While it is deeply gratifying to hear from anyone who just passed their exam, my favorite feedback comes from people who passed on their second, third, fourth, or more attempt. Within that group, we work with people in a variety of situations.
Some of them used our online seminar last sitting, while others used other resources and came to us for the first time. Either way, it just feels extra good that we were able to help them overcome the adversity of failing an exam—an agony only another actuary can fully understand.
The vast majority of today’s FSAs failed at least one exam. Failing is no reflection of your intellect and no indication of your ability to succeed in the future. If anything, failing builds strength for the future, and when you go on to pass later, you become equipped with the confidence to overcome adversity in the future when you encounter it again.
Often, just making small adjustments to your study process or environment in one or two key areas can make all the difference. But before you can do that, it’s worth going over your previous approach to identify areas for potential improvements. Click here to see more.
Your most valuable resource: study time
I think the one universal challenge everyone faces today is the scarcity of distraction-free time—both at work and home. I was lucky that I completed my exams before social media became a mainstay in our lives. I was also crafty at finding good hiding places to study at my company—usually well away from from the actuarial department and anyone inclined to ask me questions.
It’s worth emphasizing that “hiding” at work (for this purpose) is not unprofessional. If anything the ability to protect your study time represents the utmost professionalism. After all, until you reach FSA, you aren’t just an employee in the conventional sense. You are a professional exam-taker. You are literally being paid to study.
You owe it to both yourself and your principals to guard your time and make it count. A high quality, uninterrupted study hour is worth four hours of scattered attention. Every hour you make count is a small win along the path to a greater victory. Even though you still have to show up and perform on exam day, I truly believe exams are passed in the process leading up to the exam. Managing and prioritizing study time is the central success factor in that process.