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Joint Board Examination program

 

Structure of the examinations

In general, candidates for enrollment are required to pass two Joint Board examinations: the basic EA-1 examination and the pension EA-2 examination. The pension examination is given in two parts: EA-2F and EA-2L.

The EA-1 and the EA-2L examinations are given each May; the EA-2F examination is given each November.

Waiver of the EA-1 examination (September 9, 2026)

The Joint Board will grant a waiver of the EA-1 examination to individuals who have successfully completed:

  • An academic program involving courses in actuarial mathematics. See the Educational Requirements in Lieu of EA-1 Exam PDF (updated Aug. 10, 2026); or
  • From the Society of Actuaries (SOA) education and examination program, any version of examination FM and either (1) examinations FAM and ALTAM; (2) examination LTAM; or (3) examination MLC; or
  • A combination of coursework and SOA examinations that the Joint Board determines are equivalent to either of the above. 

Note, for purposes of the above requirements for a waiver, an individual who successfully completed both examinations STAM and FAM-L will be considered to have successfully completed examination FAM since they have SOA transition credit for examination FAM-S.

Credit earned from an approved examination will remain valid, except in the case of fraud, misrepresentation, or an error in the candidate’s examination record.

The Joint Board will monitor the content of these SOA exams in the future and will consider changes to the EA-1 waiver requirements if and when appropriate. A change in the list of approved examinations will apply no earlier than the examination sitting date specified in an announcement published by the Joint Board. 

How to apply for a waiver. All waiver requests must be made prior to applying for enrollment. Waiver requests should be submitted to nhqjbea@irs.gov  and include a copy of the final college transcript or official SOA transcript, as applicable. 

How to study for the examination

You can download a copy of the current examination program booklet, which provides general information and suggested readings.

Prior Joint Board examinations

You can download the following copies of prior examinations and official answers:

Exam sheets

Exam sheets are available upon request from the Society of Actuaries. Requests must be submitted to the Society of Actuaries within 6 months after the date of the exam. To request a copy of your answer sheet, please send an email to Mark Dulceak. Be sure to include:

  1. In the subject heading of the email, the reason for the email, for example, "SOA enrolled actuaries answer sheet request."
  2. In the body of the email, (a) candidate's name, (b) candidate number, (c) exam name, (d) date of exam, (e) exam location, and (f) mailing address to be used for regular USPS mail delivery. Please note that the Society of Actuaries will mail a copy of the answer sheet to the mailing address indicated in the email request. Upon request the Society of Actuaries will email a PDF of the answer sheet to the candidate.