Today I posted a new video series in the Introduction section of the online seminar with a number of tips on how to approach FSA exams. This is a series I’ve wanted to create for a while and finally found the time to put it together.
Honestly, I think it is ideal to watch these videos closer to when you start studying for a given FSA exam, but there are many tips in these videos that will still be beneficial to those of you who will be taking the exam in a few weeks, so I wanted to put these up now.
At a minimum, make sure you look through the “Meet the Verbs” videos because it is very important to understand that the “verb” in the exam question is telling you how to execute your answer for that question. I think many people lose points—sometimes even fail the exam—because they do not format their answer correctly based on the verb in the question.
Main theme in the first video: “these aren’t the prelims anymore” 🙂
- Understanding the format and time constraints of a fellowship exam
- Importance of practicing your handwriting
- Importance of time management
- Why it makes sense to focus on concepts over memorization
- The perils of having a “perfectionist” mindset with calculations and the source readings in general
Topics covered in the Meet the Verbs video include:
- The 4 cognitive levels used by SOA and the definitions of major verbs
- A verb “experience study” showing the relative frequency and point share for the major verbs that have appeared in past ILA exam questions
- Trends in calculation questions over time
- Specific examples of verb usage in past questions and how to format your answer for those