UCSB AA PD HUB

Coaching Actuaries has provided me with the necessary preparation I needed to tackle the first few preliminary actuary exams. Although it can be used to obtain VEE credit, I used Coaching Actuaries to help me pass Exam P and FM on my first attempt after discovering the program. I will continue to be using Coaching Actuaries to pass Exam IFM before the exam is replaced in 2023.

Before Coaching Actuaries, I had attempted to take Exam P using what knowledge I gained from taking PSTAT 120A over summer. Upon beginning my exam I realized that UCSB courses, although helpful, don’t provide aspiring actuaries with the complete knowledge they need to pass their exams. After scoring a three on my first attempt, I reevaluated my approach to the exam system and began looking online for study manuals.

Coaching Actuaries stood out to me because of their testing program named ADAPT. They also provide their own structured study manual, but I found the most help in ADAPT. ADAPT creates practice exams consisting of questions with varying difficulty levels scored from zero to ten, creating an exam with an average difficulty level that is suitable for the test-taker. The difficulty of the practice test is based on a student’s “Earned Level” that goes up for scoring greater than a 70 percent and goes down for scoring less than a 67 percent. As someone who learns more from practice problems than actual lectures, I found that ADAPT helped me further my understanding in a way that a study manual couldn’t.

The final point I’d like to address is the price. Coaching Actuaries can be incredibly expensive, but thankfully they offer student discounts. All students need to do is submit a screenshot of their school schedule from GOLD, and they will receive a discount. Alongside this, the UCSB Actuarial Association has been given discount codes from Coaching Actuaries, allowing the association to support its members as they prepare for their careers.

Coaching Actuaries is a fantastic resource for aspiring actuaries, and is extremely useful in preparing for Exams. If students are struggling to study for their exams or feel as though they aren’t able to apply the concepts properly, I would highly suggest using Coaching Actuaries.