Am I the only one who suffers complete meltdown in the last 24 hours...Something to share with you all
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again? Let's be honest, NO ONE wants to try, try again in any actuarial exam. Once is enough, thank you very much.
Whilst everyone else was spending Easter or Bank Holiday weekend vacationing, watching Mad Men DVD boxsets, visiting family & friends, going out, and beers & barbecues, you spent it buried in an ACTED binder in the company of alien-like hieroglyphic notation.
In the weeks leading up to the exam, you probably got really fat or really skinny. Your relationships and friendships certainly suffered, if not collapsed under the stress and time apart. And, well, at least you've got your fellow future actuaries to commiserate with....unless they pass and you fail, in which case, you always thought they were insufferable and boring.
Then, exam day came. Or rather, exam days. And the marathon began. But, when you crossed the finish line, you were probably too tired to celebrate.
So, when your doctor friends and the accountants, bankers, consultants, lawyers and the CFAs ask what the big deal is, don't be shy about relaying all the above AND to top it all off, you have to check your results on the internet, for all the world to see. Talk about merciless! No, dear friends, we don't have a username and password to get our results like some people. We find out if we passed by looking for our name on the WORLD wide web. Yes, that's right, for all the WORLD to see!
Now, before you crack from the stress of the wait, (and I know what it's like) here is how to cope with the wait for actuarial exam results. 7 things you absolutely MUST do in the 24 hours leading up to RH - Results Hour - probably the longest hour in the world.
1. You MUST get sleep. Easier said than done, I know, but at least try to get a good night's sleep. Do whatever you have to do to ensure that you're not wide awake at 3AM imagining the horror of failing when all of the others in your office pass. That's just masochistic. Get those thoughts out of your head and have sweet dreams. Drink some warm milk. Count sheep (Do NOT contemplate counting your expected marks from the exams or a Nelson Aalen estimate of the surviving sheep or even consider a random walk of the tonnage amount of grass they eat each subsequent day. Just count sheep!). And, don't take sleeping pills. The only thing worse than being an actuary is being an actuary addicted to sleeping pills.
2. You MUST avoid caffeine. Again, easier said than done, but your nerves are enough to keep you alert at this point. You don't need anything else coursing through your veins.
3. You MUST go to the gym. It can only help. Run. Lift weights. Box. Rock climb. There's a certain degree of enlightenment that comes from being drenched in your own sweat. It seems when you wipe your wet forehead with the back of your hand, you just know everything's going to be OK.
4. You MUST surround yourself with non-actuary, creative types. At the office, pretend you have a migraine from the stress and need peace and quiet. Have dinner with your best friend from University who is now a web designer and knows absolutely nothing about actuarial exams. Preferably, you should have dinner with your funniest non-actuary friend. Laugh as much as possible. AVOID qualified actuaries who will inevitably share stories of how they found out their results and how they celebrated and who in their office failed. AVOID other exam takers also waiting for results (talk about a feeding frenzy of nerves. NOT what you need).
5. Pray. Unless you are atheist like me
6. Don’t bother checking for results before 8pm BST its being tried. To view results use a powerful computer and reliable corded internet line (don’t take chances – you are vulnerable)
7. When you see your name, you MUST scream. Really loudly. Jump up and down. Cry tears of joy. Let it out!!! You passed. Go have a beer or a cocktail! And, by that I mean several. Tell the bartender you always had a crush on him/her. You have passed now!! No one expects you to have a conversational filter.
And, congratulations!
Now onto the next exams with renewed vigour.
p.s. In the UNLIKELY event that you don't pass remember the following:
-People who work hard and make the right decisions can be whoever they want to be in life (George W. Bush)
- When life gives you lemons, cut them into wedges and put them in your cocktail. (Bar-tender)
- This too shall pass. (author unknown)
Inspired and Adapted from Jennifer Fernicola Ronay “Coping with the wait for bar exam results: 7 things you MUST do”
Last edited by a moderator: Jun 28, 2010
