Syllabus of Basic Education
Exam Registration | The Examination | Grades and Accreditation | Code of Professional Ethics
Examination Rules - Registration
Exam Fees
Computer Based Testing (CBT)
Examination Centers
Languages Other Than English
Candidates with Disabilities
Refunds
Administration of Examinations
The CAS basic education structure has three Validation by Educational Experience (VEE) requirements, two online courses, nine examinations, and the Course on Professionalism. Exams 1/P, 2/FM, 3F/MFE, and 4/C are jointly administered by the CAS and the Society of Actuaries (SOA) through Preliminary Actuarial Examinations. The two online courses are available through The Institutes. Exams 3L and 5-9 and the Course on Professionalism are exclusively administered by the CAS. The Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA) cosponsors all the examinations except Exam 6-United States and Exam 6-Actuarial Institute of Chinese Taipei.
Filing of Applications and Deadlines
All candidates filing for an examination(s) must submit a signed application for each examination period. Both online registration and application forms are linked from the Exam Registration section of this Syllabus. Payment must accompany each application to be valid. Applications must be received by the registration deadlines stated in the Examination Schedule of this Syllabus. Please allow at least 10 working days for your mailed application to reach its destination. Whether payment is made by personal or company check, it is the candidate's responsibility to ensure that the application and fee are received by the stated deadline. Exceptions will not be made. Send applications as follows:
Jointly Administered Exams 1, 2, 3F, and 4
Exams 1/P, 2/FM, 3F/MFE, and 4/C are administered by Preliminary Actuarial Examinations for the CAS, CIA, and SOA. Candidates must submit a signed application for each examination session or register online. Fees should be remitted in U.S. funds (or equivalent) by check, money order, or credit card (American Express, MasterCard, or Visa). Please note that payment in Canadian currency may slightly delay the processing of the application.
For the joint exams, the candidate's letter of admission is also a tax receipt and should be retained after the exam if needed for tax purposes. Applications and online registration are linked from the Exam Registration page of the CAS website. Applications must be received by the published deadlines.
| Mail application with check or money order to: | Send application with credit card payment and all overnight deliveries to: |
|
Preliminary Actuarial Examinations/SOA P.O. Box 95600 Chicago, IL 60694-5600 |
SOA/Preliminary Actuarial Examinations 475 N. Martingale Road, Suite 600 Schaumburg, IL 60173 Telephone: 847.706.3500 |
Candidates may submit examination registrations for Exams 3L, and 5-9 by mail or online. Applications must be received by the published deadlines. Candidates submitting a hard copy of their registration should mail them as follows:
| Mail application with check or money order in U.S. funds or Canadian equivalent (payable to "Casualty Actuarial Society") to: | Send application with credit card payment (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express) and all overnight deliveries to: |
|
Casualty Actuarial Society P.O. Box 425 Merrifield, VA 22116-0425 |
Casualty Actuarial Society 4350 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 250 Arlington, Virginia 22203 Telephone: 703.276.3100 |
Candidates submitting their registrations online for Exams 3L and 5-9 must pay by credit card. All credit card payments will be processed in U.S. funds. Prior to completing an online application, candidates must submit an Electronic Signature Authorization Form (ESAF). By signing the ESAF, candidates agrees to be bound by the rules and regulations related to the examinations. It will also provide a signature of record for comparison to signatures on the individual examination envelopes. The ESAF is available in the Exam Registration page of the CAS website. Unless the candidate has a name change, the ESAF only needs to be submitted once. Candidates who intend to register online should submit their ESAFs at least one week prior to the exam registration deadline to allow for processing time.
Candidates will be sent an acknowledgment of receipt of their application within three weeks of the date that the application form was received at the CAS Office beginning in early February for April-May Examinations and early August for October Examinations. This acknowledgment is the candidate's receipt of exam fees paid. Please retain this acknowledgment for tax purposes if needed. Candidates that have not received an acknowledgment prior to the registration deadline should contact the CAS Office or their accounting department to ensure that their applications reached the CAS Office.
Online Courses 1 and 2CAS Online Courses 1/CA1 and 2/CA2 are available through The Institutes. When candidates register for the individual online course, the fee includes one attempt at the exam. Before registering for the exam, candidates must obtain their Master ID number from the CAS—it will be required to register for the exam. After progressing through the online course, candidates arrange for their exam by contacting:
-
The Institutes, Customer Service
720 Providence Road, Suite 100
Malvern, PA 19355-3433
Telephone: (800) 644-2101 or (610) 644-2100 ext. 6000
E-mail: CustomerService@TheInstitutes.org
CAS Online Courses page at The Institutes website: www.aicpcu.org/cas.htm
Name
Candidates must use their legal name on all examination registration materials and when corresponding with the CAS. Any change in name must be accompanied by acceptable documentation.
Fees
Examination fees must be paid each time a candidate registers for an exam. Payment options are described in a previous section, Filing of Applications. A $20 surcharge will be assessed for all returned checks. The charts below show the examination fee schedules for 2013 at the time of publication. All fees are listed in U.S. dollars and are subject to change. Other fees that may apply include fees for change of center, refund, and/or a special exam center.
| 2013 Examination Fees | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Full-Time Students | |
| Exam 1/P (CBT) | $200 | $200 |
| Exam 2/FM (CBT) | $200 | $200 |
| Exam 3F/MFE (CBT) | $325 | $260 |
| Exam 3L | $350 | $280 |
| Exam 4/C (CBT) | $375 | $300 |
| Exams 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 | $600 | $480 |
| Online Courses 1 & 2 Retest† | $300 | $300 |
| Exam ST9 | $575 | $575 |
†The first exam attempt is included in the $555 Online Course fee.
| Other Fees | |
|---|---|
| Refund (Exams 3L, 5-9, and ST9) | $100 |
| Change of Exam Center | $60 |
| Special Exam Center | $60 |
| CBT Rescheduling Fee between 30 days and 49 hours of appointment (paid directly to Prometric) | $35 for Exams 1-4; $50 for CA1 & CA2 |
| Online Courses 1/CA1 and 2/CA2: Contact The Institutes for fees that apply. | |
Exam 1 Fee Reimbursement Program in the U.S.
The Joint CAS/SOA Committee on a Diversity Recruiting sponsors a program to reimburse qualified minority candidates for their Exam 1/P fee if they pass the exam on their first or second attempt. Eligible candidates are members of specified groups that are underrepresented in the actuarial profession in the United States, including African-Americans, Hispanics, and Native North Americans who are sitting for actuarial exams. The Exam 1/P reimbursement application is available in the Diversity Programs section of the actuarial career website at www.BeAnActuary.org.
Fee Discount Program in Qualified Countries
The CAS and SOA sponsor a program to provide financial relief to candidates of qualified countries. Eligible candidates must be current full-time residents of a qualified country and verify that they are personally paying for exam fees and study materials without assistance from employers or other entities. Candidates must write their exams in a qualified country. Information, including a list of qualified countries and the application, is available on the Exams page of the CAS website.
Computer-Based Testing
Exams 1, 2, 3F, and 4Exams 1/P, 2/FM, 3F/MFE, and 4/C are offered by computer-based testing (CBT). CBT provides candidates more frequent opportunities to take an exam within a standardized environment. Because there are distinctive processes and procedures for CBT, additional information is available under Exam Rules on the Be An Actuary website that includes the sections on Identification and Calculators; Canceling or Changing an Appointment; Exam Fees; Procedures on Exam Day; Technical Difficulties and Closings; and Confidentiality and Discipline. The rules and procedures provided on the Exam Rules page of the Be An Actuary website are part of the CAS examination rules.
Online Courses 1 and 2
The exams for Online Courses 1/CA1 and 2/CA2 are also offered by CBT. Because there are distinctive processes and procedures for CBT, additional information is available on The Institutes website. The rules and procedures provided on The Institutes website related to Online Courses 1/CA1 and 2/CA2 are part of the CAS examination rules.
Examination Centers
CAS examination centers are listed on the Exam Registration page of the website. Centers are determined by the number of candidates near a center and the availability of proctors. Special examination centers may be arranged at the discretion of the CAS or Preliminary Actuarial Examinations if the request is received by the registration deadline. The additional fee for a special center is $60. Candidates will be sent the exact location of their examination center at least three weeks before the examination. Examinations by computer-based testing are administered at established test centers. The Prometric website contains a list of the CBT centers.
Letter of Admission (Only for Paper-and-Pencil Versions of Exams 1, 2, 3F, and 4)
For the paper-and-pencil administrations of Exams 1/P, 2/FM, 3F/MFE, and 4/C, candidates will be sent an automated letter of admission upon completion of their registration. The letter of admission indicates the exam for which the candidate is registered and contains the candidate number as well as the exam center name and number. This letter of admission must be brought to the examination center. A candidate may reprint his or her ticket of admission/acknowledgement letter from the SOA website at any time. Candidates should retain this letter as a receipt if needed for tax purposes.
Change of Center
Details for changing a CBT center for Exams 1/P, 2/FM, 3F/MFE, and 4/C are provided under Canceling or Changing an Appointment in the Exam Rules section of the Be An Actuary website. For all exams not administered by CBT, any registered candidate who requests a change in examination center must pay a change-of-center fee. No requests will be accepted after the registration deadline. If a request for a change of center occurs, every effort will be made to have the candidate's records and supplies on hand at the appropriate center in time for the examination. If this effort fails, however, the administering organizations are not responsible. If either a candidate's registration and fees, or request for change of center are received so late that it is not feasible to arrange for the candidate to write the examination, the fees will be refunded in full. The administering organizations are not responsible for difficulties caused by postal service delays or inadequate postage.
Details for changing a CBT center for the exams for Online Courses 1/CA1 and 2/CA2 are available on The Institutes website.
Languages Other Than English
Exams 1, 2, 3F, and 4
Examination questions and instructions will be displayed, and examinations administered, in English except in Canada where the examinations will be displayed in both French and English.
Exams 3L and 5-9 and Online Courses 1 and 2
Exam questions and instructions will be printed, and exams administered, exclusively in English. Candidates must submit written responses in English; non-English responses will not be graded with the following exception: Should a candidate for an exam jointly sponsored by the Canadian Institute of Actuaries wish to respond to any or all of the constructed response (essay) questions in French, advanced notice must be provided to the CAS Office when applying to write the exam. Provided such advanced notice was received and a suitable translator is available from the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, responses submitted in French will be translated into English by qualified translators and graded exclusively in translation. All translations will be literal translations from French to English. If advanced notice has not been provided, non-English responses will not be graded. If a suitable translator cannot be engaged before the date of the exam, the candidate will be notified. The CAS cannot guarantee the accuracy of any translation. Appeals based upon errors in translation of candidates' responses will not be considered. Grade reports for exams requiring translation may be delayed.
Special Arrangements for Candidates with a Disability
A candidate with a formally diagnosed disability who needs special testing arrangements must submit a written request for each examination that the candidate intends to write to Preliminary Actuarial Examinations/SOA for Exams 1/P, 2/FM, 3F/MFE, and 4/C; to the CAS for Exams 3L and 5-9; and to The Institutes for the two online courses. Documentation of the disability (e.g., physician's statement, diagnostic test results), as well as the need for special arrangements, are required of each candidate. Previous accommodations given to the candidate in an educational program or work setting may be considered. Requests for special arrangements and supporting documentation must be submitted at the applicant's expense at least two weeks prior to the registration deadline for Exams 1-9; and prior to the first day of the testing window for exams for Online Courses 1/CA1 and 2/CA2.
Refunds
Exams 1/P, 2/FM, 3F/MFE, and 4/C
Preliminary Actuarial Exams/SOA does not offer refunds for examinations. No part of a fee paid to the Preliminary Actuarial Exams/SOA for examination registration will be refunded or transferred to a later exam period should the candidate not appear for the exam.
The Preliminary Actuarial Exams/SOA does recognize that events may occur that are outside a candidate's control. In those cases, there are two options that may be available:
- Rescheduling Options for CBT: Because computer-based exams are administered over multiple days, candidates will continue to have the option to reschedule their test appointment within the same testing window provided the request is made by noon of the second business day before the scheduled appointment, and provided there is a seat available. To reschedule a CBT appointment, candidates must follow the directions provided on the Canceling or Changing an Appointment page of the Be An Actuary website.
- Emergency Situations. Preliminary Actuarial Exams/SOA recognizes that unforeseen emergencies may occur that directly influence a candidate's ability to take an exam on an appointed day. Preliminary Actuarial Exams/SOA will consider these situations on a case-by-case basis. Candidates finding themselves in such a situation should contact SOA Customer Service.
The fee for Online Courses 1/CA1 and 2/CA2 includes one attempt at the exam by CBT. No refund for a course is provided once the candidate has accessed the online course. If the candidate decides not to access the online course after payment has been made, the candidate may submit a request for a refund. The request must be submitted to Customer Service at The Institutes.
Any candidate who registered for a course exam and subsequently decides not to take the exam may receive a refund for the exam portion of the course fee ($190) only by doing both of the following:
- Cancel the appointment prior to the third day preceding the exam at the test center as described the in the Canceling or Changing an Appointment section under Exam Rules on the Be An Actuary website.
- Submit a refund request to Customer Service at The Institutes that must arrive prior to the third day preceding the exam.
Any candidate who submits an application for Exams 3L or 5-9 and subsequently does not write the examination should submit a written request for an examination fee refund. This request must reach the CAS Office by the refund deadline stated in the Examination Schedule of this Syllabus. Refund requests may be sent via e-mail to refund@casact.org or by fax to (703) 276-3108. Late requests will not be considered. A $100 administrative fee per examination will be assessed on all refunds. Change-of-center fees, special center fees, and other additional fees will not be refunded in any case. Refunds will be issued one month after the refund deadline. Refunds are issued in the manner that fees were paid (i.e., by credit to a bank card or by check to an individual or company). Fees cannot be transferred from one exam session to another.
