How to study when you have no idea when or if your exam will take place

Well that’s certainly one blog post title I never imagined writing! But here we are.

I’ve gotten several emails asking me for advice on how to proceed for the spring exam. My general recommendation is to focus mostly on concept-based learning right now. Due to the timing of events, most people had completed their first pass through the course lessons. If you’re in this group, I recommend just going back to the beginning and using this extra time to firm up your conceptual understanding as much as possible. I would put off any heavy duty memorization until we have a firm exam date. Memorization is more of a short-term memory exercise, so I think it has less value until you have a concrete exam date to target.

I’m hoping we have a firm decision on the spring exam by end of April, but if we end up crossing into May without a firm date (and the exam is still on), at that point I would start allocating more time to memorization in case the exam gets scheduled on the early end of the June-Sept time frame.

Hopefully this makes sense and gives you some structure to work within. I think above all else, it’s critical to form a structured plan and try to stick with that. This will give you a greater sense of control and probably help you get more out of each study hour. I also recommend sticking with a regimented at-home study schedule if your plan is to continue studying (e.g. allocate specific blocks of the day to study and don’t study outside that). During study time, put your phone in another room and do your best to tune out this crazy world we’re in right now!

If you are simply unable to focus on studying right now, don’t beat yourself up! This is an unprecedented situation, and none of us go a day without worrying about something. It’s OK to be worried, and it’s OK to exercise your option to defer your spring registration to fall if that’s a better strategy given your personal circumstances. 

Understanding your exam-taking options in 2020 (as of right now)

The current statements by the SOA, which were made following the decision to postpone the spring 2020 sitting, create an unique opportunity for anyone who has not yet registered for the spring exam. Note that you can still register for the spring exam through the original registration deadline, Mar 23. That hasn’t changed.

Also, be aware that anyone registered for the spring exam (regardless of when they actually registered) will have 3 options this year:

  1. Do nothing and take the spring exam whenever it is reschedule
  2. Cancel and get a refund after the new “spring” date is announced 
  3. Choose to apply the exam fee to a future exam sitting (e.g. fall 2020)

All things considered, registering for the exam right now during this window seems like a smart play. It’s a rare opportunity to have several options with when you take the exam.

If you don’t register by Mar 23, your next opportunity will be the fall 2020 sitting. Currently every aspect of the fall sitting is still on as planned, which would include the usual registration deadline on Sept 23 (plus or minus a few days).

As for your TIA online course, you will also be able to use it for either the rescheduled spring exam or the fall 2020 sitting if you elect to switch your spring registration to fall registration with the SOA. What’s more, anyone who purchases their course from mid-March forward will have the rare opportunity to take the exam twice using their original access period, while still having a free extension saved for spring 2021 if needed.

Spring exams postponed until summer

As you probably saw, today the SOA announced that the spring exam has been postponed until summer. During this time of uncertainty, we want you to be certain of at least one thing: If you purchased any of our products for the spring 2020 sitting, we will be extending your expiration dates through the new date once it becomes known.

Also, anyone who purchases any of our exam prep courses as of today forward will be guaranteed access through the fall exam date.

Please let us know if you have any questions at all. Good luck, and most importantly, stay safe and healthy!

SOA updates on COVID-19

Today the SOA created a dedicated page to give COVID-19 updates. The SOA also sent an email today with the subject “COVID 19 Update for SOA Members and Candidates.” This is what the email had to say specifically about exams:

Registration for SOA spring 2020 examinations remains open. We are closely assessing the situation we face and will be making decisions about the exams by the end of March. As with our meetings, if candidates have registered for an exam and are unable to sit due to COVID 19 (or we have decided to delay the exam sitting) all registration fees will be refunded or applied to the next exam sitting of the candidate’s choice. We are also assessing whether we will be able to hold currently-scheduled FACs and will inform candidates of those decisions as well.

Candidates in mainland China scheduled for CBT (computer-based testing) exams now through March 31 can reschedule or cancel their exams with no penalty.

We are taking this situation seriously, and are monitoring its evolution very closely, alongside all of our partners. I will be sharing additional communications with you directly in the coming days. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the SOA Customer Service Center at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns.