Hi Guys, Just trying to get some thoughts on the best combination to do in April. I have previously passed ST4, and have decided to sit SP5 in April. My question is now - would there be much additional work to sit SA7 along side it, given that most of SA7 builds off the back of SP5?
Hi, This is a tricky question because SA7 is a new subject and could turn out to be examined differently. But assuming that SA7 turns out to be quite like SA6, with a little bit of SA5 material thrown in, the lion's share of the knowledge will be from students' experience and knowledge of the investment industry. There will be bookwork and bookwork application, which means that the SA7 notes will need to be read and absorbed, just like any course. (The SA7 notes are considerably shorter than those of SP5) But if you work in the investment consulting industry, or the ALM / trustee advice industry, or even the LDI / structured product industry, you may have a lot of what is required in your head already. In this case, the additional work for SA7 will not DOUBLE the effort required. But it will still be a good bit harder than just sitting SP5 on its own. At the end of the day it is up to you in terms of what you can manage. SP5 is certainly core knowledge for SA7, and I wouldnt advise doing SA7 without having SP5 in the bag or sitting it at the same time. I hope this helps.
Thanks for the above, just quick one thought, if SA6 previously build on ST6, then why wouldn't SA7 also build on SP6? The institute's website states
SA6 never built on SP6. SP6 was always a stand-alone subject that was popular with mathematical students, but wasnt core material for either SA6 or SA5. For both of those subjects you needed ST5 (now SP5). That will remain the case.
14, but one is an introduction which is light on core reading, and the last is "problem solving" which is about the technique of tackling SA-style questions. So possibly 12 if you view it that way.
I notice that, in addition to the CMP being lighter, there are no revision books for SA7. Are past papers practice enough or do you recommend any other sources of study?
The first chapter of the course gives s detailed account of where you can find practice material. Its harder for SA subjects because the questions dont often repeat earlier questions (as they do in other SP or CP subjects). There are loads of past papers though, drawing from SA7, SA6 and occasionally SA5. The Examiners solutions can be quite light in some circumstances. Then there are ActEd resources and mocks, which also cover topical issues. Then there is "reading around" which is also vital. Finally there are discussions in tutorials if you attend those. Revision booklets would be hard, because the questions in SA7 are not easily aligned with particular chapters of the course.
Thanks Colin. After some deliberation have decided to go with SP6 for this sitting, seeing as SA7 seems to draw on a newer skillset/ technique and am nervous won't be able to nail it in time! Hopefully next round.
