Solved sample questions

Fully solved sample questions from the ActuaryDeck bank — original SOA Exam P and Exam FM problems with the complete worked solution, free to read and never behind a paywall.

These 12 questions are a fixed cross-section of the 400-question bank (400 in total, 220 for Exam P and 180 for Exam FM). They never rotate and they are never gated: read the solutions in full before deciding whether the rest is worth paying for.

  1. #1Exam PSet theory and probability axiomsCore
    A motor insurer finds that 48% of its policyholders have a telematics device, 31% have a named second driver, and 17% have both. What proportion have at least one of the two?
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E

    Solution

    1. 'At least one' is the union, so inclusion-exclusion applies: .
    2. Substituting the given proportions gives .
    3. That is . The subtraction is essential because the 17% with both were counted once in each of the first two figures.
    4. As a check, the proportion with neither is , which is consistent with the numbers given.

    Trap. Adding 0.48 and 0.31 to get 0.79 forgets that the overlap has been double-counted.

  2. #2Exam PConditional probability and independenceExam level
    An insurer knows and . What proportion of claimants are young drivers?
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E

    Solution

    1. The question asks for : the conditioning event is 'claim', so it is the denominator.
    2. .
    3. .
    4. Reading the question carefully matters here: 'what proportion of claimants' fixes the denominator, and getting that backwards gives 0.375 versus its reciprocal-style alternative.

    Trap. Conditioning the wrong way round and computing P(claim | young) with the data given.

  3. #3Exam PRandom variables and distribution functionsExam level
    A device's lifetime in years has survival function for . What is the probability it survives more than 6 years?
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E

    Solution

    1. The survival function IS the answer: .
    2. .
    3. .
    4. This is an exponential lifetime with mean 4 years, so surviving beyond 1.5 mean lifetimes has probability .

    Trap. Computing 1 − S(6) = 0.7769, which is the probability of failing before 6 years.

  4. #4Exam PDiscrete distributionsExam level
    In 8 independent trials with success probability 0.35, what is the probability of at most 2 successes?
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E

    Solution

    1. Sum the binomial mass function over with , .
    2. .
    3. ; .
    4. The total is .
    5. So a little over two fifths of samples contain at most two successes, against a mean of 2.8.
  5. #5Exam PContinuous distributionsExam level
    Losses follow an exponential with mean 1,000. What is the probability a loss lies between 500 and 1,500?
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E

    Solution

    1. — easiest through the survival function for an exponential.
    2. .
    3. .
    4. .
    5. Roughly two fifths of losses land in this middle band, with the rest split between small and very large claims.
  6. #6Exam PMoment generating functionsExam level
    For the MGF , find the variance.
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E

    Solution

    1. The distribution puts mass 0.2, 0.3 and 0.5 on the values 0, 1 and 3.
    2. from before, so .
    3. .
    4. .

    Trap. Reporting E[X²] = 4.8 as the variance.

  7. #7Exam PTransformations and order statisticsExam level
    is exponential with mean 5 and . Find .
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E

    Solution

    1. is the limited variable, and for a non-negative variable.
    2. For an exponential, .
    3. .
    4. , comfortably below the unlimited mean of 5 as any cap must be.

    Trap. Reporting the unlimited mean 5, or capping the mean at 8 and answering 5 anyway.

  8. #8Exam FMMeasurement of interestExam level
    At what effective annual rate does money double in 12 years?
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E

    Solution

    1. Solve .
    2. .
    3. .
    4. The 'rule of 72' estimate is close, which is exactly why that approximation survives — but it is an approximation.
    5. The rule is most accurate near 8%; it drifts noticeably at very low or very high rates.

    Trap. Using the rule of 72 as though it were exact.

  9. #9Exam FMLevel annuitiesExam level
    A 10-year annuity pays 1 at the end of each half-year, at a nominal 6% convertible semiannually. Find the present value.
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E

    Solution

    1. Work in half-years: the rate is 3% per period and there are 20 periods.
    2. .
    3. , so the factor is .
    4. . Treating the payments as annual at 6% would give 7.36, less than half the correct value.

    Trap. Using 10 periods at 6% rather than 20 periods at 3%.

  10. #10Exam FMLoan amortisation and sinking fundsExam level
    A 100,000 loan charges 7% annually and is repaid in 12 years by the sinking-fund method, with the fund earning 5%. Find the total annual outlay.
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E

    Solution

    1. The lender receives interest only: a year.
    2. The sinking fund must accumulate to 100,000: .
    3. Total outlay: .
    4. Straight amortisation at 7% would cost — cheaper, because the fund earns less than the loan costs.

    Trap. Using a rather than s for the fund, which discounts instead of accumulating.

  11. #11Exam FMBond pricing, premium and discountExam level
    A 1,000 par 12-year bond with 4% annual coupons is bought to yield 6%. Find the discount (the amount by which C exceeds P).
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E

    Solution

    1. , so the discount is .
    2. per year.
    3. .
    4. Discount , so the bond costs about 832 and accumulates up to 1,000 over its life.

    Trap. Reporting the price rather than the discount, or getting the sign backwards.

  12. #12Exam FMDuration and convexityExam level
    Adding convexity, estimate the same bond's price at a 6.5% yield. Its modified convexity is 22.9187.
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E

    Solution

    1. The second-order estimate is .
    2. The convexity correction is .
    3. .
    4. , within 0.07 of the true price — a threefold improvement on duration alone.

    Trap. Forgetting the factor of one half on the convexity term.

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