Exam FAM Syllabus
The July 2026 FAM syllabus makes FAM a 34-question, 3.5-hour CBT exam that tests both short-term insurance modeling and long-term contingent-payment mathematics.
SOA Exam FAM
Official FAM syllabus, tables, notation note, and sample-question materials are mapped for short-term and long-term topic coverage.
What the official PDFs establish
- Assumed knowledge
- Probability, financial mathematics, and mathematical statistics background are assumed.
Topic and domain coverage
| Topic | Weight | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Short-Term Insurance and Reinsurance Coverages | 5-10% | Source: Exam FAM syllabus, p. 2 |
| Severity, Frequency, and Aggregate Models | 12.5-17.5% | Source: Exam FAM syllabus, p. 2 |
| Parametric Estimation | 2.5-7.5% | Source: Exam FAM syllabus, p. 3 |
| Introduction to Credibility | 2.5-5% | Source: Exam FAM syllabus, p. 3 |
| Pricing and Reserving for Short-Term Coverages | 10-15% | Source: Exam FAM syllabus, p. 3 |
| Option Pricing Fundamentals | 2.5-7.5% | Source: Exam FAM syllabus, p. 4 |
| Long-Term Coverages and Retirement Programs | 2.5-5% | Source: Exam FAM syllabus, p. 4 |
| Mortality Models | 10-15% | Source: Exam FAM syllabus, p. 4 |
| Present Value Random Variables | 12.5-20% | Source: Exam FAM syllabus, p. 5 |
| Premium and Policy Value Calculation | 15-22.5% | Source: Exam FAM syllabus, p. 5 |
Chapter and reading intelligence
- FAM tables
Use the official tables for mortality, distribution, and exam-table dependencies; do not recreate tables unless source terms allow it.
Source: Exam FAM Tables - Notation and terminology note
Maps the public exam terminology for coverages, deductibles, policy limits, development factors, mortality notation, premiums, and policy values.
- Sample questions for Topics 1-6
Official released sample questions used for topic-pattern mapping; public practice must remain original.
- Sample questions for Topics 7-10
Official released sample questions used for topic-pattern mapping; public practice must remain original.
Official files used by the map
- Official syllabussyllabus
Primary source for topic weights and assumptions.
Source: Exam FAM - July 2026 Syllabus - Official tablestables
Reference for table-dependent examples and calculator checks.
Source: Exam FAM Tables - Notation notenotation
Primary source for FAM terminology and symbol choices.
- Topics 1-6 sample questionssample-questions
Use for topic tagging and practice design; do not republish question text.
- Topics 1-6 sample solutionssample-solutions
Use for answer-pattern review; do not republish solution text.
- Topics 7-10 sample questionssample-questions
Use for topic tagging and practice design; do not republish question text.
- Topics 7-10 sample solutionssample-solutions
Use for answer-pattern review; do not republish solution text.
Quick Answer
FAM is the ASA bridge exam after P and FM. It is not only a short-term exam and not only a life-contingencies exam. The official syllabus splits the work across short-term coverages, severity and frequency models, ratemaking and reserving, option pricing, mortality, present value random variables, premiums, and policy values.
The exam is multiple choice, but the syllabus is broad enough that a candidate who studies only formulas will run out of structure. The better organizing question is: what cash flow or loss object is being modeled?
Current Exam Structure
The July 2026 syllabus describes FAM as a 3.5-hour computer-based exam with 34 multiple-choice questions. It assumes Probability, Financial Mathematics, and VEE Mathematical Statistics background.
The FAM tables are provided during the exam. The notation note, textbooks, study notes, and sample materials are study resources, not exam-room materials.
Topic Weights
The official weights are ranges, not a promise that each sitting will land exactly in the middle. Questions can also cross learning outcomes, especially when short-term pricing uses severity models or long-term premiums use mortality and present value random variables together.
- Short-term insurance and reinsurance coverages: 5-10%.
- Severity, frequency, and aggregate models: 12.5-17.5%.
- Parametric estimation: 2.5-7.5%.
- Introduction to credibility: 2.5-5%.
- Pricing and reserving for short-term coverages: 10-15%.
- Option pricing fundamentals: 2.5-7.5%.
- Long-term coverages and retirement programs: 2.5-5%.
- Mortality models: 10-15%.
- Present value random variables: 12.5-20%.
- Premium and policy value calculation: 15-22.5%.
What The Readings Signal
Loss Models drives the severity, frequency, aggregate-risk, estimation, and credibility language. Brown and Lennox supplies the FAM-level ratemaking and reserving mechanics. AMLCR supplies long-term insurance, mortality, present value random variables, premiums, and policy values.
That reading split is useful for studying. Topics 1-6 mostly live on the short-term insurance side. Topics 7-10 mostly live on the long-term side. FAM is now one exam, but those halves still describe the two mental toolkits candidates need.
How To Use The Tables
The tables reduce lookup burden, but they do not replace model recognition. A question can still test whether a candidate knows when Pareto moments exist, when a frequency family sits in the (a,b,0) class, or which life-contingency random variable is being valued.
Use table formulas as confirmation after the payment variable is clear. In short-term topics that usually means loss amount, insurer payment, reinsurer payment, aggregate loss, or stop-loss payment. In long-term topics it means benefit present value, premium present value, future loss, or policy value.
Best Next Pages
Use the study plan page if you need a week-by-week order. Use the sample questions page if you already studied and need to turn official patterns into drills. Use the short-term and long-term topic pages if you need the two halves separated without losing the fact that FAM tests them together.