# SOA Exam ALTAM Study Plan & Practice System SOA Exam ALTAM study plan: advanced mortality, profit testing, embedded value, pensions, long-term health. ~300-hour prep with adaptive practice. Canonical URL: https://exclam.ai/actuarial/exam-altam/ [Actuarial](https://exclam.ai/actuarial/index.md)›Exam ALTAM SOA Exam ALTAM · Advanced Long-Term Actuarial Mathematics Updated August 2026 Exam ALTAM is the advanced long-term actuarial mathematics exam for candidates focused on life insurance, annuities, pensions, and long-term health. Follows Exam FAM. Upload your ACTEX digital edition, scanned ASM manual, or your own ALTAM notes and exclam.ai turns them into a fully guided study plan with adaptive flashcards, quizzes, and a weekly schedule. Typical hours ~300 Typical weeks ~18 Topic areas 5 Pass rate ~45–55% [Build your study plan](https://exclam.ai/actuarial/exam-altam/index.md#plans) ## Exam format Multiple-choice and written-answer format. Candidates must show work on multi-step problems. Requires deep understanding of life contingencies and profit testing mechanics. Written-answer questions require showing your work — partial credit is available. Heavy on profit testing, embedded value, and pension accounting. Prerequisite: Exam FAM must be completed first. The advanced life-side exam — ASTAM is the short-term counterpart. Format details change periodically. Always verify the current exam structure on [soa.org](https://www.soa.org/) before your exam. ## Exam ALTAM topic areas The 5 topic areas tested on Exam ALTAM, with approximate weight bands from the public SOA syllabus. Click any topic for a dedicated study page. [Advanced Mortality Models 15–25% Multi-state mortality models, fractional age assumptions, and select and ultimate tables for advanced applications. Study this topic](https://exclam.ai/actuarial/exam-altam/topics/advanced-mortality-models/index.md) [Advanced Life Insurance and Annuity Pricing 20–30% Gross premium pricing, profit testing, embedded value calculations, and universal life product pricing. Study this topic](https://exclam.ai/actuarial/exam-altam/topics/advanced-life-insurance-pricing/index.md) [Reserves and Risk Management 15–25% Policy reserves under different regulatory frameworks, deferred acquisition costs, and risk management strategies. Study this topic](https://exclam.ai/actuarial/exam-altam/topics/reserves-and-risk-management/index.md) [Pensions and Retirement Benefits 15–20% Pension plan valuation, funding methods, and accounting for post-employment benefits. Study this topic](https://exclam.ai/actuarial/exam-altam/topics/pensions-and-retirement-benefits/index.md) [Health Insurance 15–20% Pricing, reserving, and risk management for long-term health insurance and long-term care products. Study this topic](https://exclam.ai/actuarial/exam-altam/topics/health-insurance/index.md) Topic names and approximate weight bands sourced from the public SOA Exam ALTAM syllabus on soa.org. ## How exclam.ai helps with Exam ALTAM ### Upload your study manual Drop in your ACTEX Exam ALTAM digital edition (full-corpus PDF), scanned ASM pages, TIA handouts, or your own notes. exclam.ai parses them into structured content for a fully guided study plan. ### Generate flashcards & quizzes AI generates flashcards for formulas and concepts, plus multiple-choice quizzes targeting each of the 5 topic areas. Edit any card. ### Get a weekly adaptive plan Coverage phase, review phase, and mocks — distributed across your ~18-week timeline or whatever you choose. ## Exam ALTAM study plan Pick the timeline that matches your exam date. exclam.ai spreads roughly 300 hours across coverage, review, and mock phases — each reading paired with its own quiz and FSRS flashcards. Switch the plan length to rebalance the schedule instantly. Plan length 6 weeks10 weeks14 weeks18 weeks24 weeks 14 weeks · ~21h/week ### Approximate milestones 14 weeks CoverageMonths 1–2 1. Advanced Mortality Models~wk 2 2. Advanced Life Insurance and Annuity Pricing~wk 4 3. Reserves and Risk Management~wk 6 4. Pensions and Retirement Benefits~wk 7 5. Health Insurance~wk 8 ReviewMonths 2–3 Mock examsMonth 3 Examend of Month 3 #### Your full plan · 14 weeks to exam day 14 weeks · ~21h/week CoverageReviewMocks· chips show the task mix for that week; buffer days are the planned rest ##### September 2026 1. Wk 1Sep 28 – Oct 4Advanced Mortality ModelsCoverageReadQuizFlashcards15–25%6 study · 1 buffer ##### October 2026 1. Wk 2Oct 5 – Oct 11Advanced Mortality ModelsCoverageReadQuizFlashcards15–25%6 study · 1 buffer 2. Wk 3Oct 12 – Oct 18Advanced Life Insurance and Annuity PricingCoverageReadQuizFlashcards20–30%6 study · 1 buffer 3. Wk 4Oct 19 – Oct 25Advanced Life Insurance and Annuity PricingCoverageReadQuizFlashcards20–30%6 study · 1 buffer 4. Wk 5Oct 26 – Nov 1Reserves and Risk ManagementCoverageReadQuizFlashcards15–25%6 study · 1 buffer ##### November 2026 1. Wk 6Nov 2 – Nov 8Reserves and Risk ManagementCoverageReadQuizFlashcards15–25%6 study · 1 buffer 2. Wk 7Nov 9 – Nov 15Pensions and Retirement BenefitsCoverageReadQuizFlashcards15–20%6 study · 1 buffer 3. Wk 8Nov 16 – Nov 22Health InsuranceCoverageReadQuizFlashcards15–20%6 study · 1 buffer 4. Wk 9Nov 23 – Nov 29ReviewReviewQuizFlashcards6 study · 1 buffer 5. Wk 10Nov 30 – Dec 6ReviewReviewQuizFlashcards6 study · 1 buffer ##### December 2026 1. Wk 11Dec 7 – Dec 13ReviewReviewQuizFlashcards6 study · 1 buffer 2. Wk 12Dec 14 – Dec 20MocksMocksQuizFlashcards6 study · 1 buffer 3. Wk 13Dec 21 – Dec 27MocksMocksQuizFlashcards6 study · 1 buffer 4. Wk 14Dec 28 – Jan 3MocksMocksQuizFlashcards6 study · 1 buffer Exam daySun, Jan 3, 2027End of week 14 ### Your Exam ALTAM plan A visual preview of how exclam.ai turns your plan into daily reading, flashcard, quiz, review, and mock streaks across the timeline you pick. Active days 24 Best day 11EP Total study time 21h Avg / study day 53 min LessMore Study activityReview / at riskExam day Sample activity — your own streaks, study time, and module milestones appear here once you upload. Sign in to unlock your full 14 weeks plan Every module dated to your exam, with quizzes and FSRS flashcards generated from your own materials. [Unlock my full plan free](https://exclam.ai/pricing/index.md) ### Week-by-week module breakdown Your Exam ALTAM plan walks the syllabus module-by-module before transitioning into review and mock phases. Module weeks are allocated proportional to SOA topic weights — heavier-weighted modules get more time, lighter ones either get a single week or pair with adjacent topics on intensive paces. Change the plan length above to see the schedule rebalance. Module 1 of 5 Weeks 1–2 Exam weight 15–25% [Advanced Mortality Models](https://exclam.ai/actuarial/exam-altam/topics/advanced-mortality-models/index.md) Multi-state mortality models, fractional age assumptions, and select and ultimate tables for advanced applications. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module. Module 2 of 5 Weeks 3–4 Exam weight 20–30% [Advanced Life Insurance and Annuity Pricing](https://exclam.ai/actuarial/exam-altam/topics/advanced-life-insurance-pricing/index.md) Gross premium pricing, profit testing, embedded value calculations, and universal life product pricing. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module. Module 3 of 5 Weeks 5–6 Exam weight 15–25% [Reserves and Risk Management](https://exclam.ai/actuarial/exam-altam/topics/reserves-and-risk-management/index.md) Policy reserves under different regulatory frameworks, deferred acquisition costs, and risk management strategies. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module. Module 4 of 5 Week 7 Exam weight 15–20% [Pensions and Retirement Benefits](https://exclam.ai/actuarial/exam-altam/topics/pensions-and-retirement-benefits/index.md) Pension plan valuation, funding methods, and accounting for post-employment benefits. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module. Module 5 of 5 Week 8 Exam weight 15–20% [Health Insurance](https://exclam.ai/actuarial/exam-altam/topics/health-insurance/index.md) Pricing, reserving, and risk management for long-term health insurance and long-term care products. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module. Phase: Review Weeks 9–11 #### Review Weak-topic drilling. exclam.ai surfaces topics where you underperformed during coverage and re-quizzes them. Daily FSRS flashcard reps across all 5 topics to prevent decay. Start doing timed question batches focused on the heaviest-weight sections. Phase: Mocks Weeks 12–14 #### Mocks Full-length Exam ALTAM practice exams under timed conditions. Target one mock every 3–5 days. Same-day error review: for every question you miss, re-derive the solution from scratch. Taper in the final 3 days — light flashcards only. ## Popular Exam ALTAM study manuals exclam.ai works alongside any of these vendors. Upload paths vary, ACTEX sells full digital editions as downloadable PDFs (cleanest upload), ASM print manuals can be scanned for the full corpus, and The Infinite Actuary provides downloadable PDF handouts alongside their videos. For ASM digital (app-locked) and Coaching Actuaries (online platform), upload your own notes taken while studying. We do not distribute or reproduce any vendor content, your manual stays with the publisher. ASM Study Manual Print manual · scan to PDF ACTEX Study Manual Digital edition · downloadable PDF Coaching Actuaries Online platform · upload your notes ## Exam ALTAM questions Should I take ALTAM or ASTAM? Depends on your career direction. Life insurance, annuities, pensions, and long-term health → ALTAM. Property/casualty, short-term health, or general insurance → ASTAM. You only need one to reach ASA. How much harder is ALTAM than FAM? Candidates generally rate ALTAM as significantly harder than FAM due to the depth of profit testing and pension content plus the written-answer format. What is the written-answer section like? Multi-step problems where you show work and receive partial credit. Requires tight time management — practice writing out full solutions under exam conditions.