Exam P: First attempt pass rate

[ajsnyder85]

I understand that the overall pass rate for exam P tends to be around 40% but I wonder how many people actually pass it on the first try. It took me 3 tries and everyone at my company either hasn't passed or didn't pass on their first try.

How many tries did it take you to pass exam P?

[leerobb1966]

At least you have a job already.
To me, you passed one of the most important exams.

[JCholet]

I understand that the overall pass rate for exam P tends to be around 40% but I wonder how many people actually pass it on the first try. It took me 3 tries and everyone at my company either hasn't passed or didn't pass on their first try.

How many tries did it take you to pass exam P?

I just passed it on the first try, but I put in a huge amount of study time and took many practice exams.

[tjbev1]

What type of company do you work for? (Sorry if that sounds sarcastic, I don't mean it to be) I have been told it is difficult to get a job prior to passing 2 exams. I'm still not sure which area/ type of company I want get into, but I did pass Exam P/1 on my first attempt and am planning on taking Exam FM/2 in May. I'm a mathematics teacher and want to finish the school year (I coach the baseball team too, so I don't want to leave them hanging!), but after that I hope to find a job before the next school year starts. Any advice on what types of companies are good to get started with? Thanks!

[bade0052]

What type of company do you work for? (Sorry if that sounds sarcastic, I don't mean it to be) I have been told it is difficult to get a job prior to passing 2 exams. I'm still not sure which area/ type of company I want get into, but I did pass Exam P/1 on my first attempt and am planning on taking Exam FM/2 in May. I'm a mathematics teacher and want to finish the school year (I coach the baseball team too, so I don't want to leave them hanging!), but after that I hope to find a job before the next school year starts. Any advice on what types of companies are good to get started with? Thanks!

Yes, I'm curious too. I passed P/1 in January on my first attempt and have had difficulties finding a job. I've heard of others that haven't passed a test but have a job. I even met someone a few weeks ago who has failed P/1 twice, but has had a job doing actuarial work for 2 years now!

I didn't mean to sound angry - really I'm just jealous - but I'm curious to know how people are getting jobs without passing 2 exams, let alone one.

[Chopin-Lover]

Passed on my first try, took a long time to prepare though. Btw, don't think this forum will be a good sample.

[Jeremy S]

first time i took exam p i was still in school as a math major and some friends of mine were taking it. i didnt know anything about being an actuary, and i didnt buy any of the books, or study guides. i only studied for a week, using past exams online, thinking that my math backround would get me through. no surprise, i failed. second time i passed with a little more prep.

[promathlete]

To those who haven't passed it yet:

Don't be discouraged. If you're good at math, and you practice a lot, you'll eventually pass. I didn't pass the first time either. Since it was my first actuary exam ever, I just didn't really know how to study or what to expect. I just used one of the textbooks that time. The next few times, I used ASM, which really helped because it had a lot of sample exam problems and a few practice exams. Practice makes a big difference. Each time I took the actual exam, my score went up until I eventually passed.

[McMayo]

I'm a student in mathematics graduating May 09', I've passed both P/1 and FM/2 exams (took two tries each), I'm sitting for the FME this month and still no job...

[Qing]

Passed at my third attempt. 1st attempt i did not study and neither did i know about the importance of manuals.