IFoA CS2 exam-day guide
IFoA CS2 · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Confirm your exam format and platform details with the provider
CS2 is delivered through the IFoA's online assessment arrangements, but the exact platform, proctoring vendor, and permitted software change over time. Log into your IFoA account and read the current candidate instructions for your sitting rather than relying on what a colleague told you. If anything in the instructions is ambiguous, email the IFoA before the exam window opens.
Valid photo ID matching your registered name
Bring the original document (passport or national ID card is typical) with the name spelled exactly as on your IFoA record. A mismatch, an expired document, or a photocopy can prevent you from sitting. Check the provider's current accepted-ID list in advance.
Working R installation with the packages you rely on
CS2 Paper B is an R-based paper. Before exam day, confirm you can launch R or RStudio, load and save files, and that any package you intend to use is already installed and loads without an internet connection. Do not plan to install packages mid-exam.
Your own reference material in the permitted form
The IFoA publishes which printed or electronic materials are allowed for each paper. Prepare a concise set of notes, formula reminders, and R snippets within those limits, and confirm the current policy with the provider rather than assuming open-book or closed-book status.
A reliable computer, charger, and backup power
Use a machine you have already tested with the exam platform. Plug in the charger, and if you are at home keep a charged phone nearby as a fallback contact route for technical support. Restart the machine the night before to clear pending updates.
Stable internet plus a backup connection
Wired ethernet where possible, and a mobile hotspot or tethering option as a fallback. Test upload and download speeds at the time of day your exam starts, and make sure you know how to switch networks quickly.
Quiet, well-lit room with a clear desk
Remove notes, phones, and clutter from the camera's view unless they are explicitly permitted. Tell household members the exact times you must not be disturbed, and put a note on the door.
Practise the full exam interface and submission route
Run at least one timed mock on the same machine and platform you will use, including how you submit answers or upload files. Knowing where the timer, formula sheet, and submit button sit removes avoidable panic on the day.
Written plan for Paper A and Paper B timing
Decide in advance how many minutes you will spend per question and per mark, and where your hard stop is for each part. Write the plan on a single card you can glance at during the exam.
Confirm break and bathroom policy with the provider
Rules on leaving the room, pausing the timer, and supervised breaks differ between invigilation setups. Check the current candidate guide and plan hydration and timing around the stated policy.
Technical support contact details to hand
Save the provider's exam-support phone number and email, plus your candidate number, somewhere you can reach in seconds without leaving the exam interface. Know the procedure for reporting a technical failure during the sitting.
Water, snacks, and a clock you can see
Keep drinks in a closed container away from the keyboard, and place a simple clock where a glance does not cost you time. Avoid heavy meals immediately before the paper.
Plan the day
Switch from learning new material to consolidating. Re-read your own summary sheets for the core CS2 syllabus areas: Markov chains and multi-state models, survival analysis and Cox regression, run-off triangles and claims reserving, risk theory and ruin, and time series. For each, write from memory the key definitions, the model assumptions, and the main formulas, then check against your notes and log the gaps. Spend the remaining time on those gaps only.
Do one full timed Paper A under exam conditions on the machine you will use, then mark it honestly against the solutions. Identify whether your losses come from knowledge, arithmetic slips, or time management, because the fix differs: revision, slower working with checks, or a stricter per-question budget. Repeat with a Paper B style R task if you have not already done a timed one.
Test the technology end to end: log into the platform, check the browser version, confirm R and your packages load, and verify that you can save and reopen a file in the folder structure you will use. Charge every device and find the chargers.
Do light revision only: formula sheets, your list of recurring mistakes, and a handful of short questions to keep the mechanics sharp. Do not start a new topic or attempt a full mock, since a poor result the night before mainly damages confidence.
Prepare the physical setup: clear the desk, position the camera and light, print or load your permitted materials, and write your timing plan card. Lay out ID, chargers, water, and any permitted items in one place. Confirm the start time in your own time zone, including any daylight-saving difference from the provider's stated time.
Do a final technology check and then stop. Close unnecessary applications, disable notifications and automatic updates, and note the support contact. Set two alarms and aim for a normal night's sleep; a rested attempt at a long paper is worth more than an extra hour of cramming.
Eat properly, avoid heavy caffeine if you are already anxious, and skim only your summary sheet and timing plan. Log in early, well before the start, so that identity checks, room scans, or platform loading issues are resolved without eating into writing time. Keep the support number visible.
Read the whole paper briefly and allocate time by mark weight. Start with the question you are most confident in to settle nerves, then work in your planned order. On calculation questions, write down the model and assumptions before substituting numbers, since method marks usually survive an arithmetic slip while a bare wrong answer does not. If you stall, note the approach, leave a marker, and move on; return only if time allows.
Watch the clock at fixed checkpoints rather than constantly. For Paper B, run code in small steps and check output as you go, comment your script so the marker can follow your logic, and keep a plain-text record of results in case a chunk fails. Leave the last several minutes to check that every answer is saved or uploaded and that you have completed the submission steps the platform requires.
Rules to check
Sit only under the conditions stated in the current IFoA candidate instructions for your sitting. Where a rule is unclear, such as permitted materials, break policy, or whether a particular tool may run alongside the exam, ask the provider in advance rather than deciding for yourself on the day.
Present the original photo ID whose name matches your IFoA registration exactly. If your name has changed or your document is expired, resolve it with the IFoA well before the exam window; invigilators cannot admit you on an assurance that it will be sorted later.
Work alone and do not communicate with anyone about the paper during the sitting, including via messaging, forums, or shared documents. Do not share or discuss question content afterwards in ways the regulations prohibit.
Do not let another person, device, or piece of software assist you beyond what is explicitly permitted. Automated solvers, AI assistants, and unauthorised communication tools are outside the rules for a closed assessment, and using them risks invalidation of your result.
Report any technical failure, interruption, or breach of exam conditions to the invigilator or support line immediately, and follow the provider's documented procedure for logging it. Do not attempt to fix a platform problem by restarting the exam yourself unless instructed.
Marks are awarded for method as well as final answers, so show your working, state assumptions, and define notation. An unsupported number earns little even when correct, and a clearly reasoned partial solution often earns most of the marks.
All papers are marked against the published syllabus and the same standard for every candidate. Do not expect leniency for technical trouble unless the provider's mitigating-circumstances process applies; check that process and its deadlines in advance.
Follow the provider's instructions on timing and submission exactly, including any requirement to upload files or confirm answers before the deadline. Work submitted after time is called may not be marked, so leave enough margin to complete the submission steps.