LMA: I tend to agree- you might be able to do it but would have to either mortgage your entire life for the privilege or concentrate entirely on exams with a much reduced office working schedule than full time: I think the Profession mis-leads both by implying that passing wihtout failures is relatively common and more heinously by assuming an incredible exam sitting rate! I suspect it's done with the understandable intention of trying to make the exams not look imposing and scary to prospective graduates, and in doing so frightening them away, but I think your point still stands.
Phantom: Thanks.
1) Short answer, yes!
It's a very valid point you raise, and certainly exams like CA1 and ST2 are not very much like CT6 or CT8. I would argue that the final paper, (SA2 in my case) was almost as different again.
All I can say about the transition is that I think I relied quite a bit on a good memory, (for repeating core reading chunks) and some dusty writing skills from doing an English A Level a few years ago, (the latter perhaps atypical for an average actuarial student from a science or humanities background), to get me through. I think the ideas generation and phrasing skills you pick up in a wordy subject earlier on in your studies can help, and I would, (perhaps rather unorthodoxly), recommend anyone thinking about actuarial science not to concentrate uniquely on maths, statistics, economics and business, but also to take seriously English, (or equivalent) and even performing arts subjects.
2) I take a slightly different view on this point. I have occasionally read examiner's reports after exams and generally been surprised at how many points didn't seem to have even crossed my mind. Obviously the reports aren't available until a few months later, and I haven't seen scripts, so there may have been an amnesia effect: but my suspicion is that valid points, even when slightly 'off-piste', can earn you marks. I would suggest that it's not a good idea to make a habit of going for 'eccentric' comments, but certainly that if a thought occurs to you and it seems like you'd mention it to a colleague in the situation set up in the question, even if you can't remember the comment from the course, it's well worth noting down.
Click to expand...
I know this reply is to an old post but I wanted to ask how disadvantageous is it not taking an English A-Level and only doing numerate subjects?
Last edited by a moderator: Nov 21, 2012