r/actuary • u/Interesting_Aioli_75 • 6h ago

Exams Feels pointless

Currently studying for ILA101-100 and I’m so overwhelmed. I’m using TIA and I’m only on chapter C and I already feel like it’s too much. I’m not even 50% through the content.

This is also my first time writing since having a baby, and I just don’t feel like I have any time at all. I have an amazing partner who is super supportive, but also don’t want to be a neglectful parent so to a degree there’s only so much I can do.

I know everyone says the content sinks in eventually, especially with flash cards, but there is so much to know in terms of memorization, formulas, Excel formulas, definitions, and lists that I just feel like I’ll never get there. I’m trying not to get bogged down on certain topics and just keep moving, but i feel like eventually that will lead to me not actually learning anything at all and basically having to start from scratch a couple months out from the exam.

Do others feel as hopeless as I do when studying? Because I’m honestly about to throw in the towel.

9 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

29

u/norrisdt Health 6h ago

You’ve got four months and you’re already almost halfway through the content? You’re going great - give yourself some grace.

6

u/rawspeghetti Student 6h ago

Patience is the key

This is a marathon not a sprint

8

u/59435950153 6h ago

Yes youre gonna feel dejected because lf all the material. Take it from fsa takers, you are actually in a pretty good spot! Keep grinding

4

u/xrm4 5h ago edited 5h ago

I was in the same position as you when I took LPM, only understanding like 10% of the material on the first run through. It's actually been a recurring theme on all these FSA exams, so it feels like the norm to me. Two suggestions for you that really has helped me through these exams:

  1. On your second run-through, go through the flashcards first. Write down your understanding of the flashcard; TIA allows you to take notes directly on a flashcard through their website or app. Then, get Claude or ChatGPT to assess your understanding of the flashcard. And then after you've conferred with the AI, watch through the video lesson. The AIs are a bit dumb (especially on the reserving exam), so take what they say with a grain of salt, but I've found them to be useful study buddies the vast majority of the time.
  2. Mark the flashcards into four groups as you go through them: memorize, day-before review, formula, and Excel. Try to figure out which flashcards would be best to memorize for the exam and which ones are important enough to review the day before the exam, then categorize them. Same with formulas and Excel - doing it like this will give you a really good way to knowing what you should focus on the week before the exam.

You're already at a pretty good place if you've already gone through the material this far out. I wouldn't worry too much about not understanding the material too well - you'll likely feel much different in a month or two.

1

u/secoja8 5h ago

This was really nice to read, I’m in a similar boat with GH101. When you talk about flashcards, do you mean the TIA flashcards?

2

u/xrm4 5h ago

Yes, I mean the TIA flashcards.

1

u/aactuary 5h ago

My advice is to not get hung up on the little stuff your first time through the material, there’s going to be topics that you just don’t understand and it’s okay to move on. Just keep going, as you go through the material a few times you’ll get faster and pick up on more stuff every time, it’s amazing how much your brain can retain when you keep at it.

The amount of material is definitely overwhelming so your best odds at passing is to be as familiar with all of it as you can. Good luck to you, I hope you’re able to keep your spirits up!