If I have one actuarial memory that will last forever, it will be the early 1990s, and getting the actuarial results in the mail at my Park Slope, Brooklyn apartment (it was really Park Slope South – not the best neighborhood back then). I can still see the shelf where the mailman put the envelope with the results. Often a 6 was my score – and as they used to say, if you got more than a 6, you studied too much when you could have been working.
Back then my first phone call to share good news typically was to my parents. So it would be a thrill if my dad were still around to let him know that after all these years, and after writing questions for 4 years on the EA-2L exam, this year I got to co-chair the exam for Year 1 of a 4-year term.
Total thanks to Valerie Lopez, the senior chair, who helped clarify my role and gave me great guidance. I was in charge of the Word document version of all the questions. Basically, the exam writers put together questions in Word and Excel, and I got the easier task this year – though I believe Valerie will have me do the Excel version next year, her last year as co-chair, so that I am equipped to be the senior co-chair for the following 2 years.
I was set to have a great first day of exam writing on July 23, followed by a nice dinner in Toronto. This was to be a fun way to spend my birthday. Alas, with the pandemic, I got to spend my birthday at a virtual meeting, followed by not as fancy a dinner. But it should be noted that I think so highly of the exam committee that spending my birthday working with them counts as fun (maybe not a day-at-the-beach-followed-by-a-concert-at-night kind of fun, but still fun).
So we all met via GoToMeeting. We had some new members this year – not because people quit the committee, but one of our writers went to the IRS, I was no longer a writer, and another writer retired. As it turns out, four of us writers went to State University at Binghamton. I should let the alumni newsletter know. Of course, many of the writers are from ASEA, the technical whiz-kids.
Big thanks to James Turpin, a regular ASEA Google Group contributor and technical genius. I took the opportunity of being with James to pose some hyper-technical questions. I can’t tell you what those topics are, as they may be on the exam.
Also, due to technical constraints, I had Carl Shalit, from the Joint Board Advisory Committee on Examinations, in my virtual room on the first day of our meeting, while Valerie ran her room. So thanks to Carl for backup as needed.
On Day 2, I led the writers through the true/false questions while Valerie took good notes.
Valerie, Carl and I will be meeting soon (virtually) for the post-meeting meeting. I am not sure yet what is on the agenda, but in the meantime I am working on the post-meeting Word file, with the updates from the writers.
It was a great experience, and truly meant a lot to me. Feel free to drop us a note if you’re ever interested in joining the writing committee.
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