You know the feeling you get right after an exam is over? Regardless of how you think you did on the exam, you just want to relax, catch-up on your favorite television shows and forget all about exams until results come out and it's time to start studying for the next sitting. Maybe the last thing you want to do is to go to the CAS Web Site and fill out a survey about the exam that you just took. You wonder what the results are used for anyway. Well, those exams surveys do matter. This article will attempt to explain some of the ways that the results are used and why your feedback is important.

...the exam surveys provide a means for exam-takers to voice their opinions and offer much useful information to those planning and preparing the CAS exams.

After each exam sitting, the CAS posts the exam survey on its Web site for approximately two weeks. Roughly one third of candidates sitting for CAS exams in 2005 responded to the survey. The survey asks for feedback on a wide range of issues regarding the particular exam. Results are tabulated and distributed to the CAS Vice President of Admissions and the various admissions committees, including the Candidate Liaison, Examination, and Syllabus Committees. Results of the survey are used for many purposes. Survey feedback on the quality of exam sites is used for planning future exam sites. The Candidate Liaison Committee reviews survey results for issues of interest or concern to candidates. The survey also provides much helpful information to the Examination and Syllabus Committees. While the survey is not intended for comments on errors in specific exam questions (which should be sent directly to the CAS Office), results of the survey are compiled and distributed to Examination Committee Part Chairs prior to grading sessions. Part Chairs review these results in case there are any issues with particular exam questions or exam sites. The Examination Committee is also interested in feedback on exam clarity, difficulty, length, and syllabus coverage. The committee uses this information for preparing subsequent exams.

How many of you have said to yourself after an exam, "If only I knew there was that question at the end, I would have gotten more points"? In response to survey comments such as this on exam length, the Examination Committee recently added a reading period to the exam.

The Syllabus Committee continuously reviews the syllabus readings for each exam and therefore monitors exam survey results, seeking feedback on which readings are valuable and which are considered to be of questionable quality to exam-takers. The Syllabus Committee also reviews the survey results for comments on particular readings to determine if candidates find these readings unclear, too long, out-dated or repetitive with other readings. Comments on which readings are considered well-written are also helpful to the Syllabus Committee when they are seeking authors for new papers.