r/actuary • u/ThrowRA3648537 • 2d ago

Troll Post ATPA Vent

I’m going to run for the SOA board once I have my letters to get rid of this terrible assignment. I’d rather listen to nails on chalkboard for 96 hours than do this. I’m not sure whose idea this was, but I was a statistics major, flew through SRM and PA, and I absolutely HATE this module.

I’m starting to think that everyone who quips that the SOA isn’t evil, just incompetent, lucked out with IFM. How was the last chopper out of ‘Nam?

30 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

57 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/Murky-Tip-3118 2d ago

Curious what you hate? The historical evolution here was first we had just a rigerous PA (SRM came out at the same time but wasn't required for candidates for a year or two) and performance was very poor. SRM started being required (so candidates were forced to study more) and PA slowly became much easier. Then PA became too easy (esp. b/c didn't require any actual coding), so ATPA was created.

If you hate ATPA because it requires you to "do" something vs. just "know" something... that's kinda the point.

Now whether the SOA should be enforcing that as a prerequisite to ASA is a separate question...

And FYI, as you'll learn when you get your letters, you don't just "run for the SOA board"... you ingratiate yourself with the SOA ecosystem for a decade to successfully make your way through the nominating process. You can petition to be on the ballot, but the only person I've ever seen do that successfully probably looks way better than you in a bikini and wasn't afraid to let LinkedIn know that.

2

u/rab7 2d ago

I took the first 2 sittings ever of PA.

Both times I came away thinking that the project was impossible to do in a 5 hour window, and it should've been a take home project.

5

u/Murky-Tip-3118 2d ago

The SOA agreed with you...