Tutorials
- Overview
- Tuition Bulletin
- Regular/Block Tutorials
- Online Tutorials
- Live Online
- In-house Tutorials
- Paper B Preparation Days
- Induction Courses
- Application Process
Tutorials
Overview
Time spent at an ActEd tutorial will be amongst your most productive study time - our experienced team of tutors will make sure that our tutorials help you to prepare effectively for the exams by taking you through important questions, clarifying key concepts and giving you the motivation to succeed.
ActEd's interactive tutorials are challenging and rewarding. Our tutors will help you to develop your higher-level understanding and exam technique in an enjoyable environment.
Although we cannot guarantee any maximum group size, we usually aim for at most 12 on face-to-face tutorials and 14 on most live online tutorials. Please refer to the latest Tuition Bulletin for full details of the courses on offer. Our most popular courses include:
Online Classroom
The online classroom is an exciting new approach to studying for the actuarial exams. It acts as either a valuable add-on to a tutorial (face-to-face or live online) or a great alternative to a tutorial, particularly if you're not based in the UK or near a tutorial venue.
Live Online Tutorials
Live Online Regular or Block Tutorials are ideal if you like the discipline and motivation of a structured and timetabled course but are unable to travel to one of our face-to-face courses. We aim to replicate as closely as possible what you would experience on a face-to-face tutorial - but deliver it online.
Details of all our current provisional and/or confirmed courses, together with full listings of dates, locations and finalisation dates can be viewed in our Tuition Bulletin. You will be able to view provisional venues and see an indication of the number of spaces available on each course on our e-store.
Read about the tutorial application process. More detailed advice for new students is also available.
Tutor Talk Video for Tutorials Options
The video below explains some of the options available for our Tutorials.
Tuition Bulletin
Important Information
Download the Tuition Bulletin (17 Dec 2024) to see details of the tutorials for the session leading to the April 2025 exams.
We appreciate that it may be tempting to wait until after results before deciding what to sit but we strongly recommend that you commit to a subject early and start studying as soon as possible. There will only be a finite number of tutorial places available on the later-starting courses and we cannot always guarantee everyone a place.
Demand for tutorials can vary a lot from session to session. Please try to choose a first, second and third choice, where possible. This will enable us to carry out the finalisation process more efficiently and maximise the chance that you are allocated a suitable place.
We are offering the option of half-day, live online tutorials in many subjects this session. Each standard full day will be split into two half days, usually around a week apart. If you choose half days then please read the required material before each pair of half days.
Places on all courses are allocated on a first-come first-served basis and many courses become fully booked very quickly. You can still apply for tutorials after the finalisation date, but you should be aware that some courses are likely to be full by this stage.
Key Dates
Please refer to the Tuition Bulletin to check the finalisation dates of the courses you are interested in.
Read about the tutorial application process.
The Tuition Bulletin is in Adobe Acrobat format, and you will need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print it. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it here.
Regular/Block Tutorials
Regular Tutorials
Regular Tutorials are ideal if you want regular tuition throughout the session to make sure that you fully understand the material as you progress through the course. We'll expect you to have read the relevant parts of the Course Notes before the tutorial and to work hard on the day.
Regular tutorials typically involve three to five days of tuition spread throughout the study session. Late-starting Regular Tutorials begin slightly later in the study session.
Available face-to-face and in some subjects live online. Details of all our current provisional and/or confirmed courses, together with full listings of dates, locations and finalisation dates can be viewed in our Tuition Bulletin.
If you might need to change your plans in the light of your exam results or exemptions gained, then we'd recommend that you apply for a late-starting Regular Tutorial or a Block Tutorial rather than a standard Regular Tutorial.
Teaching days normally start between 9am and 10am and finish between 4.30pm and 5.00pm. The morning session typically ends between 12.30pm and 1.00pm and the afternoon session starts between 1.15pm and 1.45pm. Exact timings for all courses will be given with your joining instructions. Please read these joining instructions carefully.
Students attending a Regular or Block Tutorial (delivered face-to-face or live online) in the same session may purchase the Online Classroom at a significantly reduced cost.
5/6-day Bundle
In the CM and CS Subjects a 'Bundle' combines a Regular or Block Tutorial with a Paper B Preparation Day. The Preparation Day will be the final day of tuition in the series of dates.
Read about the tutorial application process .
Block Tutorials
These are courses held closer to the exams with at least some consecutive days, offered as an alternative to Regular Tutorials. They are the same length as the alternative Regular Tutorial and cover the same material.
We'll expect you to have read the Course Notes before the tutorial and to work hard while you are there.
Teaching days normally start between 9am and 10am and finish between 4.30pm and 5.00pm. Exact timings for all courses will be given with your joining instructions. Please read these joining instructions carefully.
If you might need to change your plans in the light of your exam results or exemptions gained, then we'd recommend that you apply for a late-starting Regular Tutorial or a Block Tutorial rather than a standard Regular Tutorial.
Read about the tutorial application process. Details of all our current provisional and/or confirmed courses, together with full listings of dates, locations and finalisation dates can be viewed in our Tuition Bulletin.
Students attending a Regular or Block Tutorial (delivered face-to-face or live online) in the same session may purchase the Online Classroom at a significantly reduced cost.
5/6-day Bundle
In the CM and CS Subjects a 'Bundle' combines a Regular or Block Tutorial with a Paper B Preparation Day. The Preparation Day will be the final day of tuition in the series of dates.
Read about the tutorial application process .
Online Tutorials
Online Classroom
The Online Classroom is an exciting new approach to studying for the actuarial exams. It acts as either a valuable add-on to a tutorial (face-to-face or live online) or a great alternative to a tutorial, particularly if you're not based in the UK or near a tutorial venue.
Please see the specific details for the Online Classrooms in Subject CP2, Subject CP3 and Subject SA1.
At the heart of the Online Classroom in each subject is a comprehensive, easily-searched collection of tutorial units. These are a mix of:
- teaching units, helping you to really get to grips with the course material, and
- guided questions, enabling you to learn the most efficient ways to answer questions and avoid common exam pitfalls.
Key highlights
-
Comprehensive
Content equivalent to a typical tutorial, including easy to understand tutor explanations of topics, tutor-guided question practice and question and solution handouts. - Supported study
A tutor is available to support your studies. They will answer your questions and provide motivation throughout the study session. You"re part of a group of students in the Online Classroom (your cohort) and can discuss ideas with them through ActEd's forums. -
Interactive and multi-sensory
You study actively, pausing the recordings to answer questions and checking your understanding throughout. By watching, listening and participating in short chunks, you enhance the learning process. -
Alternative or add-on to a tutorial (face-to-face or live online)
The Online Classroom works as a stand-alone product or as an add-on to tutorials. Students attending tutorials in the same session may purchase the Online Classroom at a significantly reduced cost.
Key Benefits
-
Comprehensive
Tuition divided into short, easily accessible units in each subject, with guidance on how and when to use them for maximum benefit. -
You"re in control
You choose what to study and when. Focus your efforts on the topics and questions you need to study most. Don"t use your valuable time on topics that you already understand well. -
Replay and review key topics
You can look at key topics as many times as you need to during the exam session. -
Guided questions
You"re guided through many past exam and other practice questions, seeing how to get to the correct answer quickly and avoiding common pitfalls. -
Flexible and efficient
You receive access to all the content online from the start, giving you the flexibility to pick and choose what and when to study. -
Study anytime, anywhere you want
Daytimes, evenings, weekends - you choose. Connect to the Online Classroom at home, in the office, on the train or anywhere you have internet access. The short length of each unit means you can make each study session as long (or as short) as you want. -
Connected
Discuss the course online with other students and receive support, motivation and answers to queries from your dedicated tutor. You don"t have to study in isolation.
Online Classroom demos
| Teaching unit | Guided question |
|---|---|
| CM1 | CM1 |
| CM2 | CM2 |
| CS1 | CS1 |
| CS2 | CS2 |
| CB1 | CB1 |
| CB2 | CB2 |
| CP1 | CP1 |
| SP1 | SP1 |
| SP2 | SP2 |
| SP5 | SP5 |
| SP7 | SP7 |
| SP8 | SP8 |
| SA1 | SA1 |
| SA2 | SA2 |
| SA7 | SA7 |
What else is in the Online Classroom?
Alongside all these tutorial units, the Online Classroom also provides:
- Discussion forums - talk to other students studying the subject at the same time and get answers to your queries
- Access to an ActEd tutor - who provides guidance and support via the discussion forums
- Guidance - advice on how and when to use the Online Classroom and how to integrate it with your other study resources to best suit you and maximise your chances of exam success
- Tutorial handout and full solutions - just like a tutorial.
Online classroom is available in all Core Subjects and Subjects SP1, SP2, SP5, SP7, SP8, SA2 and SA7. A mini-online classroom is also available in Subject SA1. Please visit the SA1 page for more details.
The CM and CS Online Classrooms are an alternative to a Regular or Block tutorial and will help you prepare for both papers A and B, as the underlying examinable content is broadly the same. However, the Online Classroom focuses on the written Paper A and does not cover any R or Excel questions. Hence the Online Classroom is not intended to be an alternative to using the Paper B Online Resources (PBOR) or attending a Paper B Preparation Day, both of which focus on preparing students for the Paper B exam.
Please see the specific details for the Online Classrooms in Subject CP2, Subject CP3 and Subject SA1.
Students attending a tutorial in the same session may purchase the Online Classroom at a significantly reduced cost.
Students will have access for up to 13 months to pre-recorded tutorial units covering the same topics and questions as used on a typical face-to-face tutorial.
Expected availability dates.
Online Classroom Forums - FAQ
Click on a section title to see the answers for each section:
How long does it normally take to answer queries on the forums?
Our tutors aim to respond to forum queries within two working days. However, when students help each other by posting responses, queries can be answered much more quickly. We encourage everyone to post thoughts and suggestions!
Although our tutors strive to respond to forum queries as quickly as possible, there are circumstances that can delay their response, for example:
- Where a student posts a large number of questions; such students should not expect our tutors to answer all their queries at once.
- Sometimes our tutors have a large volume of teaching (which may involve significant travel) and they may be unable to access the resources they need in order to answer forum queries.
Is there any limit on the type or number of queries I can ask?
Whilst there isn't a formal limit, ActEd does reserve the right to restrict tutor support in certain circumstances, eg when the questions posted suggest that the student hasn't read the Course Notes or has not made a significant attempt to understand the material. Similarly, tutor support may be limited for students who post an excessive number of questions or questions that are too broad or unfocused in nature. We reserve this right solely to guarantee that our tutors are able to help the great majority of students who use the forums as intended to enhance their understanding of the most difficult concepts.
What happens to forum posts after each study session?
At the end of each study session we review the posts, retaining those that are likely to be useful to students in the future and deleting others. So before posting a query, it is worth reviewing existing posts to see if your question has already been answered! You can use the search facilities on the forums to help you.
ActEd Tutor Talk - Online Classroom
In this video we discuss ActEd's Online Classroom.
The Tuition Bulletin is in Adobe Acrobat format, and you will need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print it. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it here.
Live Online
Live Online Regular or Block Tutorials
This session we are offering Live Online Tutorials in many subjects. These courses aim to replicate as closely as possible what you would experience at a face-to-face tutorial, without the need to travel to a venue.
Students attending a Regular or Block Tutorial (delivered face-to-face or live online) in the same session may purchase the Online Classroom (where available) at a significantly reduced cost.
Live Online course dates can be found in our Tuition Bulletin.
Live Online Course Dates
It may be different to actually being in a classroom, but we will aim to replicate the experience and learning outcomes of a face-to-face tutorial as closely as possible. In addition you will benefit from:
- reduce travel time and cost.
- reduced tutorial cost.
- the opportunity to re-watch or catch up on any live sessions you miss, until the end of the study session after the one in which you take the tutorial.
How it works
Just like a face-to-face tutorial, the courses will comprise a mixture of:
- teaching from the tutor via pre-prepared presentations and a virtual whiteboard
- time for question practice for students, with subsequent tutor guidance and solutions.
It will be assumed that you have read the relevant chapters of ActEd's Course Notes before the tutorial and so the tutorial will aim to consolidate your knowledge and build your understanding of the principles covered.
Interaction will be encouraged using interactive polls and a written chat facility.
The software used enables you to see and hear the tutor, and uses a "virtual flipchart" and slides, resulting in a personal feel to the tutorial. You can ask and respond to questions via a written chat facility, getting instant tutor feedback.
In order to participate all you need is a PC with speakers or headphones, a broadband internet connection and an internet browser. You can test your setup to check that you have the relevant software installed.
It is possible to view Live Online Tutorials using an iPad and an App (that can be downloaded from the App Store). However, at present we recommend that you use a PC or laptop instead, because connecting this way offers you more functionality during the tutorial than using the App.
Timing of courses
The full day sessions normally start between 9am and 10am and finish between 4.30pm and 5pm (UK time) with breaks.
The half-day Regular Tutorial morning sessions typically start between 9am and 10am and end between 12.30pm and 1pm. The afternoon sessions start between 1.30pm and 2pm and finish between 5pm and 5.30pm.
Exact timings for all courses will be given with your joining instructions. Please read these joining instructions carefully. All Live Online courses will be UK times.
Applying for a tutorial
Numbers will be limited and so to maximise your chance of getting a place on the tutorial we encourage early applications.
Read about the tutorial application process.
In-house Tutorials
Arranging In-House Tutorials
Sometimes there may not be enough demand for a public course in a particular subject near you. ActEd may still be able to provide face-to-face tuition through an in-house tutorial, which can be tailored to meet your specific requirements.
In-house tutorials are charged on a fixed fee basis, irrespective of the number of students attending and are guaranteed to run. In some cases these tutorials can represent better value to an employer than covering the cost of all the students travelling to a public tutorial some distance away.
If you are interested in organising an in-house tutorial, please e-mail ActEd Tutorials. Remember that our tutors are likely to be very busy teaching in March and August in the lead-up to the exams.
Paper B Preparation Days
Overview
Students wishing for some additional tutor support for Paper B, working through exam-style questions, may wish to attend a Preparation Day. These will be available Live Online or face-to-face. Tutors will assume that attendees have used the Paper B Online Resources (PBOR), which form part of the new CMP. You will not be taught the essential skills of working in Excel or R on the Preparation Day.
It is strongly recommended that you will have already completed all days of your CM/CS tutorial before your Paper B Preparation Day. If you would like to book a CM or CS Paper B Preparation Day, please therefore book one with a date that falls after the last day of your 4/5 day tutorial.
Students attending a Paper B Preparation Day must bring their own device to the tutorial capable of running either Excel or RStudio as required.
Details of all our current provisional and/or confirmed courses, together with full listings of dates, locations and finalisation dates can be viewed in our Tuition Bulletin.
Teaching days normally start between 9am and 10am and finish between 4.30pm and 5.00pm. The morning session typically ends between 12.30pm and 1.00pm and the afternoon session starts between 1.15pm and 1.45pm. Exact timings for all courses will be given with your joining instructions. Please read these joining instructions carefully.
Read about the tutorial application process.
5/6-day Bundle
In the CM and CS Subjects a 'Bundle' combines a Regular or Block Tutorial with a Paper B Preparation Day. The Preparation Day will be the final day of tuition in the series of dates.
Induction Courses
Overview
ActEd runs in-house induction courses in September and October each year to give new actuarial students a flying start to the early subjects, as well as introducing and developing the basic actuarial skills that new students will use in the office.
For employers with a larger number of new actuarial students, we run in-house induction courses. These can be tailored more closely to the needs of an individual employer and can be incorporated into the employer's current induction programme. For example, sessions on the subject material can be interspersed with other internal training sessions.
Please contact ActEd Tutorials if you would like to discuss in-house induction courses in more detail.
Standard course content
The course covers the following areas:
Assumed knowledge (1) - pure mathematics
- Integration
- Differentiation
- Solving equations (including interpolation)
- Summation of series
Assumed knowledge (2) - probability and statistics
- Probability
- Conditional probability
- Using probability trees
- Random variables
- Expectation
- Variance
Introduction to CS1 - statistics
- Distributions (binomial, Poisson, normal, lognormal).
- Demonstration of R
Introduction to CM1 (1) - financial mathematics
- Interest rates (simple and compound)
- The compound interest functions
- Present values and accumulated values of annuities payable in arrears and in advance
- Changing the time period (effective rates and nominal rates)
- Increasing annuities (with level and/or compound increases)
- Loans with a demonstration of Excel
Introduction to CM1 (2) - survival models and contingencies
- Mortality probabilities and shapes of the graphs
- Explanation of notation, tables
- Lifetime random variables
- Calculation of probabilities (using life tables)
- Explanation and calculations of level annuities and assurance functions
- Equations of value
- Calculating premiums
- Pension calculations
- Cashflow approaches with a demonstration of Excel
In addition, there will be an introductory session covering the exam system, how much study is needed, exam preparation and study hints.
The course will finish with a short mock exam on the last afternoon of the course, containing a wide range of exam-style questions. The mock exam will emphasise the importance of understanding, accuracy and speed, and will prevent students from developing any complacency in their approach to their actuarial studies.
Feedback to employers
Employers sending students on this course will receive feedback on their students' performance during the three days and an interpretation of the marks obtained in the mock exam.
Feedback from students
Students who have attended ActEd induction courses in the past have found that they went away with the foundations of their knowledge of the early subjects firmly laid, and with a clear idea of how their studying pattern needed to develop over the forthcoming year.
Application Process
Overview
We recommend that you apply for your tutorials using our estore, where you will be able to view provisional venues and see an indication of the number of spaces available on each course. Alternatively please use the up-to-date Tutorials Application form. The estore allows you to specify your first, second and third choice courses in each subject. If a place is available on your first choice course when we receive your application, then you'll be given a provisional place on that course. If your first choice course is full, you'll be given a provisional place on your second choice course and so on.
However, if you have never ordered from ActEd before, have a look at our placing your first order page for helpful tips. If you need further advice about which tutorials to apply for, please see Help and Advice for New Students.
We will write to you shortly after receiving your application with details of your provisional place. Please remember that a provisional place does not guarantee that the course will run - this will depend on a sufficient level of demand at finalisation. It is also possible, although unlikely, that you could lose your place on the course at finalisation if a student who applied before you, does not obtain a place on their first-choice course due to a course cancellation. Therefore, please avoid making any travel arrangements until you have received the final confirmation of your booking. Invoices are issued, and credit card payments taken, between 5 and 15 working days after the relevant Finalisation Date, once a place has been confirmed.
If you might need to change your plans in the light of your exam results or gaining exemptions, then we'd recommend that you apply for a late-starting Regular Tutorial or a Block Tutorial, rather than a standard Regular Tutorial. This will give you much more flexibility should your plans change.
Waiting list
If all of your chosen tutorials are full, your name will be added to a generic, subject waiting list with a record of your original preferences. If a space becomes available, eg if a student cancels or we add a new course, then we will allocate you the place and email you with the details. You can decline the place if the dates or location are not suitable.
Please let us know if you wish to be removed from a waiting list or if you wish to update your preferences.
We will endeavour but cannot guarantee to add extra groups at finalisation for students still on a waiting list at that time. You may apply for another course at any time or update your preferences on the waiting list, for example, to let us know that you would accept a place on a live online tutorial as well as one at your preferred location.
Acknowledgement of booking
Shortly after you apply for a course we will email an acknowledgement of your provisional application. If you do not receive an acknowledgement within four days for each of the courses you have applied for, please contact ActEd immediately to check that we have received your application.
Please let us know if you change your email address so that we can keep you up-to-date with details of your booking. Please read your tutorial emails carefully and let us know of any problems.
We will email you again 3-4 days after the relevant finalisation date with full details of your confirmed tutorial place. We will not be able to confirm a place until this time and we ask for your patience in the days immediately following the finalisation date. After finalisation once you have received your confirmation email, please retain this email as it will have details of the venue.
Finalisation
ActEd will endeavour to run all advertised courses where we have received a sufficient number of applications in writing by the finalisation date (this is normally, but not guaranteed to be, around 8 applications and depends upon the level of demand for other courses). We will allocate places on a first-come first-served basis and we will run additional groups whenever possible when tutorial groups are oversubscribed. We will email you again 3-4 days after the relevant finalisation date with full details of your confirmed tutorial place. We will not be able to confirm a place until this time and we ask for your patience in the days immediately following the finalisation date.
We will endeavour but cannot guarantee to add extra groups at finalisation for students still on a waiting list at that time. You may choose to come off a waiting list and apply for another course at any time.
Requesting tutorials in a different location
We run Regular Tutorials and Block Tutorials in a variety of locations. We are also happy to run tutorials in locations other than those shown on the provisional timetable if there is sufficient demand.
You may book onto one of the advertised courses and specify a preferred location. When using the online-store, select your first, second and third choice courses before clicking on "Add to Basket and request a non-scheduled tutorial" to state your location preference. If you do this, we will automatically switch your application if we are able to run a course in your preferred location.
Alternatively, if you are unable or unwilling to travel to one of the advertised courses but would like to attend a course in a location near you, submit a request for a tutorial on the E-Store by clicking on "Tutorials" and then "Request a Tutorial (non-scheduled)". You can state your chosen subject, course type and your preferred location. We will then add you to the relevant subject’s waiting list, recording your preferences.
Finally, you may like to try and arrange, with the help of your employer, an in-house tutorial. Please email us if you would like more details.