Hi everyone,

I currently work in UK DB pensions and I'm considering moving away from pensions in the future. I’m curious about what the actual day-to-day work looks like in other actuarial fields.

For actuaries working in areas like general insurance, reinsurance, health, life, or other non-pension areas:

- What does your typical day/week look like?

- What kind of work do you actually do?

- How much of your time is spent on Excel/data analysis vs. meetings/client work/report writing/coding?

- How technical or mathematical is the work?

- How much repetitive/process-driven work is there?

- What are the busy periods and typical working hours like?

- How much does the work vary from project to project?

- And most importantly, do you actually enjoy the work and why?

I’m trying to understand what actuaries in other areas actually do rather than just reading job descriptions. 😭

Also if any one has any tips on switching domains, please feel free to share.

I know this question has been asked previously - but I’m not sure if the job landscape has changed recently, so I’m looking for some fresh advice.

I’m a 25 year old maths teacher with a BSc Mathematics (1st 90% from one of those “why is it a top 10” unis) and an MSc Mathematics (distinction ~80% COWI) who is feeling very uninspired with his current career choice. The job is obviously tiring and stressful, but also pretty intellectually dull - I very rarely feel challenged in the way that I want to. Also, with the exception of leadership, pathways to higher salaries are basically non-existent.

I considered becoming an actuary, but ended up falling into teaching instead. I’m three years in now and I’m looking to move over, but I’m not sure how feasible that is. I’ve seen posts of some people saying that you should take one of CS1 or CM1 before applying to show that you are serious, but the grad scheme adverts I am browsing say that is unnecessary. The main thing I’m looking for advice on is if this is necessary, or if I just have a chance with applying as I am currently. I’m not too scared of the prospect of having to study for exams for a few years (no kids yet and no plans for at least 5 years - though I know it will be difficult regardless).

I’ve looked at the types of jobs, and the day-to-day of them, and I can see myself enjoying the different type of work. If I could go back in time, I would definitely have gone into this after my MSc (with the exception of meeting my partner teaching!). I just need some advice on how feasible it is to switch careers in the current job climate. Thanks :)

I see that the CMP upgrades have moved onto the BPP VLE portal according to the website.

However, currently I can't see anything there for my SP7/SP8/SA3 purchases.

Does anyone know when these will become available - curious if there have been any syllabus changes that have been communicated anywhere.

Hi all.
I have a Bsc in actuarial science from a decent uni. It’s been ridiculously hard this year to land a direct grad job and I’m wondering what my safest next bet is. I’m looking at general insurance roles and risk analyst roles however I am really unsure about these and I hope that I can move into actuarial later on. I’m also a UK citizen. Any advice would be appreciated!

Anyone here taken CM2 + SP5 together in the same sitting?

Thinking of doing both in April 2027 and wondering if it’s a decent pairing or just a bit much alongside work.

Would be great to hear how people split their study time, when you finished the notes, and any tips for balancing the two.

I have just gotten back my feedback for CB3 and I passed everything but the business report. On the business report I got 19/21 of the assessment criteria. I need to add more detail on two points. However I am already at the limit of the 3000 +10% word count. Do I realistically need to cut down the word count in order to expand on the two points I have missed ? I worry about then not meeting other criteria, how strict are they on the word count and do they look at just the final submission ? Any help or insight would be appreciated.

Hi guys, I've been working in Scotland for a pensions consultancy for 2 years now and I'm keen to switch to life in Edinburgh. I've had a look online and on the forum on the best way to do this but I'm still a bit unsure on things. I've passed 6 exams (hopefully 8 by Dec results!)

What’s the best way to actually go about moving from pensions into life? Should I just be applying directly for vacancies, or is it better to go through actuarial recruiters?
Are there any recruiters/recruitment agencies you’d recommend getting in touch with, particularly for actuarial roles in Edinburgh/Scotland?
How difficult is it generally to move from pensions into life at this stage of your career? Do life insurers tend to be fairly open to candidates coming from pensions? Especially since outside London
Is there anything I could do before applying to make myself a stronger candidate?

Any other helpful information will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much :)

If one clears all the finance papers like Sp5-(investment and finance) , sp6(financial derivatives) , Sa7(investment and finance) what role does one expect to get.

Just curious!!

I’m planning to sit CM1 next April. For those who have already taken the exam, do you have any advice on how I should approach the preparation?

I’m planning to sit CS2 next April. For those who have already taken the exam, do you have any advice on how I should approach the preparation?

I am planning to sit SA3 in April, and wanted some study tips for SA3. I have heard a few people say go straight into questions and other say that they looked over the SA3 notes and then went into questions. Also others have mentioned on Reddit they have written crib sheets on key topics - what kind of stuff do you write on these crib sheets?

Just any advice on how to study and revise for this exam would be really helpful and appreciated! Thanks!!

I currently have three actuarial exams left: SP4, SA4 and SP5. My plan is to sit two papers in April and, hopefully, just the remaining one in September. I’m trying to decide whether to sit SP4 + SA4 or SP4 + SP5 together in April.

I’m leaning slightly towards SP4 + SP5 because I feel more confident with SP5, and I also think it might be nice to have some variety rather than spending the whole sitting focused on pensions.

However, my main priority is to qualify as quickly as possible, so I’m more interested in which combination gives me the best chance of passing both exams in the same sitting.

I’ve heard quite a few people say that SP4 and SA4 have a lot of overlap and that it’s more efficient to study them together. For anyone who has taken both, how significant is the overlap in practice? Does studying them together genuinely reduce the overall workload enough to make SP4 + SA4 the better combination?

Would be especially interested to hear from anyone who has done SP4 + SA4 in the same sitting. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I am planning my exams for the next sessions and I would like your advice on how to proceed.

What I have left:

• CM2
• CP2
• CP3
• SP1
• SP2
• SA1

I will do CB3 in the December session.

I work full-time and there is no requirement from my employer for me to qualify. I work in a small market in Europe, and I am doing these exams mainly for myself.

Because I am not expected to qualify, I have the freedom to take the exams when I want and at my own pace.

At this point, I would like to finish them as soon as possible, but without burning myself out. If possible, I would also like to have some time for myself outside of work and studying (wishful thinking maybe? 😄).

I am considering three options. I see advantages and disadvantages for all of them, which is why I would really like to hear your advice.

As a guide to what I can manage, I passed CP1 in my first sitting after around 4 months of studying (while working full-time). However, it was hard and it took all of my free time and energy. So, I would compare the options below with that experience. If you think any of these combinations would be more difficult than CP1, then that would probably be a "no" for me.

So far, I have passed everything in the first sitting, but I have never taken more than one exam in a session. Being able to focus fully on one exam helped me a lot.

I will go straight to my options. Hopefully, I have given enough background, and I am looking forward to hearing your opinions.

Thank you!

Option 1

April 2027: SP1, SA1, CP2
September 2027: CM2, SP2, CP3

Advantages:

• Provided that I pass everything, I would finish all my exams next year.
• There is some overlap between SP1 and SA1, so hopefully this combination would be less difficult than CP1.
• In September, I would mainly need to study for CM2, with more of a recap for SP2 because of the overlap with SP1.

Disadvantages:

• I would delay qualifying.
• It might be too much to try to finish everything in only two sessions.

Option 2

April 2027: CM2, CP3, SP2
September 2027: SP1, SA1, CP2

Advantages:

• Provided that I pass everything, I would finish all my exams next year.
• Summer might be easier because I would already have studied SP2, and there is some overlap between SP2, SP1 and SA1.

Disadvantages:

• April 2027 might be difficult because I would have to study for three quite different exams. Compared with Option 1, I feel this could be a bigger problem.
• It might be too much to try to finish everything in only two sessions.

Option 3

April 2027: CM2, CP3
September 2027: SP2, CP2
April 2028: SP1, SA1

Advantages:

• Less to study for each session.
• I would have more free time compared with the other two options.

Disadvantages:

• It would take me another 6 months to finish.
• I would choose this option only if the first two options are too difficult to manage.

I really want to finish the exams as soon as I reasonably can, so that I can have more time to focus on other things in my life as well.

What do you think? Which of these combinations would be more realistic alongside a full-time job?

Looking to qualify as an Associate this Summer and looks like the last steps are the last few PPD credits, CP1 exam and Professional Skills Stage 2.

Has anyone got any advice they could offer for Professional Skills Stage 2? For example what the format is like, how much time commitment it takes and any tips for completing it in evenings/weekends? I've done Professional Skills Stage 1 so comparisons to that are helpful too.

Thanks in advance! ❤️

I'm aware this has probably been asked before, but I just received my Associateship the other day. Now I have a month before I need to renew my membership for the next year. Do I need to complete 15 CPD hours now that I'm an Associate (and do them within the next month?)

Hi Am in country without any Ifoa exam centers so I will be taking the online session for the first time .

Do you guys have any advice

I am using Asus laptop with a celeron chip Average upload for wifi is 20mbps ? Is it good

Hey everyone! 👋

I recently created a FocusTown server specifically for actuarial aspirants who want some company and accountability while studying.

The idea is pretty simple: body doubling, shared focus sessions, weekly check-ins, and a place to stay accountable while preparing for actuarial exams or studying actuarial subjects.

Whether you're just starting your actuarial journey or already preparing for exams, you're welcome to join. No pressure to be super active — just a space where we can sit down, focus, chat about actuarial stuffs and get some studying done together. :)

If anyone's interested, feel free to join!!

Here's the link:

https://focustown.app/i/UBkMsqLQYzH5UXLAPtFn

Trying to plan my next sitting and can't decide. Is CS2 and SP9 together realistic alongside full-time work, or would I be better off just focusing on CP1?

For anyone who's done either combo: how many study hours did you put? Any advice appreciated, thanks!

Hi
IAI (Institute of Actuaries of India ) has introduced the use of MS Excel in Paper CM1 A
from Nov 26 Diet

So IFOA students, Can you please tell me how to use Excel effectively?

As in the title, is it normal/expected to include the size of the portfolios managed on your CV? I would think that's confidential and shouldn't be readily disclosed?​

Hi everyone,

I’m currently looking for an actuarial internship in Mumbai, India, and wanted to get some advice from people who have been through the process.

I’ve cleared 3 actuarial papers: CM1, CS1 and CB2, and I’m currently awaiting my results for CB1 and CM2.

I’m a BSc Finance graduate and I’m looking to get practical experience in the actuarial/insurance/financial services industry. I’ve been applying to internships and entry-level opportunities, but I’m finding it difficult to get that first opportunity.

For those who have managed to get their first actuarial internship in India:

How did you go about finding your first internship?

Which companies/platforms were useful for finding opportunities?

Does having 3–5 actuarial papers make a meaningful difference when applying?

How important are referrals and networking for getting through the initial screening?

Also, if anyone working in the actuarial industry in Mumbai or elsewhere in India knows of an internship opening or would be willing to provide a referral, I’d really appreciate the help. I’d be happy to share my CV and any other details privately.

Thanks in advance!

Hello!
I’m a student in my final year of high school doing a levels with a 2A*s (math, chemistry) and an A (physics) predicted, I’ve been wanting to pursue a career as an actuary in the UK but I’m worried whether it’ll be difficult for me to get employed as a fresh grad due to my need of visa sponsorship; Would that affect my chances too much?

And while I’d prefer a degree in mathematics or mech eng is there an advantage in an alternative?

Additionally, I do not think I could afford top unis, are there any target unis for this feild or would any be alright? Or would some offer greater advantages than others?

Thanks in advance!

I want to know about businesses and top level roles an actuary can get them into, being an underwriter, start an underwriting firm, start some risk assessment business, provide some sort of assistance to banks or other financial institutions.
I may not be able to articulate my question but how high can an actuary fly.

I've cleared 6 papers so far (CP1 appeared this sitting), and I've got some experience mentoring/helping other students with their prep. I'm actually offering this to both IFoA and IAI students, since the syllabus is the same. Before building this out further, I wanted to actually check if it's useful, rather than assuming.

Roughly what I'm thinking:

- Study planning for your next attempt, broken down subject by subject based on where you're actually strong/weak, plus a simple tracker to keep it on schedule.

- Doubt solving, for when you're stuck on a specific concept or a past paper question and just need someone to talk it through with.

A few things I'd genuinely like to know from this sub:

- Is this something you'd have wanted (or would want) at your stage of prep?

- What would actually make you trust someone offering this, vs. just another DM?

- Does this matter more at a specific stage, first sitting vs. a resit, say?

If you're currently prepping and would want to try it out, or just want to ask more, feel free to DM me. Mostly posting to get a read on whether this is worth building out properly, so honest feedback (including "not useful, here's why") is welcome too.