Forget what you learned in English 101 for FSA exams

Here is another very good question I got by email recently:

I’m finding myself a bit confused by the “describe” verb on FSA exams. Whenever I see this, I’m always tempted to write in complete sentences (and often paragraphs), which obviously soaks up some of my time. But when I look at a lot of sample solutions (yours as well as the SOA’s), I see a lot of bulleted items. I’m always scared of bulleting my “describe” answers because I’m worried it’ll look like listing.

Do you have any guidance on this? Does it still count as “describing” if my bulleted answer contains partial sentences, as long as each bullet doesn’t contain single words?

Bullets are absolutely fine. I understand the desire to want to write a nice looking response, but the SOA does not require this or even expect it in most cases. It is much more important to get the key points down. There just isn’t enough time for editing and writing proper prose under exam conditions. :)

Here is what the SOA has to say about using bullets in the Guide to SOA Written Exams:

Use bullet and number lists when appropriate. Well-constructed sentences and paragraphs are not essential, as long as your points are made. However, there may be times when formal writing is needed, such as a question that asks you to draft a brief report.

Be sure bullet and number lists are consistent with the verb. For example if you are asked to explain something, lists of one or two-word items are not sufficient.

I would also add, however: Even if you are writing complete sentences to explain something, don’t lose time trying to format it into neat paragraphs in the way you might for an essay. It is totally fine to write complete sentences on individual lines, even in bullet form like:

  • The PV of benefits > PV costs
  • Therefore company ABC should pursue this project
  • However, they will need to reevaluate in one year after other costs are known

Again, this is not “fit” to publish in a book, but it gets down key points with minimal friction in the writing process itself.

On exam day, time is of the essence, so definitely don’t make writing responses more time-consuming than it already is! :)