Exam P
Exam P
Everything You Need To Pass
Coaching Actuaries gives you the tools to study smarter and pass the Probability Exam.
Your Coaches
Here To Help
Meet our team of expert coaches who will guide you through
Exam P.
Dave Kester, FSA, MAAA
Exam P Video CoachAttained FSA via the ILA TrackI’ve been helping aspiring actuaries for more than 20 years. When I’m not teaching, I like to read, run, and listen to good math stories. When I was preparing for the actuarial exams, there was nothing like Coaching Actuaries. Now, we combine teaching and technology to guide the next generation of actuarial students.
Product Team
Jon Lai
Exam P Product ManagerM.S.I've been connected with Coaching Actuaries since my last semester at Drake University in the fall of 2012. I enjoy learning about a plethora of things, particularly on YouTube. Answering questions gives me a lot of insight to the topic being explained as well as the way people think. It is thrilling when a concept clicks in my head, or when I see it click in others.
Exam P Overview
What To Expect
Exam Details
30 Computer-based, multiple-choice questions
Registration Deadline
December 12, 2023 (Midnight CST)
Exam Duration
3 Hours
Next Available Sitting
January 11-22, 2024
Before the Exam
Exams You Should Pass First
None. P is an ideal first exam for aspiring actuaries, along with Exam FM. Note that P requires knowledge of basic univariate calculus.
Exam P Offerings
P is offered 6 times per year in the odd months (January, March, etc.).
How Do I Register?
- Register online at www.soa.org before the registration deadline.
- Wait 3-5 business days to receive an email confirmation letter.
- Schedule a seat at a Prometric Center.
Learn more about how to register for official SOA exams on their website.
Highest-Weighted Concepts
Questions related to these concepts will appear the most on the exam.
- Common Discrete and Continuous Distributions
- Normal Approximation
- Conditional Distributions
Tip from Coach Baron
“If you love math, start with Exam P. If you love finance, start with FM.”
Tip from Coach Chin Yew, FSA
“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.”
Tip from Coach Jon, M.S.
"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."
Day of Exam
What To Bring:
- A government-issued photo ID that includes a signature
- Recommended Calculator: TI-30XS MultiView
(See Other Options)
Tip from Coach Shi Yi, FSA
"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."
After the Exam
Getting Your 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.
Next Steps
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.
