Is Coaching Actuaries worth it?

Coaching Actuaries (CA) is the standard in actuarial exam prep. The ADAPT engine for adaptive practice is genuinely best-in-class, video lessons by experienced FSAs are well-regarded, and the platform has been refined across all SOA preliminary exams (Exam P through ASTAM) for over 15 years. Pricing runs roughly $200 to $400 per exam (Coaching Actuaries, 2026 pricing). It is worth it for most candidates, especially first-time takers who benefit from adaptive practice.

Can I pass Exam P without Coaching Actuaries?

Yes. Candidates pass Exam P every sitting using only the official SOA sample questions, free or low-cost practice banks, and Paul's Online Math Notes for refreshers. FreeFellow's free Exam P tier (1,100-plus questions) covers all four SOA topic areas. The biggest predictor of passing is doing 1,000-plus practice problems and taking timed mock exams under realistic conditions, not the specific provider.

What does FreeFellow include for actuarial exams?

FreeFellow's free tier includes 1,100-plus Exam P questions, 850-plus FM, 900-plus FAM, 1,000-plus SRM, 850-plus ALTAM, and 950-plus ASTAM. Each exam includes written lessons with audio narration, formula sheets, mixed practice, and readiness scoring. The Fellow tier ($59 per quarter or $149 per year per track) adds timed practice exams, SM-2 spaced-repetition flashcards, performance analytics, and a personalized study plan.

How does FreeFellow's adaptive practice compare to CA's ADAPT?

CA's ADAPT engine is the gold standard. It calibrates difficulty per question based on your prior performance and assigns each problem an Earned Level (EL) score that maps to a probability of passing. The engine has been refined over 15-plus years and the calibration is well-trusted. FreeFellow's adaptive practice is newer and uses a simpler engine that targets your weakest topics. We do not match CA on the EL-style calibration depth, and we do not claim to. We are free at the question-bank tier where CA is not.

Should I use both FreeFellow and Coaching Actuaries?

Some candidates do. A common workflow on the actuarial outpost: use CA's ADAPT engine and video lessons for the primary study spine, then drill FreeFellow's free question bank for additional volume. If your employer reimburses CA, this is the right pattern. If you are paying out of pocket, FreeFellow free plus the official SOA sample questions is enough for many candidates, with selective CA supplementation only on a specific weak topic.

FreeFellow vs Coaching Actuaries: Honest 2026 Comparison

Coaching Actuaries (CA) is the canonical actuarial exam prep provider. If you ask any actuarial student studying for the SOA preliminary exams "which platform should I use," CA is the most common answer. The ADAPT engine is genuinely best-in-class for adaptive practice, the video lessons are well-regarded, and the platform has been refined across all SOA preliminary exams for over 15 years.

I sat for the SOA preliminary exams while in college and grad school. I used CA on several of them. I built FreeFellow because I thought there was room for a free alternative for candidates who could not afford the per-exam fees, especially international candidates and self-directed learners on tight budgets. This post is a straight side-by-side comparison.

Disclosure: I am the founder of FreeFellow, Jeffrey Ting, FSA, CFA. The post is self-interested. I will be direct about where CA is genuinely ahead.

What Each Provider Offers

Coaching Actuaries (2026)

CA offers per-exam packages with two main tiers (Coaching Actuaries, 2026 pricing as published on coachingactuaries.com):

ADAPT Package: ~$200/exam. Access to the ADAPT adaptive practice engine, large practice question bank, and Earned Level scoring.
Learn + ADAPT (Bundle): ~$300-$400/exam. Adds full video lesson library, instructor-led teaching, and practice exams.
Higher exams (FAM, SRM, ALTAM, ASTAM, FSA): Pricing scales up; FSA-track materials run $400-$600 per exam.

What you get is well-known: the ADAPT adaptive practice engine that calibrates difficulty per question, the Earned Level (EL) scoring that maps progress to a probability of passing, recorded video lessons by experienced FSAs (Mike Carmody, Coach K, others), full mock exams, and integration across the SOA preliminary exam family.

FreeFellow Actuarial (2026)

FreeFellow has two tiers:

Free: $0. 1,100-plus Exam P questions, 850-plus FM, 900-plus FAM, 1,000-plus SRM, 850-plus ALTAM, 950-plus ASTAM. Written lessons with audio narration on each exam, formula sheets, mixed practice, and readiness scoring. Detailed step-by-step solutions.
Fellow: $59 per quarter or $149 per year per track. Adds timed full-length practice exams, SM-2 spaced-repetition flashcards, performance analytics with topic-level breakdowns, and a personalized study plan keyed to your exam date.

FreeFellow currently covers SOA Exam P, FM, FAM, SRM, ALTAM, and ASTAM. CAS MAS-I is also covered. The CAS-track upper exams and the SOA fellowship-track exams are not yet on FreeFellow.

Side-by-Side Comparison

| Feature | FreeFellow Free | FreeFellow Fellow | CA ADAPT Package |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (per exam) | $0 | $149/yr per track | ~$200/exam |
| Practice questions (Exam P) | 1,100+ | 1,100+ | ~3,000+ |
| Adaptive practice | Topic-targeted | Topic-targeted | ADAPT EL engine |
| Written lessons | Yes, with audio | Yes, with audio | Course textbook |
| Video lectures | None | None | Full FSA-led library (bundle) |
| Mock exams | None | Multiple, timed | Multiple, ADAPT-calibrated |
| Flashcards | None | SM-2 spaced repetition | None |
| Analytics | Readiness score | Topic-level + trends | EL-based + topic |
| Study plan | Manual | Personalized | Course-paced |
| Coverage | P/FM/FAM/SRM/ALTAM/ASTAM/MAS-I | Same | All SOA prelims + FSA |
| Track record | Newer (since 2024) | Newer | 15+ years |

Key Concept

CA's ADAPT engine is the gold standard for adaptive actuarial practice. FreeFellow has more free content and is dramatically cheaper. The two products solve different problems.

Where Coaching Actuaries Is Genuinely Better

Let me name what CA does well.

The ADAPT engine

This is the load-bearing strength of CA. ADAPT calibrates difficulty per question based on your prior performance and assigns each problem a difficulty level (the Earned Level system). The engine has been refined over 15-plus years and the EL score is genuinely predictive: candidates who hit a target EL on practice exams pass the real exam at high rates.

FreeFellow's adaptive practice is newer and uses a simpler engine that targets your weakest topics based on prior accuracy. We do not match CA on the EL-style calibration depth. We do not claim to. The honest comparison: CA's engine is better at calibrated difficulty modeling.

Video instruction by experienced FSAs

CA's video library is taught by FSAs with substantial actuarial industry experience. Coach Mike Carmody on FAM, Coach K on Exam P, others across the curriculum. The teaching is high-quality and the explanations are tested across thousands of candidates.

FreeFellow has audio-narrated written lessons but no video. If you learn well from video and want a chalkboard derivation of MGFs or a worked example of the Wilkie investment model, CA is better.

Coverage breadth

CA covers every SOA preliminary exam (P, FM, FAM, SRM, ALTAM, ASTAM) plus the SOA fellowship-track exams (FSA modules and case studies). FreeFellow covers the preliminaries but not the upper FSA exams.

Track record and brand

CA has 15-plus years of actuarial-specific track record. The community knowledge on the actuarial outpost, the alumni network, the well-trodden paths through each exam all reference CA. FreeFellow's actuarial coverage launched recently.

Question bank size

CA's question bank for Exam P runs roughly 3,000-plus questions, with similar depth on other exams. FreeFellow has 1,100-plus on Exam P. CA has more raw volume.

Where FreeFellow Is Genuinely Better

Free question volume

FreeFellow gives you 1,100-plus Exam P questions for $0 with no trial period and no credit card. CA does have a free trial, but it is much narrower. If you want to start drilling questions before deciding what to buy, FreeFellow is the lower-friction starting point.

Cost

FreeFellow Fellow is $149 per year per track. CA's ADAPT package is $200 per exam, and the Learn + ADAPT bundle is $300 to $400 per exam. The Fellow tier is one-track-per-year for $149, which is a different unit (per-track, time-bound) but materially cheaper if you are sitting one exam a year.

The free tier is $0. For international candidates or students on tight budgets, this is the load-bearing difference.

Multi-exam coverage on one platform

FreeFellow covers Exam P, FM, FAM, SRM, ALTAM, and ASTAM on one platform. If you are working through the preliminary exams in sequence, you study them all on the same surface. CA also covers all of them but charges per exam.

Audio-narrated lessons

Every FreeFellow lesson includes AI-narrated audio. Useful for commute study or eyes-off review.

Mobile-first design

FreeFellow was built for mobile and tablet study. CA's interface is more desktop-oriented (although improving).

Honest about what we are not

FreeFellow does not have ADAPT-style EL calibration, video lessons by experienced FSAs, or 15-plus years of track record. We say so. We do not pretend that topic-targeted adaptive practice substitutes for the ADAPT engine. The compatibility-with-truth matters.

What Each Costs Per Exam

For a single SOA preliminary exam (say, Exam P), candidates typically spend 200 to 300 hours of prep.

| Strategy | Total Cost | Cost per Hour |
|---|---|---|
| CA Learn + ADAPT (bundle) | ~$300-$400 | ~$1.20-$1.60/hr |
| CA ADAPT only | ~$200 | ~$0.80/hr |
| FreeFellow Fellow (1 yr per track) | $149 | ~$0.60/hr |
| FreeFellow Free | $0 | $0/hr |

CA's per-hour cost is reasonable. The per-exam absolute cost ($200 to $400 per exam) is the part that adds up across multiple exams.

Recommendation by Candidate Type

Actuarial intern with employer reimbursement

CA Learn + ADAPT bundle. Take the reimbursement. The ADAPT engine is genuinely best-in-class and the video lessons are well-regarded. Use FreeFellow free for additional question volume.

Out-of-pocket student, first exam (Exam P)

FreeFellow Fellow ($149 per year per track) plus the SOA's free 326 official sample questions. If you want to validate your readiness with EL-style scoring, buy the CA ADAPT package as a one-month subscription for ~$50 to $80 in the final month before the exam.

International student or candidate on tight budget

FreeFellow free plus the SOA's free sample questions plus Paul's Online Math Notes for calculus refreshers. The free tier is enough to pass Exam P with discipline and consistent practice volume.

Strong probability background, self-directed learner

FreeFellow free is sufficient. You can self-teach from text and benefit from the question volume.

Career changer from a non-quantitative background

CA Learn + ADAPT bundle. The video lessons and ADAPT calibration matter more when you are learning probability concepts cold.

Repeat taker who failed by a small margin

FreeFellow Fellow plus selective use of CA's ADAPT engine for the final two weeks of EL-style mock exam practice. You already know the material. What you need is more question volume and calibrated mock simulation.

Working through multiple preliminaries (P then FM then FAM)

FreeFellow Fellow covers all six preliminary exams on one platform for $149 per year per track. If you are hitting multiple exams in a year, this is dramatically cheaper than buying CA per exam. If you specifically want ADAPT calibration on one of them, supplement with a one-month CA subscription targeted at that exam.

Common Trap

Buying CA Learn + ADAPT for $400 per exam across 4 exams is $1,600. Using FreeFellow Fellow at $149 per year and a one-month CA subscription per exam at ~$50 each is $349 plus $200, totaling $549. Use what you finish, but also do the math.

What the Actuarial Community Says

Anecdata, but useful. The recurring patterns on the actuarial outpost and r/actuary over the last 18 months:

"CA's ADAPT engine is genuinely the gold standard for actuarial prep." (consistent positive)
"Coach Mike Carmody on FAM is excellent." (consistent on the higher exams)
"You can pass Exam P with just SOA samples and Paul's Online Math Notes." (recurring counterpoint)
"CA is expensive when you stack it across multiple exams." (recurring)

For FreeFellow specifically, the community feedback I have seen is positive on free question volume across all six preliminary exams, with the honest note that we do not match CA's ADAPT calibration.

The broader pattern: candidates who pass tend to do 1,000-plus practice problems per exam and take timed mock exams under realistic conditions. The provider matters less than the discipline and the volume.

What I Would Pick If I Were Sitting Today

If I were sitting Exam P or FM as my first actuarial exam: FreeFellow free for the question bank (1,100-plus questions on P, 850-plus on FM is more than enough volume) plus the SOA's 326 free official samples. If I felt my readiness was uncertain in the final two weeks, I would buy a one-month CA ADAPT subscription targeted at calibrated mock practice. Total: $0 to $80.

If I were sitting FAM, SRM, ALTAM, or ASTAM (more abstract material, more candidates struggling with the curriculum): FreeFellow Fellow ($149) for the structured study plan and analytics, plus selective CA Learn + ADAPT supplementation if my video-instruction need was real. Total: $149 to $549.

If my employer were paying, I would buy CA Learn + ADAPT for every exam without hesitation. The ADAPT engine is genuinely worth it when someone else is footing the bill.

There is no single right answer. There is a right answer for your background, your learning style, and your budget.

Start Today

FreeFellow's Exam P practice page is open with all 1,100-plus questions and lessons free. Exam FM, FAM, SRM, ALTAM, and ASTAM are all free at the question-bank tier. The Fellow tier (timed practice exams, flashcards, analytics, study plan) is on the pricing page.

FreeFellow LLC is independent of the Society of Actuaries (SOA) and the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS). SOA and CAS are trademarks of their respective owners.