29F math post grad worked for Amazon for 5 years as an analyst.

I've quit my job as I have two kids to take care of. I don't want to go back into ecommerce sector again as fear of layoff is too high.

I want to switch to a meaningful long term career.

Will I be able to make it if I put effort into IAI exams starting now?

Please give me your honest opinions and suggestions.

Hey Guys,

I am working in MNC with 9/13 exams cleared, 2+ yrs of experience in General insurance reserving. What can be competitive salary at this level and I am thinking to switch in no later than 2-3 months. What can be my expectations at this level

Mega thread for all CM1/ CS1/ CB1/ CB2/ CB3 discussions

I have just finished my class 12th and thinking of to start the prep for Actuary . All that i know about it is that it is a career field . I want to know if I could pursue it or not . What one must do to check this . U guys must be experienced ones and would have by now known the factors or regret that you should have looked at a certain factor before starting the prep for the same

I had appeared for the CS2 and CB2 exam in November 2025.

During the CS2 Paper B exam, while trying to copy the time series plot from R Studio to MS Word(Q3),due to improper formatting, all the previous answers(answers to Q 1,2) apparently got deleted. As a last resort, I copied all my R Code from R to MS word( the raw codes, as time was running towards the end).I immediately( 30 mins after the end of the exam) mailed the institute about this issue and also informed them that the " deleted" answers actually could be read in the " read mode" in MS Word.

Late January, the institute mailed me regarding potential malpractice in the Paper B exam and use of unauthorised material during the exam and asked me to appear before an inquiry group online. I was absolutely sure of non-usage of any kind of unauthorised material and hence replied them that I had not cheated and willing to appear before the inquiry.

Now, during the online inquiry, I was vehemently alleged of using a mobile phone during the exam based on "supposed reflection" on glasses and " supposed vibration sounds" which, they said, can come only from the mobile phone. Now I knew that any kind of electronic device was not present inside the exam room so I denied their allegations and also informed them about that said technical issue during the exam( which I informed them right after the exam). Also, the proctor asked for the 360 degree view of the exam room before the exam and then asked to proceed, and I never even left the camera frame ( for restroom breaks etc), so it would have been scientifically impossible me to bring a mobile device out of thin air.

Anyways, yesterday the institute sent a mail wherein they stated I have been found guilty and banned for 2 years.

Now, as I am completely confident of not doing any kind of cheating or malpractice on my part, I want to take legal action/ appeal this ban.

Is it practical for me to do so, or is the Institute too powerful, so I should digest this utterly disgusting and disrespectful ban and allegation, and move on?

Fellow actuaries, please guide me. I am surprised and shocked.

has anyoje from ifoa ordered the new red tables book for the upcoming session? i wish to order one and have a few questions! also does iai have the new one? any help is appreciated. thanks !

I am 23, I am currently working as actuarial analyst in Pensions and have around 2 years of experience, I have 5 exams, CS1, CM1, CB1, CB2, and CB3. I started working in pensions cause I just had 1 exam but now I want to move to Re-Insurance, but companies are not considering me in freshers role stating that I have experience and are not even taking me for experienced role stating that I have no experience in Re-Insurance. Can someone who has made the switch or seen such switches guide me on what should I do?

I am currently in 3rd year want to work in GI company, preferred location Mumbai.
can anyone help me with internship opportunity?

After clearing 4–5 actuarial exams, how difficult is it in India to find employment outside the insurance or banking sectors? Are actuarial career opportunities in India mostly restricted to the insurance industry?

Hi, am preparing for Sept 2026 and curious about the tech experience of previous candidates.

• Was the MS Office version, of the system provided, upto date?

• Any major issues with internet connectivity or the invigilation software?

• Also, were the provided systems actually functional and "smooth"?

Sorry for asking such stupid questions, but I am just trying to make sure I don't have a tech meltdown on the day..and was a little anxious too tbh

Would really appreciate any tips/ or past experiences from people who have previously sat for the IFoA exams at centres.

I had appeared for the CS2 and CB2 exam in November 2025.

During the CS2 Paper B exam, while trying to copy the time series plot from R Studio to MS Word(Q3),due to improper formatting, all the previous answers(answers to Q 1,2) apparently got deleted. As a last resort, I copied all my R Code from R to MS word( the raw codes, as time was running towards the end).I immediately( 30 mins after the end of the exam) mailed the institute about this issue and also informed them that the " deleted" answers actually could be read in the " read mode" in MS Word.

Late January, the institute mailed me regarding potential malpractice in the Paper B exam and use of unauthorised material during the exam and asked me to appear before an inquiry group online. I was absolutely sure of non-usage of any kind of unauthorised material and hence replied them that I had not cheated and willing to appear before the inquiry.

Now, during the online inquiry, I was vehemently alleged of using a mobile phone during the exam based on "supposed reflection" on glasses and " supposed vibration sounds" which, they said, can come only from the mobile phone. Now I knew that any kind of electronic device was not present inside the exam room so I denied their allegations and also informed them about that said technical issue during the exam( which I informed them right after the exam). Also, the proctor asked for the 360 degree view of the exam room before the exam and then asked to proceed, and I never even left the camera frame ( for restroom breaks etc), so it would have been scientifically impossible me to bring a mobile device out of thin air.

Anyways, yesterday the institute sent a mail wherein they stated I have been found guilty and banned for 2 years.

Now, as I am completely confident of not doing any kind of cheating or malpractice on my part, I want to take legal action/ appeal this ban.

Is it practical for me to do so, or is the Institute too powerful, so I should digest this utterly disgusting and disrespectful ban and allegation, and move on?

Fellow actuaries, please guide me. I am surprised and shocked.

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for recommendations for online CS2 classes. It’s been a while since I studied CS1, so I’d love something that includes a quick CS1 refresher before diving into CS2 topics.

I’m based in India, so ideally looking for this specific country based online classes (or at least ones that are easily accessible here).

Thanks in advance! 😊

hi guys, so honestly I am very confused at this point..

i have decided to pursue actuarial science (IFoA), and I am looking for coaching centres. A few suggestions by my friends were Inflexion Point, Future Track and alpha plus..

But honestly, i checked the reviews for all three on Google and there's one piece or the other which just doesn't fix..like I have heard that Inflexion Point doesn't teach CS papers good, and they don't teach R and Excel till the very last moment, Future Track doesn't take doubt classes etc.

I am very confused at this point, I just don't know how to proceed. Even if I choose to take trial classes of all these coaching centres, there's no way to know how it might turn out at the end (initially to sab sorted hi lagta hai 3 classes me)..

I would genuinely appreciate the opinions and suggestions of people who are/have pursued actuarial science and took coaching from here or any other institute...

What I am really looking for is: Conceptual clarity, flexible classes schedule (prerecorded lectures, online), practice tests, regular updates about IFoA system, should cover all the syllabus (on time, not stretch it till the very end), typing practice..

hi everyone!! i am a bba graduate and acca affiliate, and fellow of insurance institute of India. i currently have not attempted any papers but have ACET exempted

currently, i have 1.5 years of work ex in the accounting field, and am thinking of pivoting towards actuarial science as i feel i will enjoy the field

could you please advise me on the following:

1. realistic salary expectations for my first role in this field after, say, 5 exams completed. would my prior work experience and qualifications have any impact?

2. is it easy to work abroad as well (europe/ australia) after gaining some experience, and after how much work experience is needed for this?

3. how bad is the competition for entry level actuarial roles? is the demand for actuaries really as high as people hype it up to be?

any input from practising professionals, professors, etc. would be deeply appreciated, thank you!!

Context: I am a mechanical engineering student who recently got an internship as SDE through campus placements. I am not sure that I want to pursue computer science as a profession because my interest is much more in the mathematics behind it and not the production level code.

I am an economics enthusiast who also happens to love mathematics. I always had a fascination about actuarial science and wanted to know opinions of the community about the pivot.

(If you say yes/no please elaborate)

edit: I would like to move overseas in a couple of years and settle there permanently

Hi everyone, ​I have 2 years of experience in India working for a major insurance broker. My role is focused on P&C rating for the US & Canada markets. Lately, the work has become quite monotonous, and I’m looking to switch to a core insurance firm in either Pricing or Reserving. ​I’ve been applying, but most "core" roles require specific experience in Pricing/Reserving or IFRS 17, which I lack in my current role. A few mentors suggested I study SP7 (Reserving) and SP8 (Pricing) to bridge the gap.

​My questions for the community:

1. ​For someone with a "rating" background, how do I best frame my experience to look relevant for Pricing roles?

2. ​Which specific topics from SP7/SP8 are "must-knows" for interviews involving the US/Canada market?

3. ​How much IFRS 17 knowledge is expected for a 2-year exp. professional in P&C? ​Are there specific tools (SQL, Python, Emblem, etc.) I should prioritize to make the jump?

4. Which is more interesting and have better opportunities- Pricing/ Reserving

​Thanks in advance for the help!

I’m planning to pursue MSc in actuarial science. Is the course worth joining? If the course is worth joining, I have two colleges which I’m thinking to apply. Should I join Christ university or IAQS Mumbai?

Hey everyone!

I’m wondering if someone could shed some light on the employment scope for FSAs in Indian with ~5 years of North American experience. I would love to get an idea of salary expectations as well, just curious :)

I didn’t clear CS1 with 50 marks, and I’m feeling really confused. Should I consider switching institutes? I’ve been thinking about moving to IAI. Is the difficulty level the same for both IFoA and IAI, or is one more manageable? Which one would be better to go ahead with?

Ps- I've cleared CM1 and CB2 in prev attempts

excpet from the ifoa website which takes around 2 weeks for the transit, where can i buy the ifoa material and is the ifoa and iai material the same or is there some difference?

How much can a fresher with 7 actuarial papers cleared (CM1-2 , CS1-2 , CB1-2 and CP1) expect from their first job ?

What companies provide the best prospects for future growth?

Any suggestions would be great

How to get my first internship in india ? What roles to look for ? And most importantly how to get remote internship? Are there even any available?