This course is intended for students exploring the actuarial career and is designed to prepare students for the Actuarial Exam 1/P, administered by the SOA (Society of Actuaries) and CAS (Casualty Actuarial Society). We will cover the topics listed in the exam syllabus provided by the SOA, including general probability, univariate and multivariate probability distributions, moment generating functions, and more.

Course Text:
A Probability Course for the Actuaries: A Preparation for Exam P/1 by Marcel B. Finan (will be distributed via Piazza page). Each week, there will be around 30 – 40 pages of reading assigned to students, which will take at least 1.5 - 2 hours. In addition, the textbook includes practice problems that will help students better understand the material. It is recommended for students to spend at least 2 – 3 hours on practicing the different concepts on top of readings and assigned homework in order to adequately prepare for the SOA/CAS exam.

Attendance:
Attendance on the days of the group competition, midterm and final exams are mandatory. Please let myself or Cindy know if you will miss a lecture.

Homework:
Each week a homework assignment will be distributed on Piazza. Each homework consists of 5 – 6 questions and usually takes around 1-2 hours to complete. Homework is due at the beginning of class, and no late homework will be accepted. Homework will be graded based on completion and effort. The lowest homework grade will be dropped. If you are absent on a day that homework is due, you can email myself or Cindy a picture of your work that same day and it will not be counted as late.

Quizzes:
5 in-class quizzes on concepts and formulas will be randomly administered throughout the semester. No make-up quizzes will be accepted. Solutions to quizzes will be given following the quiz. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped.

Participation and Automatic Passing:
Participation in class and Piazza discussions is strongly encouraged, and may influence students’ grades in the event that they are borderline. Students who pass Exam 1/P during the semester will automatically pass this course and will no longer be required to attend class.

If you are interested in joining our class, please fill in the form: https://forms.gle/SapjGQ4ymckwFdyV9 Please send an email to zehao_zhao@berkeley.edu for questions about the course and enrollment.