Thanks to ACE, I got through both CSP and DP on the first try. Even better, I just found out that I got a 10 on CSP. Thanks for everything and keep up the great work,
Matt, Hartford
I would highly recommend the ACE online seminar. I found the readings to be very well explained and summarized. I just passed CSP-ILA and I truly believe that if it had not been for ACE, that I would not have been able to do it (at least not this sitting). The great thing about the online seminar is that you can watch the videos as many times as is necessary to make it sink in. Jacob and Ben were also very supportive; quickly responding to questions along the way. Because this was my last exam, I also went to the live seminar where everyone I talked to agreed that the handouts alone were worth the trip. I thought the lectures were outstanding as well.
Steve, NY
You know if you weren't such good teachers, maybe you'd get repeat business.
Sam, Cedar Rapids
Even though I had studied for several hundred hours before attending the ACE seminar for exam DP, I was not happy with the progress I was making. Some coworkers who attended the ACE seminar recommended it to me as a way to provide focus to the most important topics, discuss strategies, and review relevant calculation problems. The ACE seminar definitely delivered on its promise to help clarify seemingly difficult issues such as 7702 and helped consolidate overlapping topics from various texts such as the product development process. There were several calculation problems in the DP exam that I took that the ACE seminar directly touched on, problems I would definitely have missed had I not had attended the seminar. I would highly recommend the ACE seminar to anyone.
Beau, St Louis, MO
I found the CSP seminar to be really helpful. Jacob and Ben are knowledgeable and do a great job of simplifying the material down to the main points. They make every effort to help you pass -- from holding question and answer sessions each evening, to bringing an afternoon snack for everyone so you can stay awake, to sending out additional information that people request after the seminar. I can't imagine attempting the exam without it!
Mary Risius, New York City
The enormity of the material on either the DP or CSP exam is daunting and, at times, downright scary. The ACE Seminar helped to calm my nerves by showing that the material could be adequately reviewed in a short period of time. I found their practice problems to be particularly useful – Ben and Jacob clearly showed the path from problem to solution on a wealth of questions that were either constructed by them or taken from prior exams. I feel that the seminars were critical to my study progress, and with their help I was able to pass both DP and CSP on my first try!
Rich, Bloomington, IL
The ACE DP seminar prepared me for the exam through the range of practice problems and easy to understand explanations. Additionally, Ben and Jake were very willing to stay after the formal lecture to answer any student questions and provide background information when needed. They also shared valuable test taking advice - which can be crucial for first timers on the written answer exams. Lastly the depth and scope of the seminar balanced the big picture concepts with the more detailed ones. I highly recommend this seminar for those planning to write the DP exam.
Alycia
When I started preparing for the DP exam, my goal was to get a score of at least one the first time. I started studying in June. I quickly realized that there was a lot of material and a lot of duplication in the material. For me to score higher than a zero, I really need to consider attending a live seminar.
I attended the ACE seminar in September. The last day of the seminar, I walked out of the room thinking... I could pass this test. If I dedicate the next seven weeks to practicing all the problems (ACE provides tons), reviewing the seminar manual & memorizing my ACE note cards, then I could pass this test (and I did).
The ILA-DP syllabus has a lot of material. ACE can help by:
• Explaining the concepts. Jake and Ben both do a great job explaining the concepts at the live seminar. This helps the concepts become second nature.
• Combining the five lists to one (greatly reducing the number of lists to memorize). This was really helpful for me taking it my first time.
Julie, Boston
I didn’t know a lot about ACE before attending the CSP seminar, so I didn’t know what to expect. Attending the ACE CSP seminar ended up being a great decision because I passed CSP on the first go-around. For DP, I was a full subscriber to their entire suite of products - manuals, flashcards, CDs, and seminars. The study manuals and flashcards for both courses were fantastic. I felt there were plenty of SOA style practice problems for all types of questions - numerical and essay/lists. The CDs were helpful, but not exactly my style of learning; however, I did refer back to them in the weeks after the seminar. Jake and Ben are both excellent instructors and their teaching styles and personalities compliment each other very well during the in-person seminars. When I showed up for the CSP seminar I thought GAAP was impossible, but Jake broke down the material and made each piece fit together. Both were very helpful after the seminar in terms of following up on questions that came up during studying in the weeks after the seminar. Since CSP was my first written exam, one of the biggest benefits for me was their ability to break down the exam strategy for a non-multiple choice exam. For me, the combination of ACE and hours of studying was the path to success!
Carly Muise, FSA
Hartford, CT
ACE provided me with the guidance I needed to pass exam DP-ILA on my first attempt. The live seminar is high level yet thorough. Covering the entire syllabus in four days is intensive, but it also illustrates how manageable the exam really is. Jake and Ben are great instructors and they provide invaluable advice and exam tips. I left the seminar equipped with a great mental picture of the syllabus, plenty of practice problems and most importantly, peace of mind. After the seminar, the ACE study guide and memorization cards were my go-to resources as I continued studying. I strongly recommend ACE products to anybody taking the Individual Life and Annuity FSA track.
Matt
Boston, MA