# Actuarial Exams & Calculators **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 10, 2010, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379 "2010-01-10T08:26:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379/1 "2010-01-10T08:26:46Z")
I’m going to be taking the first exam, the probability one, in a few days. They have a very specific list of calculators that will be allowed. I can understand why they wouldn’t want me bringing my TI89 or my TI83, but the only other calculator I have is another TI, a cheap solar-powered scientific calculator. There is no way I could use it to cheat, but it’s not on their list, so I guess I can’t use it. I can’t see trying to hunt down and spend money on one of the calculators on their list, however. It seems to me the only reason I’d need one is to do arithmetic, and while it wouldn’t be my preferred method, I can do that by hand. Am I correct in this? And if so, why are they so anal about what calculators are allowed? ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379/2 "2010-01-10T12:28:27Z")
Disclaimer: I know absolutely nothing about actuarial exams. Thought 1: Back in my college days, I took more than one calculus exam for which we were told not to bring calculators. I don’t think they were forbidden, but we were told that a calculator wouldn’t help us. All the arithmatic on those exams was easy–think do you remember your times table easy. On one exam, we were told to bring a calculator for one question. The arithmatic on that question was impossible to do by hand–nasty decimals were involved. Thought 2: probability Are you SURE that none of the calculators on their list permit one to enter a short list of numbers and have it spit out the mean and standard deviation? Cause that’s what I’d be nervous about. Although really, the exam should be testing your knowledge and ability to apply that knowledge, and not your ability to use a calculator correctly (idealism speaking). ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379/3 "2010-01-10T15:34:08Z")
Take two calculators, not one. Just in case one breaks or fails. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379/4 "2010-01-10T18:31:45Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > I can’t see trying to hunt down and spend money on one of the calculators on their list, however. It seems to me the only reason I’d need one is to do arithmetic, and while it wouldn’t be my preferred method, I can do that by hand. Am I correct in this? No. Furthermore, there’s no way that you could be adequately prepared for the exam and not know that. Go out today and get one of the approved calculators, download the [SOA practice problems](http://www.soa.org/files/pdf/edu-2010-spring-p-ques.pdf) and [their solutions](http://www.soa.org/files/pdf/edu-2010-spring-p-sols.pdf), and get to work, or you will fail. > [@](#): > > And if so, why are they so anal about what calculators are allowed? They need to be able to clear the memory on the calculator so they can be sure that you’re not cheating. Since it’s not practical for them to know how to do this with every make and model out there, restricting the list is the only reasonable option. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379/5 "2010-01-10T18:36:32Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > I’m going to be taking the first exam, the probability one, in a few days. They have a very specific list of calculators that will be allowed. I can understand why they wouldn’t want me bringing my TI89 or my TI83, but the only other calculator I have is another TI, a cheap solar-powered scientific calculator. There is no way I could use it to cheat, but it’s not on their list, so I guess I can’t use it. > > I can’t see trying to hunt down and spend money on one of the calculators on their list, however. It seems to me the only reason I’d need one is to do arithmetic, and while it wouldn’t be my preferred method, I can do that by hand. Am I correct in this? And if so, why are they so anal about what calculators are allowed? You’re commited to the intense slog of becoming an actuary, and you’re fussing about calculators [that cost between 7 - 70 dollars, and are so easily available across the US that some drugstores carry them.](http://www.actuary.com/actuarial-science/actuarial-calculators.htm) I’m beginning to see where the jokes about actuaries have their origin. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379/6 "2010-01-10T22:01:30Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > It seems to me the only reason I’d need one is to do arithmetic, and while it wouldn’t be my preferred method, I can do that by hand. I don’t suppose students are still issued with log tables any more? 🙂 Seriously though, in my experience candidates are always severely pressed for time doing any sort of actuarial exam. Unless you’re an absolute whiz at mental arithmetic, I suggest that you buy one of the approved calculators and start getting familiar with it right away. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379/7 "2010-01-11T01:03:46Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > No. Furthermore, there’s no way that you could be adequately prepared for the exam and not know that. Go out today and get one of the approved calculators, download the [SOA practice problems](http://www.soa.org/files/pdf/edu-2010-spring-p-ques.pdf) and [their solutions](http://www.soa.org/files/pdf/edu-2010-spring-p-sols.pdf), and get to work, or you will fail. Perhaps I’m missing something, but I’d already looked over those questions before I started this thread, and I didn’t see anything that would require a calculator for more than basic arithmetic. > [@](#): > > They need to be able to clear the memory on the calculator so they can be sure that you’re not cheating. Since it’s not practical for them to know how to do this with every make and model out there, restricting the list is the only reasonable option. I understand that. But my cheap little scientific calculator doesn’t even have any memory to clear. A glance at the calculator would bear this out - it’s solar powered, there’s nowhere batteries could go for memory. So I don’t see why I shouldn’t be allowed to use it. And FTR, I signed up for the exam a couple of months back with the idea that having it under my belt might prove useful in the future, if I ever decide to pursue a career as an actuary. It seemed like a practical idea at the time, but now I’m kind of sorry I did it. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379/8 "2010-01-11T01:11:40Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > But my cheap little scientific calculator doesn’t even have any memory to clear. A glance at the calculator would bear this out - it’s solar powered, there’s nowhere batteries could go for memory. So I don’t see why I shouldn’t be allowed to use it. I don’t know what the Society of Actuaries does, but the Institute of Actuaries of Australia always gets retirees to invigilate at its exams. They’re generally not the most technically proficient people when it comes to assessing the memory capacity of a calculator. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379/9 "2010-01-11T02:55:04Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > Perhaps I’m missing something, but I’d already looked over those questions before I started this thread, and I didn’t see anything that would require a calculator for more than basic arithmetic. Have you done thirty of those questions under exam conditions? How many did you get right? ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379/10 "2010-01-18T23:59:57Z")
How did the exam go **GESancMan**? Did you end up buying one of the approved calculators? ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379/11 "2010-01-19T16:39:29Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > Perhaps I’m missing something, but I’d already looked over those questions before I started this thread, and I didn’t see anything that would require a calculator for more than basic arithmetic. I’m picturing him trying to take the square root of 0.075 (Question 11), or raise 0.9 to the 29th power (Question 28), via pencil and paper. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379/12 "2010-01-19T18:40:44Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > I’m picturing him trying to take the square root of 0.075 (Question 11), or raise 0.9 to the 29th power (Question 28), via pencil and paper. And slide rule? ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379/13 "2010-01-19T18:56:05Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > How did the exam go **GESancMan**? Did you end up buying one of the approved calculators? I wound up canceling it. I couldn’t bring myself to care enough about it to study properly, so I decided to get half the money back rather than risk failing the test. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379/14 "2010-01-19T20:30:45Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > I wound up canceling it. I couldn’t bring myself to care enough about it to study properly, so I decided to get half the money back rather than risk failing the test. I think you should try again. I think this shows EXACTLY the kind of risk analysis that a good actuary would make. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actuarial-exams-calculators/524379/15 "2010-01-19T21:33:10Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > so I decided to get half the money back rather than risk failing the test. Wow, that’s a generous system. You don’t get any refund here if you decide not to sit for the exam.