Have you been curious about what it’s like to pre-test CAS Exams? Admissions Volunteer General Officer Chelsea Adler shares all the details from two recent pre-testers.
What’s it really like to pre-test for a Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) exam?
In this blog, I’ll provide an in-depth look based on interviews with two recent pre-testers. The CAS takes confidentiality of Admissions volunteers very seriously, so I have left out names to protect their identity. One individual pre-tested for Exam 6U in July 2025 while the other pre-tested for Exam 7 in August 2025.
Let’s get some basics out of the way first:
Who can pre-test?
A pre-tester needs to have strong familiarity with the material covered. Individuals who have passed the exam within the past 5 years are ideal, but other Fellows are welcome.
What does a pre-tester do?
Pre-testers provide valuable feedback on the length and comprehensiveness of the exam and will take part in a one-day panel meeting (in-person or virtual) prior to the exam administration. Travel to the panel is reimbursed by the CAS.
Now onto our firsthand experiences:
According to our Exam 6U pre-tester, “The two main questions when reviewing the test are (1) can the questions be reasonably answered from the material on the syllabus, and (2) do the questions provide enough context such that a candidate can be directed towards how to answer it. I “took” the exam in two steps. I first reviewed of all of the questions, similar to how I’d scan all questions when taking the exams before beginning to answer them. In this initial review, I made notes of what I presumed its source to be, how a candidate would go about answering the question, how the details in the question shaped what it was asking, and whether anything seemed extraneous, confusing, etc. I then went through each question in depth open book because I wanted to confirm that the question could in fact be answered based on the material in the exam reading.”
Regarding the timeline and format, our Exam 7 pre-tester shared, “We had two weeks with the exam to complete our review. We had the exam in both Excel and Pearson VUE format. We also received the grading rubric to compare our work to. We did not have to take the exam in a 4-hour sitting, but rather kept track of the time it took for each question. We also provided feedback on the grading rubric and the syllabus coverage of the exam. I took notes on any feedback I had as I went through the exam (wording, clarity, how it showed up in Pearson VUE, etc.), so that I could refer to them during the in-person panel.”
Did you study prior to pre-testing? If so, how much time did you spend refreshing your memory on the material?
Our Exam 6U pre-tester responded, “I chose to pre-test 6U since it is quite close to my day-to-day work. However, I spent roughly a week beforehand refreshing the material; since 6U always has changes in reading, I read the new sources as well.”
Our Exam 7 pre-tester shared, “I briefly read through my notes to refresh myself, and I also used my study materials when completing the questions. I did my best to consider what knowledge I would have been able to recall on exam day, in order to gauge the difficulty of the questions.”
What is the pass mark panel like?
One pre-tester shared, “The pass mark panel included chairs or vice-chairs from the grading, writing, and syllabus committees for each exam. There were also a few other attendees from the CAS. It was a full day in the CAS office. We started with introductions of who was in the room and then proceeded to review each question. For each question, they asked for the pre-tester’s feedback on the time it took and how challenging the question was. We could also provide feedback on other components, such as the wording of the question or the grading rubric.”
What was your favorite part about volunteering as a pre-tester?
The Exam 6U pre-tester responded, “My favorite part was digging back into the material. Oftentimes we work somewhat removed from the sources (I’ll review a company’s RBC but not calculate it myself, for example), but it was nice to review the Odomirok text and COPLFR, for example.”
The Exam 7 pre-tester shared, “My favorite part was the opportunity to travel to the CAS headquarters and engage in dialogue with the other exam committees. I gained a new perspective on how the exams are written and how the rubrics are created.”
Was there anything that surprised you?
One pre-tester said, “I was happily surprised with how directly my feedback impacted the questions. I felt that my feedback as a recent candidate was highly valued by the exam committee.”
Anything else you’d like to share to shed light on this role or encourage others to volunteer?
Our Exam 6U pre-tester responded, “I found pre-testing to be valuable both to the exam committee to help the quality and fairness of an exam, and to myself to return to foundational texts to assist my daily work.”
If you are interested in becoming a pre-tester, please see our recent announcement here or email admissions-volunteer@casact.org with your exam preference.
