IFoA SA2 exam-day guide

SA2 (Life Insurance Specialist Principles) is delivered by the IFoA, but sitting arrangements, the online proctoring or test-centre provider, and the exact list of permitted reference material can change between sessions. Before finalising your preparation, confirm with the provider: whether the sitting is online-invigilated or at a centre, which calculator models are allowed, and whether any formula or tables booklet is provided or must be printed. Do not rely on second-hand accounts from previous sittings.

Bring the original, valid photo identification whose details match your IFoA and provider registration exactly (name spelling, date of birth). For online sittings this is usually checked during the pre-exam identity step, so have it in your hand, not in another room. Confirm with the provider which ID types are accepted and whether a second form is required.

Bring the calculator model permitted by the provider and a spare of the same approved type or fresh batteries. Practise on the exact model you will use so that annuity and discounting keystrokes are automatic; unfamiliar calculator logic costs marks under time pressure.

If the provider confirms that any tables, formulae, or core reading extracts may be used, prepare them exactly as permitted (clean copy, no annotations unless allowed). Confirm with the provider whether digital copies are allowed during an online sitting or whether only printed material is accepted.

Bring several pens that write cleanly and a pencil for rough work. For a typed online sitting, confirm with the provider how rough work may be done (on-screen notepad, provided paper, or a second camera view of your desk) and whether rough paper must be shown and destroyed at the end.

Run the provider's system and equipment check in advance, and repeat it on the day. Have a wired or reliable connection, a charged device, and the charger plugged in. Clear the desk of everything not permitted, tell household members you are unavailable, and know the provider's procedure for a technical failure so you do not lose time improvising.

Read the front-sheet instructions and the number of questions and marks. Allocate minutes per mark (roughly one minute per mark plus reading and checking time) and decide the order in which you will attempt questions before you start typing or writing.

SA2 answers are largely written explanation and application, not just calculation. Have a routine: read the question, identify the command word (state, explain, discuss, recommend), jot a short skeleton of headings, then write in short paragraphs or bullet points that map onto marks. Practise this on past-style questions so the structure is automatic.

Decide in advance at which clock times you should be finishing each question, and what you will do if you overrun (move on, return later). Note the time remaining at each quarter of the exam so you never run out of time with unattempted marks.

For online sittings, a visible clock helps you track the plan without repeatedly leaving the exam screen. Confirm with the provider whether a watch is permitted and whether any device restrictions apply to smart watches.

Bring water in a permitted container and eat and sleep normally in the days before. Fatigue is a bigger risk than a missing fact on a long written paper. Check the provider's rules on food and drink, especially for test-centre sittings.

Know the provider's contact route and evidence requirements if something goes wrong during the sitting, and keep any confirmation emails to hand. Confirm with the provider in advance how disruptions are handled and what you must record, rather than assuming a remedy will be automatic.