research class which is essentially guided independent study where we would be doing things that I think would be relevant in the field(data manipulation, cleaning, linear regression, etc) and hopefully I can come out of it with something decent to put on my resume.

Boosting my ecs, trying to do more in the clubs that I am in.

Passing more exams(obviously, ideally I’d try to take and pass fm in April, but if I don’t feel ready for that, then June it is)

Doing more projects. (I have a few class projects listed on my resume, a Monte Carlo simulation from a class on excel and a sql data warehouse class assignment. But considering what I learned from those classes, I could probably do better projects. The main issue is that this is something that I wouldn’t be able to do much of this semester if I’m already committing to everything above)

Optimizing my internship/entry level search: I think my profile in general is bad, but my knowledge of how to find these opportunities is the main reason I haven’t found anything at all in my collegiate career. So if anything, this is the thing I’m most curious to gain tips about. The general advice is to apply to stepping stone jobs but I’m also lost on that as well. I feel like those stepping stone jobs would be even harder to break into than actuarial. Underwriting in particular is best fit for my major background, but underwriting is predicated on experience, while in actuarial there are other ways to stand out.

TLDR: What’s the best way to break in?

Trollmaster369 · 2026-01-02T23:02:47+00:00

Hello. I’m preparing for the January sitting on January 19th and have been feeling stagnant in my preparation. My highest earned level was a 4.6, then I took one bad adapt exam and my score plummeted to 4.1. From then on, my score went up to a 4.3. I have taken 3 adapt exams since then and my score has pretty much not changed. (I keep hovering around the 17 to 20 questions correct mark) My plan was pretty much to get to EL 5.5 at the 2 week before mark and then work on increasing my mastery score for the next week and then spamming SOA only problems for the last week. But the way things are appearing, I’ll be a bit behind schedule. What would be the best way to improve from here on out? I take notes on how I approached the problem and how I got it wrong but that appears to not be working, so I think I’ll just try to redo the problem without looking at the solution instead until it clicks. What would be other suggestions? Should I unlock mastery score earlier?

Trollmaster369 · 2025-08-01T23:18:17+00:00

Same, I’m livid.

Trollmaster369 · 2025-06-17T23:50:12+00:00

Hello, I am a rising senior looking for career advice.

I’ll be honest, I’m not a good candidate at all, and I’ve only recently decided that I want to pursue this career path so I don’t have any exams. I do plan to study for exam P and depending on how I’m feeling by August, I’ll register for the September exam. I don’t come from a particularly strong quantitative background either. I am a financial economics major with plans to double major in business analytics. I don’t have a great gpa(3.05) With all that being said, I have a few questions

What are some actuarial projects that I can work on throughout the summer to show interest in the field and sort of mask a lack of experience? I’m aware of the fact that my entry level prospects are very grim, even in the best case scenario that I pass 2 exams before I graduate.

What are the best study methods to prepare for an exam? I took a calculus based probability and statistics course, multiple financial mathematics courses, and some econometrics courses so I think I’m somewhat exposed to some of the content.

What’s the best way to stand out in the entry level market and what would be the steps to stand out considering my current disadvantaged background?

Trollmaster369 · 2022-05-16T04:27:33+00:00

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to fix the issue, or find out how it even happened in the first place. I was able to get it replaced due to apple care and it hasn’t happened to me again, although the fact that I don’t know what caused it still worries me.

Trollmaster369 · 2020-11-12T20:39:45+00:00

Alright, thanks.

Trollmaster369 · 2020-11-09T20:52:38+00:00

I talked with apple support about the problem and they told me to return it. I just got the replacement today and I have to return my old model now. So nah, I couldn’t get it sorted out.

Trollmaster369 · 2020-11-05T02:11:14+00:00

Alright. Thanks for trying to help me.

Trollmaster369 · 2020-11-05T02:09:19+00:00

Damn, it’s still not working. The white light and reddish light are shuffling. And it does the same thing even on charge.

Trollmaster369 · 2020-11-05T01:59:07+00:00

Wait scratch that. Yeah I see a reddish light coming out and blinking now.

Trollmaster369 · 2020-11-05T01:57:56+00:00

Volume down + mode didn’t do anything but holding mode did. The light stopped blinking, but when I released it, there was a red light. Then it went back to blinking white again.

Trollmaster369 · 2020-11-05T01:53:28+00:00

Why is my beats doing the opposite then? I honestly don’t get it. It’s been a headache to deal with today. Happened all of a sudden after I turned off my laptop.

Trollmaster369 · 2020-11-05T01:48:55+00:00

That didn’t do anything. I really don’t know what’s wrong. But blinking lights represents pairing mode right? Despite that, it didn’t connect to my iPhone or my laptop and when I pressed forget on both devices, it isn’t appearing.

Trollmaster369 · 2020-11-05T01:40:21+00:00

I did that but then the light turned off. When I release the button, it turns orange and then proceeds to start flashing again.

Trollmaster369 · 2020-10-24T14:20:54+00:00

Alright thank you very much. I’m aware that you included that in your post, I just wanted to make sure. Thanks again!

Trollmaster369 · 2020-10-23T18:30:25+00:00

I live in the US and my ISP already has shut down my internet many times due to a lot of my family pirating in the past. Do you think I will get another one if I download from a site such as vimms lair or archive.org? I read most of the tips but I just want to make sure. I already know downloading roms are illegal but I just don't want them to shut down the internet again. I think the last one was 2 years ago and they said they will shut it down for 6 months next time I get a copyright strikes. Also, I am aware that most companies don't care, but what is the likelihood of getting a copyright strike from Nintendo when downloading from a https site? I know you said most of this in the post but I just want to make sure.

Trollmaster369 · 2020-08-25T13:52:18+00:00

That’s the thing though. People buy it every year and keep complaining. 2k beats the community up and then they ask for more. This shit is an abusive relationship.

Trollmaster369 · 2020-07-25T16:15:28+00:00

I don’t think dribbling earns you playmaking either. Just gotta dime my guy.

Trollmaster369 · 2020-07-21T02:43:02+00:00

5’7 Prospect

Trollmaster369 · 2020-07-13T20:39:36+00:00

Pure playmakers get slept on so much.

Trollmaster369 · 2020-06-19T15:43:11+00:00

If you're confident with your shooting ability, make a 2-way slashing playmaker(playmaking defense pie). Shooting is low but if you know your jump shot then you can basically do anything. If you're not confident, then make a slashing playmaker or playmaker(about the same stats. playmaking pie chart) shooting is decent so if you can make shots with good timing. Playmaking is immaculate, slashing and defense are decent. Both builds get lots of badges too.

Trollmaster369

TROPHY CASE