Hi, I am currently working in a non-actuarial field, and I am looking into whether I want to pursue Life or General modules ahead. I have had experiences in studying Life in my university times so it will definitely be more familiar. Also, I heard that it is easier to score Life than General modules i.e. they are usually easier to pass. (correct me if I am wrong) However, I am also interested in General modules and am open to the option. I heard that General modules have more calculations than Life and Life is just like another CA1 module (is this true?). This is why I am contemplating general modules although I have no slightest experience in this area (except briefly in CA1). If anyone could shed some light on this, please. Thanks, Dilemma
Life modules at university would certainly be an advantage if you were to pursue the Life ST/ SP exams. From my experience the learning involved at these stages are near completely different from what's covered at university so might not make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things (I speak from a General Insurance background!) If I were in your shoes I'd probably be more inclined to go with something I'd be more interested in rather than basing my decision on exams showing more favourable pass rates. I find that I'm less stressed about failing subjects I'm interested in, I find I grasp concepts much quicker and studying them is less of a chore. It might also be a better long term strategy to specialise in something you're actually interested in especially for your career. The pass rates you're looking at reflect a population so may not necessarily reflect your own personal chance of success/ failure. In light of this however don't rule out the life route as it may well be the case that your interests lie with in life insurance! At the end of the day, it will be a call that you'll need to make so hopefully you'll get all the info you need to make an informed decision I don't know enough about the calculations involved in the life ST/SP's to comment on them, but ST7/ ST8 usually have some maths problems thrown into the mix in exams (usually count towards 20-25 marks) The more recent sittings for ST7 didn't have a major calculation questions in them, in fact I think they were nearly absent? I'm unsure whether this is will be an ongoing trend...However it's important to note that exams in the ST/SP stage will be mostly 'wordy' anyway
