# Doubling up Exam 7 and 9 **URL:** \ **Category:** CAS Exam 7\ **Created:** [November 2, 2022, 11:20pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782 "2022-11-02T23:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cinema](https://community.goactuary.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/5daacb/32.png) [@Cinema](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Cinema)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 11:20pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/1 "2022-11-02T23:20:08Z")
Currently considering doubling up since I got a full 6 months left to study. I’ve seen a few others contemplating on doing this as well. Has anyone doubled up or is currently doubling up? How was it, or how has it been? ---
**Author:** ![tommie.frazier](https://community.goactuary.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@tommie.frazier](https://community.goactuary.com/u/tommie.frazier)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 1:28am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/2 "2022-11-03T01:28:08Z")
It is always hard to double. Many have of course. Start early. Stay on schedule. Worst pain of all would be scoring 5 twice. Make sure that doesnt happen ---
**Author:** ![John.S.Mill](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/john.s.mill/32/9771_2.png) [@John.S.Mill](https://community.goactuary.com/u/John.S.Mill)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:42am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/3 "2022-11-03T02:42:01Z")
I don’t remember what studying for exams is like. But I passed 7 and 9 the first time I took em, so clearly they’re not that hard. ---
**Author:** ![Yousername](https://community.goactuary.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/8c91f0/32.png) [@Yousername](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Yousername)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 3:31am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/4 "2022-11-03T03:31:51Z")
I’m thinking about the same thing since they’re allegedly changing exams 7 and 9 starting in Spring 2024 and I don’t really love the uncertainty around that. I have a 5 on Exam 7 already so I have a head start there. It still seems like a crazy idea. Studying for one exam is already a lot ---
**Author:** ![xyz](https://community.goactuary.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/x/b5a626/32.png) [@xyz](https://community.goactuary.com/u/xyz)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:25pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/5 "2022-11-03T14:25:48Z")
doubled up 7 & 9, a very painful and stressful experience. But if you have plenty of time I would recommend it. If you end up not passing one of them, then you will feel much more confident the next year, so it’s like you’re more certain to pass at least two exams in two years. My suggestion is to choose one exam as your priority and the other as a “bonus”, so you can at least pass one. ---
**Author:** ![WhenFCAS](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/whenfcas/32/18203_2.png) [@WhenFCAS](https://community.goactuary.com/u/WhenFCAS)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/6 "2022-11-03T14:41:04Z")
Maybe you’re super smart but we know a guy who passed all the exams in 1 shot and only took like 3-4 years to do it all, and I recall him/her saying it was super stressful doubling up in 2020 when he had an entire year to do. I used to love the idea of the possibility of clearing two exams in one sitting but would not be able to forgive myself if i got two 5’s. ---
**Author:** ![John.S.Mill](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/john.s.mill/32/9771_2.png) [@John.S.Mill](https://community.goactuary.com/u/John.S.Mill)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:48pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/7 "2022-11-03T14:48:51Z")
there’s 1 guy (probably famous) at my prior company that doubled/tripled up every single sitting and got FCAS from nil in 2 years. Don’t be like that imo. ---
**Author:** ![kadsura](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/kadsura/32/23091_2.png) [@kadsura](https://community.goactuary.com/u/kadsura)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:58pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/8 "2022-11-03T14:58:22Z")
I have, got a 5/5. You probably would have guessed my recommendation. Unless you actually are prepared to spend 800 hours on them. ---
**Author:** ![jooni](https://community.goactuary.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@jooni](https://community.goactuary.com/u/jooni)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 5:58pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/9 "2022-11-03T17:58:17Z")
There is one guy here on GoA that passed 7&9 in 2020. He started studying for 7 in Spring 2020 before COVID was a thing, so he had a legit 2-3 months to study for 7 before starting 9, and overall about 10 months for both. As I recall, he also got an 8 on Exam 8 in 2019, and got his FCAS in like 4 years or something. I recall him saying that those exams did not feel very difficult, or something along those lines. Also, in the Fall 2020 sitting (which was the postposed Spring 2020), there was like a 18 day exam window, so you could sit for one early, and then sit for another one two weeks later to give yourself a chance to reset your mind and re-cram, so it was conducive to a double-sit as well. If you are as smart as that guy, you still do not have the advantage of the extra time and wider exam window. I recommend against it. ---
**Author:** ![WhenFCAS](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/whenfcas/32/18203_2.png) [@WhenFCAS](https://community.goactuary.com/u/WhenFCAS)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 7:00pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/10 "2022-11-03T19:00:49Z")
you and I are thinking of the same guy. I explcitly remember him saying though, that it was stressful. If this was stressful for him when he had about 8 months to prepare in total, not sure if an average guy (maybe the poster is not an average guy) can deal with 2 in 6 months or less. ---
**Author:** ![NormalDan](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/normaldan/32/1013_2.png) [@NormalDan](https://community.goactuary.com/u/NormalDan)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 7:14pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/11 "2022-11-03T19:14:08Z")
If you double up and get 5/5 the real hard question is do you double down? ---
**Author:** ![Cinema](https://community.goactuary.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/5daacb/32.png) [@Cinema](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Cinema)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/12 "2022-11-03T20:37:23Z")
As heartbreaking it is, a pair of 5 is still impressive to me. How many hours did you put up when you doubled up? Do you consider yourself as an above average exam taker? ---
**Author:** ![SpaceLobster](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/spacelobster/32/38216_2.png) [@SpaceLobster](https://community.goactuary.com/u/SpaceLobster)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 10:10pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/13 "2022-11-03T22:10:12Z")
I worked with a woman who tore through most of the exams, getting 10’s. She had to take a break before fsa though, nervous disorder type problems from the stress. I did the ‘entirely consumed’ thing for a couple of years a long time ago, but not exams. It was instructional, it really reset my work life balance. Now I have a motto, ‘this isn’t an emergency’. I got to relay that to one of my staff on Monday. We are this close to wrapping a project and they’re getting stressed despite my telling them the emergency thing. Last Friday they had to have their appendix out. When they told me they wouldn’t be in for a week, I was , see? Appendix, an emergency. Facebook? Not an emergency. ---
**Author:** ![kadsura](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/kadsura/32/23091_2.png) [@kadsura](https://community.goactuary.com/u/kadsura)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 2:23pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/14 "2022-11-04T14:23:41Z")
I doubled up on 7/8 on the covid sitting. That was a sitting where a lot of people doubled up because the previous sitting was cancelled and people basically had a year to prepare. And the exam window was 3 weeks long which made it possible to spread the two exams apart. I had mine about 2 weeks apart. 8 was my second sitting back then. Realistically, I probably spent 200 hours on 7 and 150 hours on 8. I wouldn’t call myself “above average”, though I did pass nearly every prelim in 1 attempt. The uppers are different beasts: I still need to pass exam 8 after 4 tries (fingers crossed it’s this year). My opinion is that you should aim to get a score of 7 or 8 in both if you do decide to double up - meaning, be prepared to spend \>600 hours. Some had a proposed a “lopsided” strategy for double-up sittings where you focus one and spend less on the other. I disagree with that, my opinion is if someone were to do that, they are better off just taking 1 at a time. Whatever synergy you have from studying both exams will be offset by the extra stress. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Kim](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/sean_kim/32/17903_2.png) [@Sean\_Kim](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Sean_Kim)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2022, 3:35am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/15 "2022-11-24T03:35:46Z")
I plan to double up 7&9 too. Got 5 on exam 7 last time. Already started studying 9 and plan to finish first run through the material by end of dec, i will review 7 starting Jan. I have doubled up 6c and mas-i before, managed to pass only one of them at that time but overall experience wasnt so bad. Not too stressful. I guess it will be different now since these are fellowship exams but ready to commit a lot of time studying. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WhenFCAS](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/whenfcas/32/18203_2.png) [@WhenFCAS](https://community.goactuary.com/u/WhenFCAS)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2022, 4:30am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/16 "2022-11-24T04:30:57Z")
subscribing to this to see the results lol It will be difficult and im sure you all know this. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Cinema](https://community.goactuary.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/5daacb/32.png) [@Cinema](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Cinema)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/17 "2023-01-30T18:44:25Z")
End of January update: I’m behind. Will need to work hard for next 3 months to have even a shot at passing both. The material is hard, but not impossible. But studying for both really makes it tough. Not given up yet though. I took it up a notch starting last week. How’s everyone else doing? ---
**Author:** ![WhenFCAS](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/whenfcas/32/18203_2.png) [@WhenFCAS](https://community.goactuary.com/u/WhenFCAS)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 2:40am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/18 "2023-01-31T02:40:52Z")
How are you doing with Exam 9? Are both first attempts for you? Im sitting for Exam 9 and im currently doing 2nd run of the material and i just start section C ---
**Author:** ![Cinema](https://community.goactuary.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/5daacb/32.png) [@Cinema](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Cinema)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 5:06am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/19 "2023-02-01T05:06:45Z")
Yes, both are my first attempts. I did a quick runthrough of CC and am currently in part C doing the problems. I like how exam 9 has some overlap with exam 7. It makes studying that part less boring. ---
**Author:** ![Doyobird](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/doyobird/32/23778_2.png) [@Doyobird](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Doyobird)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2023, 9:00pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782/20 "2023-05-01T21:00:19Z")
just wrote exam 7. I did my best and I don’t think I could’ve prepared it any better, even if I wrote exam 7 only. Exam 9 is next week for me… wish me luck!! [Next page](https://community.goactuary.com/t/doubling-up-exam-7-and-9/6782.md?page=2)