GH-Specialty Spring 2021

I’m dealing with the same level of constipation :frowning: Time to unload this monster!

I had to book a location about 150 miles away.

My area had almost no availability because the closest Prometrics were scheduled to be closed May 6. I was told to call them back when the owner was available which I did this morning. I asked him to open 5/6 and he said, “sure” and then I was immediately able to register.

Worth a try if anyone else is struggling with availability.

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For the fall sitting I had to drive 2 1/2 hours - the normal place I go to is 30 minutes away.

I tried to email them to see if they could open something up, but never got a response. Glad calling worked! I will try that next time and see if that helps.

I just noticed that the MATE seminar for the spring sitting is virtual. I can’t sit this spring, but I hope they keep the virtual setting for the fall sitting. I’ve never been to one of these seminars and I’d definitely attend if it stays virtual.

officially registered for spring. Got lucky and local Prometric had a 9am slot. Huge load off my mind seeing that open slot only 20 min away.

now all I have to do is start studying for the exam.

anyone seeing any syllabus changes for the spring exam (vs fall2020)?

I dont expect any from fall->spring but worth a check here.

edit: im seeing some little new things actually. nothing big but comparing my print out of the Fall 2020 session to the Spring 2021 posted by SOA:
LO1:
GHS-129-21: Effects of a Population Health Community-Based Palliative Care Program on Cost and Utilization
• Valuation of Care Management Vendors, Health Watch, May 2020\

LO2:
Risk Considerations for Innovative Products – A Case Study of the Long-Term Care Industry, Feb 2020

LO3:
• Creating Stability in Unstable Times – A Look at Risk Adjustment and Market Stabilization, The Actuary,
Dec 2017

Yeah, the syllabus did change. I think Specialty changes on a different schedule than the other 2. Mate Seminars usually has a webpage on it.

is this the material from GHS 129-21?

It is the only study note not included in the Fall booklet.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332238944_Effects_of_a_Population_Health_Community-Based_Palliative_Care_Program_on_Cost_and_Utilization

Anyone else enjoying their sunday by studying all day?

just wanted to say how much I hate the Sweeting chapters. and really just ERM in general.

Give me RBC clacs, risk adj calcs, and DM program problems all day. I can do these in my sleep at this point. Ask me for a random list from the 100 pages of sweeting and I want to jump out a window.

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Yep, spent the whole beautiful Sunday yesterday with my nose in the books. I really hate the ERM material too. Is there a good chance we won’t be tested on ORSA since that was on the last sitting?

Agree with you both, ERM is absolutely my least favorite topic. It’s just so general and lacking specific examples, plus all the sources aren’t consistent which is driving me nuts.

Also, it looks like there are a few other additions to the syllabus, I also see these two missing from the old one:

I don’t think there was any RBC question on the last exam. So be ready for an RBC. Oh please ask a 10 pt RBC question…

as for ORSA, they did ask on Fall exam (although they asked a pretty remote question about it). I dont really expect them to do ORSA again.

I can see them asking a question from the SP ratings direct section this time… but who knows.

For ERM, they seems to just open the source material to a random page and ask a list question from it. So prepping for ERM list questions is FML.

And apparently you still need to memorize the risk transfer equation, even though you were already tested on that on a different exam grumble grumble

I’m skipping this sitting because of work, but I can still be bitter about the questions they asked last fall!

wasnt that on GHC once upon a time?

I think so. All I know is that I was annoyed it was on the exam last fall.

me as well. I didnt even know it was on the syllabus. I may have gotten some points just from studying it a few years ago.

Hello -

Within the syllabus, objective 2 for ERM alludes to the candidate ‘completing a capital needs assessment’. I feel I have not seen this verbiage used anywhere in the materials. Can anyone please clarify what section within the materials this references? TIA

Anyone else’s eyes completely glaze over when reading the ASOPs? I really have trouble retaining anything I read in the ASOP material. For some of the previous exams I didn’t even bother studying them at all, but I’m trying to do better after two 5’s in a row. The last sitting didn’t have a single ASOP question but I’m not sure I can be so lucky this time.

and there seems to be a lot of ASOPs on this exam for the length.

in fact this exam might have the worst list/calc ratio of any exam. There is like 8 formulas and 200 lists to memorize. Ive really had to change my study strategy to get more lists in my head.