About Exam P

Get essential information, tips, and strategies to help you on your Exam P journey in our guide below.

Exam Overview

Computer-Based, Multiple-Choice Test

Exam Duration

Next Available Sitting

Registration Deadline (Register by Midnight US Central Time)

Exams You Should Pass First
None. P is an ideal first exam for aspiring actuaries, along with FM. You should be familiar with calculus, however. Students who struggle with double integrations will find Exam P to be extra challenging.
Exam P Offerings
P is offered 6 times per year in the odd months (January, March, etc.).
How Do I Register?
1. Register online at www.soa.org before the registration deadline.
2. Wait 3-5 business days to receive an email confirmation letter.
3. Schedule a seat at a Prometric Center.
Learn more about how to register for official SOA exams on their website.
Highest-Weighted Concepts
Questions related to these concepts will appear the most on the exam.
1. Common Discrete and Continuous Distributions
2. Normal Approximation
3. Conditional Distributions
Tip from Coach Baron
“If you love math, start with Exam P. If you love finance, start with FM.”
Tip from Coach Chin Yew, ASA
“Understand the concepts as much as possible rather than memorizing them. Work on more practice problems to learn the method to tackle different types of questions."

What to Bring:
- A government-issued photo ID that includes a signature
- Recommended Calculator: TI-30XS MultiView (See Other Options)
Tip from Coach Shi Yi, ASA
"Stay calm during the exam, even if you see questions you don't know. Remember, you don't need to get every question right to pass. Just try to get those you know right, because every question is weighted equally."
Tip from Coach Jon, M.S.
"P is uniquely challenging because there are usually many different ways to solve a single problem. Students become more prone to making mistakes due to this. Thus, it's best to stick to one strategy, but you'll need to determine what that will be."

Getting Your Exam Results
After you complete your exam, you will receive a preliminary Pass-Fail result. This is not your official final result.
After approximately 8 to 11 weeks, the SOA will release the list of passing candidates' ID numbers. A few days after this list has been published, you will be able to see your final score in your official SOA transcript when you log into the SOA website.
Next Steps
Exam STAM) resumes where Exam P ends. However, STAM is significantly more difficult than Exam P. You will not only need to understand the material, but prepare yourself for a more challenging exam experience.
If P was the first exam you’ve taken, you might also consider Exam FM, the other introductory exam.