As you are probably already aware, the CAS is moving MAS-I and MAS-II to a Computer-Based Testing (CBT) format. The first sitting in this new format will take place this fall on November 10th. With this format, you must first register for the exam with the CAS and then schedule your exam as soon as you receive your authorization to test (ATT) email from Pearson VUE.
Many details regarding the test-taking experience and an Exam Demo, are available on the Pearson VUE CAS specific website, here:
[https://home.pearsonvue.com/cas]
More information is available in the CAS CBT pdf file:
[https://www.casact.org/admissions/syllabus/CBT\_Exams\_Information.pdf]
Which currently seems to be the same as the FAQ:
[https://www.casact.org/cms/files/CBT\_Fall\_2020\_FAQ\_1.pdf]
I suggest that you read these carefully. Some highlights include:
– You can only take one calculator into the exam, nothing else. A locker should be provided for your other items.
– You will have a laminated legal-sized gridline scratch paper notebook with five pages (9 usable sides) (8.5”x14”) with a felt-tip pen (Staedtler Lumocolor, probably the 311 superfine point) (no erasing) for scratch work. I believe you can get up to two more of these to use during the exam if needed. Here is a video showing what this looks like:
[https://vimeo.com/423395167]
– The 15 minute reading period seems to have gone away. You will have 30 minutes for the exam tutorial, agreeing to the discipline policy, an introduction, and the post-exam survey. The exam itself will be 4 hours.
The exam Demo posted at the bottom of the page here is very valuable for us:
[https://home.pearsonvue.com/cas]
– Begins with a quick tutorial
– It allows up to 30 minutes to answer the 5 sample multiple-choice questions (from a MAS-I exam from a year or two ago).
– Most functionality (flagging, review, navigation) will be familiar from the SOA preliminary exam CBTs.
– Includes an on-screen version of the TI-30XS Multiview Calculator.
– Includes an on-screen “scratchpad” spreadsheet, with similar features to Microsoft Excel.
– Provides the ability to Highlight or Strikethrough question text.
First of all, the most important advice: Don’t Panic! Except for using non-erasable laminated scrap paper and answering the questions on the computer, it would be possible to ignore the other changes that are taking place. That’s comforting if you have been preparing for the exam in its traditional form – nothing you have learned needs to go to waste, and you can still rely on your calculator and the exam tables to compute everything that will be required on the exam. In fact, the overwhelming likelihood is that the exam you will see on November 10th is the exam that was written to be given in Spring 2020 before that sitting was canceled – so the exam writers probably had none of the new Pearson VUE functionality in mind when they wrote the Fall 2020 exam questions.
That said, I think we should try to take advantage of the spreadsheet scratchpad features as much as we can.
– Do even basic computations in the spreadsheet so that we can easily verify our values and more quickly return to our calculations throughout the exam.
– Lean heavily on the spreadsheet features for any problem that we would previously have considered using the DATA table in the calculator.
– Consider computing more exact values for our probability distribution and cumulative distribution functions instead of using the exam tables.
Here are my plans for addressing these issues in the TIA MAS-I course leading up to the Fall 2020 sitting on November 10th.
1. Bring all sample exams into the TIA CBT format (which reflects the SOA preliminary CBT exams). Goal: Early October
– Includes the ability to flag/mark problems
– Similar problem navigation and Review options
– Includes exam tables in image form, NOT pdf form.
– Will NOT include scratchpad spreadsheet
– Will NOT include an on-screen calculator
– Will NOT include highlighting/strikethrough
– Solutions will NOT be updated to include spreadsheet usage for the Fall 2020 sitting. I will try to update some of the videos where the spreadsheet will be the most useful, if possible.
2. Create a short series of PreRequisite Lesson videos in a new chapter called “From Calculator to Spreadsheet.” Each lesson will treat a common type of computation that we do either on the calculator or using the exam tables, and show how to do that kind of calculation using the ScratchPad Spreadsheet. Goal: Throughout September
3. Update the “Sample Exam Strategy Video” to include more information about using practice exams effectively to prepare for the new CBT experience. Goal: Early October
I’ll be back with more announcements to let you know about progress toward these course updates and address any other ideas or concerns that arise.
