What % do i roughly need on this exam to pass?

[DevonMatthews]

I've heard that these subjects are extremly difficult etc. from people who have done them in the past, And they are generally much more difficult than undergraduate exams. I've been stressing while studying this subject thinking that i'm going to need to get 100% on this exam to pass given that passes are awared relative to the perofmance of other students. Am i wrong here, or will i be requiring somthing of the order of 90-100% to pass this exam?

 

[Admin]

somewhere between 60% and 65% is a good guide

 

[geoff97531]

I personally think they're a bit harder than my undergraduate chemistry exams but that's because I'm rubbish at maths. Although, most of my friends who did maths or maths based subjects at uni tend to find the actuarial exams no harder that uni ones so it probably depends on what you studied. If you did 'media' or 'David Beckham studies' for instance (and no offence if you did!!), I think you can expect to struggle but CT1 is a nice intro into the exams as none of it is overly complicated so plenty of practice papers and you should be fine. As the person above said, aim to get above 60.

 

[DevonMatthews]

I personally think they're a bit harder than my undergraduate chemistry exams but that's because I'm rubbish at maths. Although, most of my friends who did maths or maths based subjects at uni tend to find the actuarial exams no harder that uni ones so it probably depends on what you studied. If you did 'media' or 'David Beckham studies' for instance (and no offence if you did!!), I think you can expect to struggle but CT1 is a nice intro into the exams as none of it is overly complicated so plenty of practice papers and you should be fine. As the person above said, aim to get above 60.

Hi thank you both for your replies. I've got a degree in maths (probability theory), so i don't find the maths at all difficult, i was just thinking since everyone else who does this also peforms at a high level getting a few questions wrong would seriously diminish your chances of passing? How much study did you require to pass CT1? I'm still 6 Months away from sitting CT1 and studying arround 4 hours daily im wondering if this should be sufficent to pass.

 

[Zebedee]

Hi thank you both for your replies. I've got a degree in maths (probability theory), so i don't find the maths at all difficult, i was just thinking since everyone else who does this also peforms at a high level getting a few questions wrong would seriously diminish your chances of passing? How much study did you require to pass CT1? I'm still 6 Months away from sitting CT1 and studying arround 4 hours daily im wondering if this should be sufficent to pass.

Don't want to encourage anyone to study less, but it sounds to me like you might be overdoing it. The profession recommend between 125 and 150 hours for a CT subject depending on past educational background (see below). At four hours a day you'll cover that in a month!

http://www.actuaries.org.uk/students/help_support/student_handbook/study_hours

A couple of points:
- Your degree should put you into the cohort of students who pick this subject up relatively easily.
- Agree with previous respondants that 60-65% should be enough to pass (so aim for 70%).
- Don't overestimate the competition - especially for the early exams. We get a lot of dross in to the profession, attracted by the high potential earnings, so you shouldn't assume everyone has the potential to perform at a high level.
- For CT1 in particular you'll be up against lots of people with little or no (recent) maths knowledge. Remember that this exam has been opened up to people outside the profession.
- Of those with the potential to pass, many will be being pushed into doing more exams than they want to by their employer and just won't study for some of them. You'll spot these people leaving the exam room 20 minutes in to the exam. Most people do two or three CTs in their early sittings.
- You get no recognition for getting full marks. Better to balance work/life/study more roundly rather than make too many sacrifices at this stage. Remember you'll be at this for a few years - giving over 100% of your free time to study just won't be sustainable.

Good luck!

 

[Hamilton]

150 hours

I've a degree in math and I still think 150 hours is barely enough time to cover the course , maybe I'm one of the overkill people since I haven't taken an exam yet . good to hear the consensus of 60 - 65% I didn't know that , had not read a straight answer to that question till now.