There are 3 main things to consider when you’re trying to decide.
1. Reviews
2. Budget
3. Learning style
I’m going to go in depth into all three of these different factors, so keep reading!
Reviews
OK, the biggest factor to consider are reviews. Anyone can create a study guide for Exam P, but you probably don’t want to be one of the very first people to try a new one out. You also don’t want to purchase one that has hundreds of bad reviews. So no matter which study guide you’re considering always make sure that others have used it and were happy with it.
I’ve written this post about the best study manual for Exam P. If you want to make sure you’re choosing a study guide that has good reviews, be sure to pick one of the 4 study guides that I’ve mentioned there. All of them have been around for several years and have many positive reviews.
The 4 actuary Exam P study guides that I compare in that post are:
ACTEX
ASM
Coaching Actuaries
TIA
Budget
The next biggest consideration is going to be your budget for the exam. Study guides for Exam P are in the price range of $70 – $500.
If you’re trying to spend the least amount of money possible, there is a free study manual for Exam P by Finan that you can find online. But I wouldn’t recommend using that as your study manual unless your budget is extremely limited.
Hopefully, you’re able to invest a bit of money into your study materials.
If so, there are two paths you could go down. Either a study manual or an online seminar with videos.
Study manuals are basically like large textbooks. You have to read them. Exam P study manuals can be delivered to you either electronically, or you can have a physical printed copy of the manual delivered to you.
ACTEX and ASM are the most popular study manuals right now. I compare ACTEX vs. ASM for Exam P in this post to help you decide on which one to get if you decide to go the “study manual route”.
The alternative to a study manual is an online seminar with videos. These options are more expensive, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are better. In terms of online seminars with videos, there are two very popular options: TIA and Coaching Actuaries. Personally, I recommend going with Coaching Actuaries though. You can find out why in this post where I compare the two.
Learning Style
When you’re picking your actuary Exam P study guide, learning style is an important thing to consider.
If you learn better by reading then you’ll definitely want to invest in a study manual such as ACTEX or ASM for Exam P (I compare the two here).
If you prefer having an instructor explain things to you as you go then you’d be better off going with an online seminar with videos if it’s in your budget. Remember, those are the more expensive options. Like I said above, I recommend you go with Coaching Actuaries for this, but TIA is another viable option.