Actuarial Science certification exams
An actuary is a business professional who studies the financial ramifications of risk. Actuaries study uncertain future events, particularly those affecting insurance and pension plans, using mathematics, statistics, and financial theory. Actuaries may work for insurance companies, consulting firms, government, large corporation employee benefits departments, hospitals, banks, and investment firms, or, more broadly, in businesses that need to manage financial risk. An Actuary’s career is better described as a “business” career with a mathematical foundation rather than a “technical” mathematical career.
Actuaries are problem solvers and strategic thinkers who use their mathematical abilities to estimate the likelihood and risk of future events. They use these abilities to forecast the financial impact of these events on a company and its clients. Simply put, an actuary manages risk. This entails analyzing data from the past and present to determine the likelihood of future events. Actuaries are frequently used to assess the likelihood of a scenario occurring, identify ways to reduce risk, and forecast the potential financial cost of an event. Actuaries are involved in all aspects of business, including insurance premium planning, pension plan calculation, and financial asset and liability management. They are also active in a variety of emerging fields, including data science, cybersecurity, and climate change.
Basic requirements for actuarial science certification exams
Actuarial Science students take a significant number of mathematics and statistics courses, as well as actuarial topics and some School of Management courses. Students should carefully consider electives that will complement an actuarial career in addition to the courses required for graduation. Additional courses from the School of Management, economics, computer science, or writing and communication courses, in particular, are extremely beneficial for an actuarial career. The program’s goals include ensuring that students are well prepared for the exams they take, that they are knowledgeable about their career and in technical areas, and that they have a well-rounded education. Furthermore, we hope that many students will have passed the Course 1 exam by January of their Junior year, which will help them when applying for internships, and at least one more exam by January of their senior year, which will help them when applying for permanent jobs.
You can become an actuary after successfully completing a series of requirements such as actuarial exams, VEE credits, e-learning components, and others. The path to completing ASA, CERA, and FSA is outlined below.
To complete the many hours of independent study required to prepare for each exam, it takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and motivation. While everyone studies differently, the average candidate studies for approximately 100 hours for each hour of the exam. Exam P/1, for example, is a three-hour exam. That means you will need to study for 300 hours to fully understand the concepts tested on the exam. On average, it takes 3-5 years to become an Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA) and 5-7 years to become a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) (FSA).
How do I register for the actuarial exam?
By visiting the following link: https://www.soa.org/education/exam-req/registration/edu-registration/, you must register for the exam with the Society of Actuaries by the published deadline. After your registration with the SOA has been processed, you will receive an automatic acknowledgment letter via email with your unique candidate/eligibility number for this administration. The candidate/eligibility number is NOT immediately activated. The SOA will email you a Letter of Confirmation once the number has been activated. You should schedule your exam center appointment with Prometric IMMEDIATELY at that point. You can schedule your test appointment after receiving your confirmation by going to: www.prometric.com/SOA.
Actuarial sciences degree
In Karachi, the University of Karachi, and The Institute of Business Management both offer actuarial science degrees. The University of Punjab in Lahore offers an actuarial science degree. In Pakistan, there are no formal tutors or training centres to help students prepare for the actuarial exams. Typically, students in Pakistan prepare for actuarial exams through self-study. Some universities in Pakistan will also prepare you for your first few exams.
However, in order to become a certified actuary, you must first pass a series of exams, VEE credits, e-learning modules, a project, and a seminar. However, you may be exempt from the Validation by Education Experience (VEE) requirement if you complete the approved courses at specific universities with a certain minimum grade (at least B- or accepted equivalent).
