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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: SOA Exam PA Exam

3.5 hrs

Time Limit

SOA syllabus

$1,234

Standard Fee

SOA fee table

6-10

Passing Grades

SOA 0-10 scale

5

Weighted Domains

SOA syllabus

12 tasks

Recent Public Form

October 2025 project statement

~6 weeks

Grade Turnaround Pilot

SOA exam page

As of March 11, 2026, SOA lists Exam PA at $1,234 and a 3.5-hour Prometric-delivered written-answer format. The current syllabus weights Generalized Linear Models most heavily at 25-35%, followed by Data Exploration and Visualization at 20-30%, with Problem Definition, Data Transformations and Unsupervised Learning, and Tree-Based Models each at 10-20%. SOA reports grades on a 0-10 scale with 6-10 passing, does not publish a fixed raw percentage cut score, and continues the faster-grading pilot that shortens grade turnaround from 11 weeks to about 6 weeks.

About the SOA Exam PA Exam

The SOA Exam PA Predictive Analytics exam is a core ASA-pathway assessment that tests whether candidates can frame a business problem, explore and transform data, select and interpret predictive models, and communicate analytics recommendations under exam conditions.

Assessment

Written-answer task exam; the October 14, 2025 public project statement used 12 tasks totaling 70 points.

Time Limit

3 hours 30 minutes

Passing Score

Grade of 6 or higher on SOA's 0-10 scale

Exam Fee

$1,234 (Society of Actuaries (SOA) / Prometric)

SOA Exam PA Exam Content Outline

10-20%

Predictive Analytics Problem Definition

Translate business questions into predictive-analytics tasks, define scope, and weigh business impact, data availability, and implementation constraints.

20-30%

Data Exploration and Visualization

Work with variable types, data design, granularity, and effective visualizations for univariate and bivariate exploratory analysis.

10-20%

Data Transformations and Unsupervised Learning Techniques

Create useful features, apply data transformations, and use PCA, K-means, and hierarchical clustering where appropriate.

25-35%

Generalized Linear Models

Select and validate GLMs, use offsets and weights correctly, interpret coefficients and interactions, and manage diagnostics or regularization.

10-20%

Tree-Based Models

Build, prune, validate, and interpret classification or regression trees, bagging, random forests, and boosting approaches.

How to Pass the SOA Exam PA Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Grade of 6 or higher on SOA's 0-10 scale
  • Assessment: Written-answer task exam; the October 14, 2025 public project statement used 12 tasks totaling 70 points.
  • Time limit: 3 hours 30 minutes
  • Exam fee: $1,234

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

SOA Exam PA Study Tips from Top Performers

1Practice turning vague business requests into a clear analytics objective, target variable, success metric, and implementation recommendation.
2Get fast at criticizing graphs: axis choices, aggregation mistakes, overplotting, misleading scales, and mismatched chart types are common PA-style tasks.
3Know when a transformation changes the modeling problem materially, especially logs, feature engineering, PCA, clustering, and encoding choices.
4Spend extra time on GLMs because that domain is the largest part of the blueprint and often combines selection, interpretation, diagnostics, and classification tradeoffs.
5Treat tree models as a workflow rather than isolated facts: splitting, cp or pruning, overfitting control, bagging vs. random forest, boosting, and interpretation should all connect.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on SOA Exam PA?

SOA does not present Exam PA as a fixed multiple-choice question count. It is a written-answer task exam, and the public October 14, 2025 project statement used 12 tasks worth 70 total points. The exact task mix can vary by administration, so it is better to prepare for a task-based case exam than for a fixed item count.

What is the passing score for SOA Exam PA?

SOA reports exam results on a 0-10 scale, and grades from 6 to 10 are passing. SOA does not publish one fixed raw percentage cut score for Exam PA because pass marks are set using its content-based grading process for each sitting.

Which topics matter most on Exam PA?

Generalized Linear Models is the heaviest section at 25-35% of the syllabus. Data Exploration and Visualization is next at 20-30%, while Problem Definition, Data Transformations and Unsupervised Learning, and Tree-Based Models each carry 10-20% and still matter materially.

What changed for SOA predictive analytics content in 2026?

The main 2026 program change is on the e-learning side: SOA moved the Predictive Analytics modules into PD Edge+ in January 2026 and removed the normal certificate final assessment path from the new format. SOA's FAQ says the last legacy certificate assessment will be offered in July 2026 for certain earlier purchasers, while the Exam PA syllabus content itself remains aligned to the same five topic groups.

Do I need SRM before I can take Exam PA?

Yes. SOA's Guide to SOA Exams states that Statistics for Risk Modeling (SRM) is a formal prerequisite for Exam PA. The syllabus also assumes prior knowledge from Exam P, VEE Mathematical Statistics, and Exam SRM.

What software is available during Exam PA?

SOA's syllabus says candidates test on Prometric computers with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel available. R and RStudio have not been available on the live exam since the April 2023 administration, so you should practice interpreting provided code and output rather than expecting to run your own code on exam day.