Exam P Details

Below we’ll lay out everything you need to know for your P exam from registration details to exam day to what to do after you receive your results.

Prerequisites

None. P is an ideal first exam for aspiring actuaries, along with Exam FM. Note that P requires knowledge of basic univariate calculus.

Exam Offerings

P is offered 6 times per year in the odd months (January, March, etc.).

Exam Format

30 Computer-based, multiple-choice questions

Exam Duration

3 Hours

Registration Info

Register online at www.soa.org before the registration deadline.



Upcoming exam windows and registration deadlines


  1. Nov 8, 2024

    Register by Oct 8, 2024
  2. Jan 13, 2025

    Register by Dec 11, 2024
  3. Mar 14, 2025

    Register by Feb 12, 2025

Exam Day and Results: Things To Keep In Mind

Don't forget your must-haves for exam day! Know what to bring and what to do after you pass the exam

What to Bring

  • A government-issued photo ID that includes a signature
  • Recommended Calculator: TI-30XS MultiView
    (See Other Options)

Exam Results

After you complete your exam, you will receive a preliminary Pass-Fail result. This is not your official final result.

After approximately 8 to 11 weeks, the SOA will release the list of passing candidates' ID numbers. A few days after this list has been published, you will be able to see your final score in your official SOA transcript when you log into the SOA website.

Passing the Exam

If P was the first exam you’ve taken, you should take FM next, the other introductory exam. If you have passed FM, your next exam will depend on the actuarial society from which you wish to earn your designation.

SOA Track

Consider taking FAM or SRM. FAM should be followed by your choice of ALTAM or ASTAM. SRM should be followed by PA.

CAS Track

MAS-I is the next exam on your path to the ACAS designation.

Expert Tips: Helpful insights from our coaches

Our coaches know this exam inside and out. Check out their expert tips for achieving a passing score.

  • Photo of Shi Yi Wong

    Stay calm during the exam, even if you see questions you don't know. Remember, you don't need to get every question right to pass. Just try to get those you know right, because every question is weighted equally.

    Photo of Shi Yi WongShi Yi Wong Content Coach
  • Photo of Baron Cao

    Understand the concepts as much as possible rather than memorizing them. Work on more practice problems to learn the method to tackle different types of questions.

    Photo of Baron CaoBaron Cao Content Coach
  • Photo of Jon Lai

    P is uniquely challenging because there are usually many different ways to solve a single problem. Students become more prone to making mistakes due to this. Thus, it's best to stick to one strategy, but you'll need to determine what that will be.

    Photo of Jon LaiJon Lai Product Manager

Course Offerings: Topics and weights

  1. 26%

    In General Probability, you will learn the core building blocks for this exam and beyond. What is an event? How do you work with multiple events? What if those events are related?

    You will take your counting skills to the next level with the advanced technique of combinatorics. Once you learn Bayes Theorem, you can update your prior beliefs with new information.

    • 14 Efficient, bite-sized Learning Manuals
    • 141 Minutes of high-quality Learning Videos
    • 5 Assignment Questions
    • 270 Quiz and Exams questions
  2. 41%

    If you need probabilities for more than a few events, you can use distributions. Distributions can be discrete or continuous. You will learn properties of the distribution, from means to moments.

    You will also work with common distributions like Poisson and exponential. These distributions have well-defined properties and unique characteristics.

    • 50 Efficient, bite-sized Learning Manuals
    • 440 Minutes of high-quality Learning Videos
    • 18 Assignment Questions
    • 522 Quiz and Exams questions
  3. 26%

    Why limit yourself to a single random variable when you can have several? You'll learn the difference between conditional and marginal probability density functions. You can't have multiple variables without considering covariance.

    • 25 Efficient, bite-sized Learning Manuals
    • 234 Minutes of high-quality Learning Videos
    • 10 Assignment Questions
    • 324 Quiz and Exams questions
  4. 7%

    In this short section, you will learn basic insurance mechanics. Deductibles, policy limits, and coinsurance are all methods to lower the cost of insurance.

    • 12 Efficient, bite-sized Learning Manuals
    • 89 Minutes of high-quality Learning Videos
    • 4 Assignment Questions
    • 102 Quiz and Exams questions

We're just getting started

Now that you're armed with Exam P insights, let's get your studies started! From video lessons and manuals to practice exams and question bank, find everything you need to achieve a passing score.

Course Pricing