SOA Exam PA Study Plan & Practice System
Exam PA is the project-based predictive analytics exam built on supplied R output. Candidates receive a dataset and business problem, interpret the model code and output provided, and write a report. Upload your ACTEX digital edition, TIA handouts, or your own R practice notes and exclam.ai turns them into a fully guided study plan covering the R techniques, modeling decisions, and reporting framework.
Exam format
Project-based computer-based test. You receive a dataset and a business problem, interpret the R code and output supplied with the exam (R and RStudio are not available), and submit written responses in Word. Significantly different format from other SOA exams.
Project-based rather than multiple-choice. You interpret supplied model output and write a report.
R is not available at the exam; the code and output are supplied. Working through the R examples in the SOA modules is still the best preparation.
Reports are graded on both modeling decisions and communication clarity.
Typically taken after SRM.
Format details change periodically. Always verify the current exam structure on soa.org before your exam.
Exam PA topic areas
The 4 topic areas tested on Exam PA, with approximate weight bands from the public SOA syllabus. Click any topic for a dedicated study page.
Problem Framing and Data Preparation
15–25%Translating a business problem into a predictive modeling question, exploratory data analysis, and feature engineering.
Generalized Linear Models
30–40%Building, evaluating, and interpreting GLMs in R for common actuarial applications.
Decision Trees and Ensemble Methods
20–30%Fitting and tuning decision trees, random forests, and gradient boosting models in R.
Model Validation and Business Communication
15–25%Cross-validation, test set performance, sensitivity analysis, and communicating results to non-technical stakeholders.
Topic names and approximate weight bands sourced from the public SOA Exam PA syllabus on soa.org.
How exclam.ai helps with Exam PA
Upload your study manual
Drop in your ACTEX Exam PA 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 4 topic areas. Edit any card.
Get a weekly adaptive plan
Coverage phase, review phase, and mocks — distributed across your ~14-week timeline or whatever you choose.
Exam PA study plan
Pick the timeline that matches your exam date. exclam.ai spreads roughly 150 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.
Approximate milestones
14 weeks- Problem Framing and Data Preparation~wk 2
- Generalized Linear Models~wk 4
- Decision Trees and Ensemble Methods~wk 6
- Model Validation and Business Communication~wk 8
Your full plan · 14 weeks to exam day
14 weeks · ~11h/weekOctober 2026
- Wk 1Oct 12 – Oct 18Problem Framing and Data PreparationCoverageReadQuizFlashcards15–25%5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 2Oct 19 – Oct 25Problem Framing and Data PreparationCoverageReadQuizFlashcards15–25%5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 3Oct 26 – Nov 1Generalized Linear ModelsCoverageReadQuizFlashcards30–40%5 study · 2 buffer
November 2026
- Wk 4Nov 2 – Nov 8Generalized Linear ModelsCoverageReadQuizFlashcards30–40%5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 5Nov 9 – Nov 15Decision Trees and Ensemble MethodsCoverageReadQuizFlashcards20–30%5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 6Nov 16 – Nov 22Decision Trees and Ensemble MethodsCoverageReadQuizFlashcards20–30%5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 7Nov 23 – Nov 29Model Validation and Business CommunicationCoverageReadQuizFlashcards15–25%5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 8Nov 30 – Dec 6Model Validation and Business CommunicationCoverageReadQuizFlashcards15–25%5 study · 2 buffer
December 2026
- Wk 9Dec 7 – Dec 13ReviewReviewQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 10Dec 14 – Dec 20ReviewReviewQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 11Dec 21 – Dec 27ReviewReviewQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 12Dec 28 – Jan 3MocksMocksQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer
January 2027
- Wk 13Jan 4 – Jan 10MocksMocksQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 14Jan 11 – Jan 17MocksMocksQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer
Your Exam PA 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.
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 freeWeek-by-week module breakdown
Your Exam PA 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.
Translating a business problem into a predictive modeling question, exploratory data analysis, and feature engineering. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.
Building, evaluating, and interpreting GLMs in R for common actuarial applications. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.
Fitting and tuning decision trees, random forests, and gradient boosting models in R. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.
Cross-validation, test set performance, sensitivity analysis, and communicating results to non-technical stakeholders. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.
Review
Weak-topic drilling. exclam.ai surfaces topics where you underperformed during coverage and re-quizzes them. Daily FSRS flashcard reps across all 4 topics to prevent decay. Start doing timed question batches focused on the heaviest-weight sections.
Mocks
Full-length Exam PA 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 PA 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.
Exam PA questions
How much R do I need to know for Exam PA?
Enough to read it. R and RStudio are not available at the exam — the code and output for each task are supplied — so you interpret GLM, tree, and plot output rather than write code. SOA still expects you to work through the R examples in the e-learning modules.
How is Exam PA graded?
Graders score both your model choices and your written report. Clear communication of assumptions, validation, and recommendations matters as much as model accuracy. A strong model with a weak report can fail.
How long is the exam?
Three and a half hours. You answer the tasks in Microsoft Word, with Excel available; R and RStudio have not been available since April 2023.
Start your Exam PA plan today
Upload your ACTEX digital edition, scanned ASM pages, TIA handouts, or your own notes, exclam.ai builds a fully guided study plan around your exam date.