Pregnancy and exams

Hello guys,

I was interested to know if anyone has managed to give exams while pregnant. I will most probably be in my last month of pregnancy and was thinking of a break, but good to know if there are other options.

Does IFOA provide access arrangements for pregnancy. And even if they do, I don’t think exam date would be modified or exam fee refunded in case of early birth etc.

Any thoughts and help would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,

Riya

 

I do know someone who sat (and passed) at 8 months pregnant so it's not impossible. She too was worried about going into premature labour with the stress but all went well. But every journey is different.
Of course you can take a break. And with the change to the new curriculum that could be advantageous - you avoid the first new papers so have more to look at in the new style when you return. The advantage there will depend on what subjects as some are being affected more than others.
Are the online exams an option for you? Sitting an exam at home may be more comfortable than struggling to reach an exam centre. Not sure what exam stage you are at.
I'd speak directly to the professional about what they can offer. If sitting heavily pregnant a bigger desk, chair etc seem a reasonable request, but ultimately it's the actual centre that provide these. There are access arrangements for long term conditions, just not sure they cover pregnancy.
Another alternative is to see this as a chance to study over two sittings so you can start studies now with a view to sit in September - no syllabus changes to worry about as the refresh is for April exams. You can always change your mind.
Naturally resuming studies with children will always be different as demands on your time will Change (forever!). You might find it harder to start again if there was a break rather than having kept going. Some do stop - and that's fine too, if it's right for you! I've known people break for 5 years plus then decide to restart and go on to qualify.
Whatever happens be comfortable with your choice - it's your family your health and your career. You set the balance that's right for you! Good luck.

 

I'm amazed that such arrangements are not properly specified on their website. It would be an useful project for their solicitors. Getting an exam refund is usually like getting blood out of a stone.

 

I wanted to take a break for health reasons, including IVF treatment. I now have to take 6 exams instead of the 3 I had outstanding. The IFOA is not supportive at all. I therefore don’t see how the change in curriculum is beneficial. I am going to have to study the same boring and useless material which I have looked at countless times in CT6 since I never passed CT4. I also don’t see how you will study with children. I don’t mean to discourage you and I am sure you already appreciate it, but it will be very stressful to manage work, children and study. If you have to work 100pc to pay your mortgage and study on top, even with time given from employers, it is going to be difficult to spend weekends, early mornings and evenings studying 6 months of the year. If you recall another poster had issues juggling his religious commitments. I know people do study with children but it is certainly much more difficult if you have an family to take these exams than without.

Another poster didn’t receive his exam fee back due to illness of one of his children.

The ifoa keep changing exam dates etc at the drop of a hat and with children I’m sure you are going to have to try to plan your exams well in advance. Juggling school holidays with your own study season will be challenging. The ifoa will only make consideration if you are within 5pc of the pass mark, so if you have issues with your pregnancy and do not fall within this category then you are simply awarded a fail.

The ifoa have been completely unsympathetic to my case so I would be interested to hear if they assist you in anyway.

I do believe that the ifoa have stopped the inhumane 6 hour 30 minutes exams being on one day. This is likely due to access arrangements for disabled people or pregnancy perhaps. But they never told anyone the reason why they did this.

 

Hello Riya, I qualified last year with two children, and have sat exams whilst pregnant. It is possible. I took a mindset that pregnancy is normal, having a family is normal, and since when should "normal" prevent anyone from following their dreams of becoming an actuary? For me, both pregnancies went smoothly, albeit I was very tired. I had to be very disciplined and organised to meet my study goals - but then this is no different to any other aspiring actuary. The IFoA should, and I believe are obliged, to provide access arrangements. Their recent articles and events relating to equal opportunities and encouraging women to enter, progress and stay in the profession suggests that they would, and most certainly should, welcome mothers sitting exams. If you think there are any barriers to this then you should definitely raise it with them, citing their own findings on women in the profession.

If you have a study package through work, you may also want to check your employer's study policy and discuss with your manager on how you would like to progress with your study plans. If studying and passing exams is part of your contract, then your employer is also obliged to be accommodating.

Whether you choose to sit an exam or take a break depends on how you feel in yourself - you know your own limits better than anybody. You have a few months before you have to book the exam, so you can start studying for it now and then make a decision nearer the time. Personally, I wouldn't forgo a sitting on the off-chance that something goes awry. This can happen to anyone - pregnant or not pregnant, be it bereavement, illness, or anything else life chooses to throw at us.

Finally, and I know this is obvious, if you don't sit an exam you won't pass. I was recently trying to explain this concept to my son who was adamant that he wasn't going to enter a writing competition because if he did he wouldn't win - the joys of being a mother and an actuary!

 

It is for these reasons that young people especially should be properly and accurately informed of the statistics regarding qualifying as an actuary with IFoA, such as the length of time it typically takes, so that people can make choices and plan their lives accordingly.

 

And it is for this reason that we should all watch the X-Factor this weekend!

 

Hey, I never heard of any special arrangements, change or rules, refunds etc. for pregnant ladies. They are just "students" with no additional privileges.

 

It is extremely difficult for a man to qualify in this profession. I have only the upmost respect for ladies who persevere and manage to do it while building a family. The biggest nightmare for IFoA legal is the day a woman takes them on for some kind of sex discrimination case on something like this - that will be curtains for them.

 

Not if there isn't any discrimination it won't be.

 

How do you manage to study at Easter and for 250 or 400 hours per exam sitting with a family on top of working?

 

You work hard, prioritize your work and don't waste time on internet forums.

I know people who have had Cancer and were determine to still qualify and worked around their treatment.

 

My last post questioned the OP what she does to cope with family and studying.

I have worked hard. I nearly finished all the exams. And now I have to take them all over again. I never spent any time on this forum before. After spending so long on these exams, of course I’m obliged to finish.
In any case that is not the issue here. The thread is on how to spend time studying if you have family commitments.

 

You asked how to pass exams and I told you quite simply you work hard and get on with it - how does anyone do any sort of exams or demanding job when they have a family? Your not the first to have a family and try to pass exams - others find a way that works for them and get on with it.

In relation to your posts - I have yet to see you provide a positive comment or help posters with any query they have on exams - instead you post on threads bashing the institute - your posts come across quite negative. Perhaps you don’t mean this but that’s how they appear. Why not stick your head into a topic that you have passed and help others?

Perhaps the cold hard facts are hard to read but like I said exams are not for everyone. Everyone knew the curriculum was changing and you had two years to get them or else you would have to repeat exams. It may not be fair but life never is.

 

So what- maybe you should be more tolerant and understanding of others.

 

Maybe you should be more tolerant and understanding of a necessary curriculum refresh advertised several years in advance with opportunities to avoid the potential setbacks and the vast majority of candidates have managed to navigate with no problems?

No?

Oh.

 

Tarbuck - the issue is there were no setbacks promised, quite the opposite in fact: it was promised by IFoA CEO in their annual report that IFoA would ensure no one would be disadvantaged by this change. I am not tolerant of such misleading information, no, particularly when no apology or redress is offered to those affected.

 

You forget to mention all the people who give up the exams in order to have a normal life outside working hours. I know plenty of them and don't think they can be accused of not working hard enough, which is rather patronising. Since you consider yourself an actuary why don't you ask the IFoA to disclose drop-out statistics broken down by age and gender for us? Something tells me it won't be provided.