A Strategy to Pass Exam P and other CBT Preliminary Exams

 

Exam P Pass

In my opinion, the difference between a pass and a fail can often come down to test-taking strategy. If you don’t have a good strategy, then you are at a serious disadvantage. The first thing to realize is that for preliminary CBT exams all questions count the same. That means answering the easiest question correctly is worth just as much as answering the hardest question on the exam. Since an easy question is just as likely to show up at the end of the exam as at the start, it is imperative that you give yourself time to attempt every problem on the exam.

Consequently, you must be willing to skip a problem. I realize that the actuarial field is comprised of smart people who may have never skipped questions in their scholastic careers, but I believe that being unwilling to skip a question is one of the best ways to fail your exam. If you read a problem and don’t have a clear picture in your mind of how to solve it, then skip it. If you read a problem and you are confused about the wording of even a single sentence, then skip it. If you read a problem but can’t think of an elegant solution, and the one you have outlined in your head is long and tedious, then skip it. Continue reading