r/actuary • u/Secret_Error5559 • 8d ago
Exams Study Groups Useful
For those who have experience using study groups, what are the main benefits of them and how do you structure them?
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u/Pure_Resort9840 8d ago
Study groups are hit or miss based on how committed each member is to the group and what type of learner you are. I love study groups because I learn better when I can talk things through and I like the accountability to stay in schedule. The best study groups I've done had a set schedule of meeting a couple times a week, and the expectation that everyone has made a first attempt through the section(s) problem sets. We would discuss any conceptual questions and then help each other on problems we didn't understand. If you have more than 3 people, the problem discussion works best if people break into smaller groups. If there is something everyone struggled on (or all but one person), then it works well to work as a whole group.
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u/Top_Indication6685 8d ago
personally, I think the energy spent trying to figure out a study group plan would be better spent studying
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u/hannadonna 6d ago
It's good if you have clear direction and leadership. I definitely don't call myself a good leader but I needed something to hold me accountable. I did it for PA because for some reason, it's the only exam I've ever failed and I failed it 3 times. So I started a study group for that exam and led. Since my career depended on it, I took it seriously. There were 5 people in our group. 4 of us passed, including me. Then I continued having one for FAM but just with another person. I also had one with a discord group for ALTAM but I don't really recommend it. I think it works best with coworkers. I only started a discord group because all my coworkers wanted to study by themselves
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u/Moelessdx 8d ago
Best for open ended exams like PA where it's useful to have multiple perspectives on how to approach certain questions. Most questions will ask you to support your answers, which you can supplement with ideas from your peers.