suggested texts

[Susan Lo]

I have go through all the suggested texts given in the SOA website but i don't know which one is better for me to prepare for p1 exam. Can anyone guide me on this? Thanks.:laugh:

[dmbfan41]

i'd recommend using a manual for P

[Peter Hallum]

I haven't taken P/1 yet, but I've been studying out of:

Introduction to Mathematical Statistics (Hogg...Craig)

and

A Probability Course for the Actuaries (Finan)

A google search of the second title will yield it in PDF form (legally). However, while people from my school have passed using the first book above, I don't know anyone who's used Finan's book. I will say that the information is very similar to that in Hogg but has a few type-o's and obtuse expanations. Be wary, if you've had some experience studying probability I think you'll be able to study off of the Finan book... if not, a more polished product may be worth the money.

Again, I'm not speaking from experience.. These are just the resources I've been using. Good luck.

[NoMoreExams]

I have go through all the suggested texts given in the SOA website but i don't know which one is better for me to prepare for p1 exam. Can anyone guide me on this? Thanks.:laugh:

It really depends on your background, have you ever taken anything related to the material or are you just jumping in fresh? The suggested texts found here: http://soa.org/files/pdf/edu-2008-fall-exam-p.pdf (that I'm sure you've seen) will teach you pretty much the same thing. However the ones that I've heard really positive things about are:

Probability for Risk Management, (Second Edition), 2006, by Hassett, M. and Stewart, D., Chapters 1–11.
Probability: The Science of Uncertainty with Applications to Investments, Insurance and Engineering 2001, by Bean, M.A., Chapters 1–9.

Learning the theory is only half the battle. SOA questions have a way of being worded that can stump you if you've never seen them before so that is why a lot of people recommend getting a study manual because the authors present the theory and give a lot of examples/problems to work through that would get your mind trained to recognize how to use the givens to solve the problems.