This is not the exam we took in March.

[nonlnear]

The problem does not say it is a normal or standard normal. Maybe you are supposed to assume that it is. I don't know. But the solution someone posted using the normal table does yield the correct answer.

If the problem doesn't state that the variable is normal, then my solution does not apply. In fact, without concrete knowledge that the variable is normal, the work I posted in this thread is totally incorrect. (If you don't know anything more about the distribution, then the only correct answer is that there is insufficient information - as Dr. O. stated.) Do you recall any other details about the question?

[KHC831]

i also feel that the may exam was harder. I took it in march and got a 2. study a bit harder and i past yesterday. eventhough i pass this time, i can tell the may questions were harder, and the questions are worded very differently. I guess it all comes down to knowing the concept, and re-apply it to different problems.

[dliving]

i also feel that the may exam was harder. I took it in march and got a 2. study a bit harder and i past yesterday. eventhough i pass this time, i can tell the may questions were harder, and the questions are worded very differently. I guess it all comes down to knowing the concept, and re-apply it to different problems.

and to do that you have to be able to think on your feet and not choke. That was my problem. Afterwords, I worked a few out that I remember in about 6 min apiece. I'll come in July ready to use my noggin. And take a valium.

[ndruo]

As a candidate who's tried and failed twice, but passed in the May sitting. I have to let you guys know that I know how you feel. I don't write this in a spirit of gloating, as that's more than a little petty in my opinion. But I do know that this is the first place many candidates will look in order to join the "pity party" that inevitably follows after any unsuccessful attempt.

I know how you feel after not achieving a passing grade. I know how you feel after receiving a SECOND fail. These are not what I would define as conventionally "happy thoughts."

I also know how you WILL feel after you read the end-of-test message, and the first word in the letter from the CAS/SOA to you is "Congratulations!" Much like in sports, the only difference between a win and a loss in ANY context is in commitment and attitude.

Dig deep. You can do this. You just don't know it yet. You CAN keep going, because you're here, reading this thread. Whether or not you WILL keep going is entirely a question you need to ask (and answer) yourselves.

As far as advice goes, I have to say that a more holistic knowledge of the topics is required. From what I can tell based on your comments, several of you aren't quite getting the whole picture. The idea is to figure out a LOT of information about something, based on a little bit of information about that something. An intimate knowledge of details is required.

This isn't an exam you can brush up on "problem spots" in the general sense and expect to pass. An inside and outside knowledge of the topics, as well as the ability to recognize what exactly you're dealing with is paramount to your success. Don't think that because you '''''ed up on one particular step of a given problem that it's the only thing you need to work on to be sufficiently comfortable with other problems of that type. It's more than that. It's ALWAYS more than that.

You must understand the BIG PICTURE of the things you study. Once you get that, the little things like figuring out moments and properly integrating all fall into place.

My first two failed attempts I studied using the ACTEX guide. That's not to say that it isn't a good guide with solid material -- it's just that learning directly from a textbook never really sat well with me.

On my successful attempt, I prepared using the TIA online seminar (http://www.theinfiniteactuary.com) and practice exams. It's as close as you can possibly get to an actual classroom and lecture setting without actually sitting in one. The instructors are also readily available for questions and are prompt with their responses to you. I cannot recommend this enough, especially for those of you who learn better from something like this rather than from reading directly from a textbook. When you hit the actual practice exams, your ability to learn from your mistakes and your willingness to go through and do it over until you get it right will be the key to your success.

There are two concepts I can offer to you all as advice: visualize, and become a process-oriented thinker.

Visualize. Visualize. VISUALIZE! Once you can SEE what you're dealing with, everything gets that much easier to understand. Nearly everything excluding order statistics can be easily expressed in a drawing -- whether it be a Venn diagram or simply drawing the functions, simply laying out what you know on paper makes finding your integration limits and handling conditional probabilities that much less mysterious. Working with pictures is much easier than attempting to solve things in a completely numeric fashion.

Getting a correct answer should be a consequence, not a goal. Perfect the process, and you'll find you're able to answer every kind of question of that type. While you are graded on whether or not you get the right answer, it shouldn't be the focus of your studies. You'll find you learn much, much more by focusing on the processes you use to reach the solution. You'll also be much, much more confident in your abilities to handle such a question. After all, the devil is in the details.

While being goal-oriented is nice and all, once you perfect the relevant "process" (in this case, the methods used to solve various problems) you will not only reach that particular goal, but every other goal you set your mind to.

[dliving]

Thank you for that post. Today is the day I am supposed to start studying again and I needed a little push to overcome the inertia. I learned about just fixing those problem spots. I dont know if I want to do whole associate/fellowship thing anymore, but this exam is still waiting for me to ace it.

[Zahratu]

Well thank you for that post ndruo it's really up liftting. I am studying for the september sitting right now and I need all the encouragment i can have.

[dliving]

I'm serious about that valium remark.

[dliving]

Do you recall any other details about the question?

I recall that it ''''ed. :laugh: