Steve Dziamentsyeu, a Campus Club ambassador at Northern Illinois University, shares his Coaching Actuaries study system, from targeted quizzing to CAS spreadsheet strategy.
Preparing for actuarial exams can feel overwhelming, especially as the syllabi grow in volume. While everyone's study style is different, here are the strategies that work for me.
My Coaching Actuaries Workflow
Consistency is the foundation of my approach. Studying a little every day compounds, and building that habit early makes everything else easier. Here's the structure I follow.
Studying a little every day compounds, and building that habit early makes everything else easier.
1. Learn Phase
I read each section carefully and take detailed notes. Afterward, I watch the corresponding video as reinforcement. It's a good idea to take a break between taking notes and watching the video.
2. Targeted Quizzing
Before touching calibration exams, I spend a couple of weeks doing section-specific quizzes. I allow myself to use notes initially but gradually reduce reliance. Once comfortable, I move to full-syllabus quizzes.
3. Calibration Exams
Now I take the calibration exams and work exams into my practice routine. After beginning exams, I complete 10–20 quiz questions per day and one exam each weekend. I take exams at Earned Level (EL) 5 and do quizzes at EL 6. Closer to exam day, I sometimes increase the workload to two exams per week.
When I get stuck on a formula or algorithm step, I write down everything I remember, including everything I know is incorrect, before checking my notes. That struggle strengthens recall far more than immediately looking up the solution.
That struggle strengthens recall far more than immediately looking up the solution.
Throughout this process, I try to minimize memorization wherever possible, focusing on building a conceptual framework I can use to reconstruct formulas, rather than forcing them into memory. That mindset shapes how I move through Coaching Actuaries, from the Learn phase all the way to exam day.
Building Conceptual Understanding
This conceptual approach extends beyond quizzing into how I handle formulas themselves. For example, on MAS-II there are a bunch of formulas for counting parameters in neural networks. Rather than memorizing each one, I drew diagrams and worked through the structure of the network.
Once I understood how the layers and connections interacted, the formulas on MAS-II became intuitive. This approach not only improved my retention but also prepared me for curveballs, because exam writers rarely test ideas in their most familiar form.
This approach not only improved my retention but also prepared me for curveballs.
Spreadsheet Strategy for CAS Exams
For spreadsheet-based CAS exams, practice using the official Pearson VUE sample spreadsheet. It's more restrictive than Excel, and familiarity with it reduces friction on exam day.
While practicing, experiment with structured "brute force" approaches, such as solving equations by repeatedly plugging in values, eigen-decomposing variance-covariance matrices using a linear series instead of a computational algorithm, or repeatedly multiplying Markov matrices for long term equilibrium.
However, always confirm with the analytical solution so that you understand both methods. I hope these strategies help, and best of luck on your next sitting.
About the Author
Stsiapan (Steve) Dziamentsyeu is an actuarial science student at Northern Illinois University, with minors in computer science and statistics. He is currently a P&C actuarial intern at State Farm and has passed Exams P, FM, MAS-I, and MAS-II. At NIU, Steve serves as president of the NIU Actuary Club, where he helps organize events, connect students with industry professionals, and coordinate guest speakers and company visits. Outside of academics, he picked up volleyball in college and found that he genuinely enjoys the sport.