Welcome to our Property and Casualty Predictive Analytics (PCPA) course
Property and casualty organizations are turning to predictive analytics to solve problems traditional methods just can't crack. The Property and Casualty Predictive Analytics (PCPA) exam is how the CAS makes sure you're ready to meet that demand.
PCPA is a predictive analytics requirement for the ACAS credential, with two components: an exam and a project. Passing the exam qualifies you for the project component, the real heart of PCPA.
From Confusion to Confidence: Why Coaching Actuaries?
The path from screening exam to final project is unlike anything else in the CAS process. That's where our course comes in. You'll learn from course author Dr. Lendie Follett, a Bayesian modeling expert and Drake University professor. Plus, readiness tools like Mastery Score® and self-graded assignments keep you oriented every step of the way.
Experts Who Did the Work
Dr. Follett built her career turning real-world data into usable answers, from statistical consulting at Iowa State to research and data partnerships with companies. She and Coach Jon Lai both completed the PCPA exam and project themselves, so every lesson connects directly to what you need to pass.
Our System Has Your Back
You'll recognize our trademark approach if you've studied with Coaching Actuaries before, and you'll get up to speed fast if you're new. Clear manuals and focused lessons keep you organized. Our Practice tool covers both components of PCPA, with 300 exam-style questions, 2 Capstone Exams, and 2 mock projects.
Study Smarter, Not Longer
Between work, life, and everything else, your time is limited. Summaries help you review key ideas, Coach's Remarks help you navigate tricky concepts and see how topics connect, and streamlined lessons cut the noise. Our CheckPoints scheduler keeps you on track and helps you avoid burnout.
Experts Behind the Material: Meet your PCPA team
Course author, Dr. Lendie Follett, brings extensive expertise and a genuine passion for teaching to every PCPA lesson. If you have a question along the way, Coach Jon will answer your questions on the discussion boards within 2 business days. Both Dr. Follett and Jon completed the PCPA exam and project to ensure this course meets your needs.
Dr. Lendie Follett is department chair of actuarial science, analytics, and information systems in the Zimpleman College of Business at Drake University. She earned her PhD in statistics from Iowa State University and has applied Bayesian methods to problems from food insecurity to cryptocurrency volatility. She also teaches Drake's data analytics capstone course, pairing students with companies to solve real data problems. In 2025, she received the Social Impact Research and Outreach Award from Drake's Zimpleman College of Business for her work applying data analysis to expand food security efforts.
Lendie Follett Content Coach
Jon Lai has 8 years of experience in actuarial science and an MS in statistics from Iowa State University. He manages study material content for four exam courses and helps build and maintain content for other courses. Coach Jon has contributed to the creation of numerous study tools, including our new Mastery Score® system. He has graduate-level knowledge in statistics, particularly machine learning, and is familiar with the programming language R. Coach Jon notes, "Answering questions gives me a lot of insight to the topic being explained as well as the way people think. It is thrilling when a concept clicks in my head, or when I see it click in others."
Jon Lai Product Manager
Aspiring Actuary Testimonials: A word from our students
PCPA is a brand-new course, so we don’t have testimonials yet. In the meantime, we've collected testimonials from relevant courses as well as Dr. Follett's students at Drake University.
Dr. Follett is the best professor at Drake University. She obviously cares about her students, creates effective learning environments, and tries to make failures a learning opportunity instead of a punishment. I don't think I could ask for a better experience
Former Student Studied with Dr. Follett at Drake University
The format of [Dr. Follett's] class was great, engaging, challenging, and rewarding.
Former Student Studied with Dr. Follett at Drake University
From Exam to Project: Laying the Foundation
PCPA explores how actuaries apply predictive modeling in practice, covering three domains that build the foundation for a strong start on the ACAS path. You'll answer 40 questions across 4 item types in a 2-hour testing window at a Pearson VUE center.
Passing the exam unlocks the project. You'll receive a business problem and dataset, conduct exploratory data analysis, and build a generalized linear model in R, Python, or SAS. You'll finish by producing a 1,000-word report explaining and supporting your modeling decisions.
Dealing with Data
Before you can build a model, you need data you can trust. You'll learn how to clean and explore a raw dataset and shape it into something ready to work with, the groundwork the exam expects you to have down cold.
Model Diagnostics and Selection
Not every model is the right model. You'll learn how to build, test, and compare options, then choose the one that best balances accuracy with something just as important: whether people can actually understand it.
Model Interpretation and Presentation
A great model means nothing if you can't explain it. You'll learn how to walk someone without a data background through your decisions and results in a way that earns their confidence, a skill that carries straight into the project once you pass.
PCPA Is Coming Soon
PCPA materials will be available for purchase in early September 2026! We’ll let you know here as soon as it’s ready.