Actuarial Core Principles (IAI) · exam guide

How the Actuarial Core Principles (IAI) Exam Is Conducted

Checked against IAI's official pages, as of 12 October 2026. Rules and fees change; confirm on the official site before you act.

From the November 2026 session, all IAI actuarial exams are computer-based and taken at designated exam centres. ACET is a separate 3-hour online multiple-choice test.

• From November 2026, actuarial exams are held only at IAI-designated centres on computers provided there. They cannot be taken from home. You choose your preferred centre when you register. The May 2026 session was the last one held home-based online with dual-camera monitoring.
• Each CS and CM subject has two papers. Paper A lasts 3 hours 15 minutes and is answered in MS Word and uploaded. Paper B lasts 1 hour 45 minutes and is computer-based: CS Paper B uses R (the code and output are pasted into Word), and CM Paper B uses an Excel solution template.
• For the uploaded CS and CM papers, the exam time includes an extra 15 minutes reserved only for uploading the answer script.
• CB1 and CB2 are 3 hour 15 minute papers, typed into the exam platform's text editor. CB3 is a 90-minute exam.
• From November 2025, CB1, CB2, CB3 and Paper A of CS1, CS2, CM1 and CM2 include both multiple-choice and descriptive questions. The MCQ section carries 20% to 30% of the total marks.
• From November 2024, CB3 follows the normal exam process. The business game and pre-course assignment are no longer prerequisites, and candidates get one attempt per session.
• Exams are closed book with no negative marking. Only scientific calculators on IAI's approved list may be used (for example, Casio FX-82 MS/ES, TI-30X IIS, Texas Instruments BA II Plus and HP 12c). Bring your own unannotated hard copy of the actuarial tables where a subject needs them; photocopies are not allowed.
• Bring a coloured hard copy of the hall ticket and an original government photo ID (PAN, Aadhaar, passport, voter ID or driving licence). Without them you may not be allowed to sit the exam.
• Mobile phones, smart watches, earphones, storage devices, notes and any AI tools (IAI names ChatGPT, Copilot and Perplexity) are prohibited in the exam.
• ACET is a 3-hour, 100-mark online test with 70 multiple-choice questions: 45 of 1 mark, 20 of 2 marks and 5 of 3 marks. Marks are split across Mathematics (30), Statistics (30), Data Interpretation (15), English (15) and Logical Reasoning (10). There is no negative marking, and the December 2026 ACET is home-based online.