If you took both P and FM

[cactus smash]

Is P easier or FM?

[maryland]

Although I voted P, I feel it could go either way. As I've had a lot more experience with probability than finance, I found P easier but I imagine some feel FM is easier.

[MathForMarines]

I voted for FM, but I took it when it was a 2 hour exam with no financial econ, and it had both a shorter syllabus and easier content. A lot of the problems can be solved by drawing a timeline and/or using the preset functions on your BA II plus, also no calculus is required except for the force of interest, which is rarely tested.

[Ken]

FM is all plug and chug. P requires thinking.

[lechatnoirxvii]

I agree, exam P required a lot more in the way of understanding. FM was more automatic. Much different material but if we were comparing apples to oranges, oranges (FM) wins in my book.

[kahosit]

I voted for exam P. Honestly...I think the material for exam FM was a lot simpler, except for the markets derivatives part. Exam P had too much variations. If it was just studying, I would say that FM is easier, but after taking the exams it seemed to me that exam FM was a lot harder than P.

[sohpmalvin]

I voted for exam P. Honestly...I think the material for exam FM was a lot simpler, except for the markets derivatives part.

Really? I feel totally the opposite: Derivatives Markets parts are just a bonus so that I could get more marks in exam. I think this is a strong implication that whether or not P is easier, it depends on each individual.

I used to say that FM is much much easier than P. However, I don't now. There are many who passed FM at first try, yet failed P for many times, and there are also many who passed P at first try, yet failed FM for many times.

[Akki]

I took the new FM in Nov 07 & P in Feb 08.
My experience says that FM is much easier than P.

[binky_4me]

i voted for p since i passed it the 1st try 4 yrs after i graduated and i'm on my 4th stab at fm. i do see why some people say fm is easier. had i given it my all the 1st time i took fm (nov '06 before the change), i wouldn't have to keep trying to grasp the derivatives market info which is why i'm struggling now. :confused-:

[mcgruff]

I haven't found out if I passed FM yet (I passed P earlier this year and took FM in May), so if I failed FM, then, well, my vote would be for that as the harder exam. But based on how sure I was in passing one time expired for each exam, I felt more sure of passing FM than I did of passing P. What's more, I probably spent more time studying P than FM, even though I already knew a lot more about probability than financial math.

BTW, if I end up failing FM, I think it's going to be because of messing up the financial derivative questions, not the financial math questions, where I almost always got an answer that was a choice.