CAS MAS-I Syllabus
CAS MAS-I is built around three domains: probability models, statistics, and extended linear models. The official outline makes extended linear models the largest block.
CAS Exam MAS-I
CAS exam page and content outline are mapped for domain weights, item types, cognitive levels, table conventions, and reading groups.
What the official PDFs establish
- Appointment length
- 4.5-hour appointment with a 4-hour exam duration.
- Scheduled break
- The appointment includes a scheduled 15-minute break plus tutorial/confidentiality/survey time.
- Item types
- Question formats include multiple choice, multiple selection, point and click, fill in the blank, and matching.
Topic and domain coverage
| Topic | Weight | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Probability Models | 20-30% | Source: MAS-I Content Outline 2025, p. 2 |
| Statistics | 20-30% | Source: MAS-I Content Outline 2025, p. 3 |
| Extended Linear Models | 45-55% | Source: MAS-I Content Outline 2025, p. 5 |
| Cognitive level: Remember | 5-10% | Source: MAS-I Content Outline 2025, p. 1 |
| Cognitive level: Understand and Apply | 55-60% | Source: MAS-I Content Outline 2025, p. 1 |
| Cognitive level: Analyze and Evaluate | 35-40% | Source: MAS-I Content Outline 2025, p. 1 |
Chapter and reading intelligence
- Official readings
The outline lists readings from Daniel, Dobson and Barnett, Hogg/McKean/Craig, James et al., Larsen, Ross, Struppeck, and Tse.
Source: MAS-I Content Outline 2025, p. 7 - Extended linear models
This is the largest content domain and should drive the first MAS-I concept cluster.
Source: MAS-I Content Outline 2025, p. 5
Official files used by the map
- CAS content outlinecontent-outline
Primary source for domain weights, item types, and readings.
Source: MAS-I Content Outline 2025
Quick Answer
MAS-I is a CAS ACAS exam in modern actuarial statistics. The current CAS exam page links a MAS-I content outline, MAS-I tables, sample questions, Pearson VUE item-type resources, past exams and pass marks, and examiner reports.
The content outline makes the study shape clear: probability models and statistics each carry a major share, but extended linear models are the largest domain and should receive the deepest practice time.
Current Format
The CAS MAS-I content outline describes a 4.5-hour appointment with a 4-hour exam, a scheduled 15-minute break, and additional tutorial, confidentiality agreement, and survey time.
The item-type list includes multiple choice, multiple selection, point and click, fill in the blank, and matching. That is why MAS-I practice should include table reading, output interpretation, and short-response style calculations instead of only ordinary multiple-choice drills.
Domain Weights
The weights are ranges, so a candidate should use them for time allocation rather than trying to forecast a sitting exactly. The important signal is relative size: extended linear models are the center of gravity.
- Probability Models: 20-30%.
- Statistics: 20-30%.
- Extended Linear Models: 45-55%.
- Cognitive level mix: mostly understand/apply and analyze/evaluate, with a smaller remember band.
Reading Map
The reading list tells you how to split the exam. Daniel, Ross, and Struppeck support probability models. Hogg/McKean/Craig and Tse support the statistics block. Dobson and Barnett, Hogg/McKean/Craig, James et al., and Larsen support extended linear models.
Use that map as a triage tool. If a problem is about Poisson process timing, it belongs in the probability lane. If it is about hypothesis tests, MLE, censoring, or order statistics, it belongs in the statistics lane. If it is about GLM structure, output, diagnostics, or model selection, it belongs in the extended-linear-model lane.
Tables And Output
The MAS-I tables matter because CAS standardizes distribution definitions, statistical tables, and AIC/BIC calculation conventions. A candidate who ignores the tables can know the right topic and still use the wrong convention under time pressure.
Treat the tables as part of the exam interface. Drill where the formula lives, what each symbol means, and when a problem is asking for interpretation rather than table lookup.
Study Priority
Start by making the three-domain map. Then build timed mixed sets that force switching between stochastic processes, classical statistics, and GLM output. MAS-I becomes hard when candidates can solve isolated textbook problems but cannot recognize the domain fast enough.
For the final pass, give extended linear models the most time, but do not neglect probability and statistics. Those smaller domains contain many of the faster points if the definitions, tables, and setup habits are clean.