What are travel times and how are they calculated?
The term 'travel time' refers to the number of years it takes for an actuarial candidate to complete a set of exams and/or receive a designation.
Graphed and tabled below are statistics based on
aggregate travel times, that is, the travel time distributions as calculated by the website's ranking system.
For an overview of the ranking system and a discussion of which exams are included in each category, please see
faq #6.
| MEASURE | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| # of People | 14592.00 | 10307.00 | 5560.00 | 1596.00 |
| Slowest | 15.92 | 16.67 | 16.83 | 16.58 |
| 5th percentile | 6.42 | 9.08 | 12.25 | 10.08 |
| 10th percentile | 5.42 | 8.00 | 11.17 | 9.00 |
| 15th percentile | 4.83 | 7.25 | 10.42 | 8.33 |
| 20th percentile | 4.42 | 6.75 | 9.75 | 7.83 |
| 25th percentile | 4.17 | 6.33 | 9.25 | 7.42 |
| 30th percentile | 3.92 | 6.00 | 8.83 | 7.17 |
| 35th percentile | 3.75 | 5.67 | 8.42 | 6.92 |
| 40th percentile | 3.50 | 5.42 | 8.08 | 6.58 |
| 45th percentile | 3.33 | 5.25 | 7.83 | 6.33 |
| Average | 3.38 | 5.37 | 7.90 | 6.39 |
| Median | 3.17 | 5.00 | 7.50 | 6.17 |
| 55th percentile | 3.00 | 4.83 | 7.25 | 5.92 |
| 60th percentile | 2.83 | 4.58 | 6.97 | 5.67 |
| 65th percentile | 2.67 | 4.42 | 6.67 | 5.50 |
| 70th percentile | 2.50 | 4.25 | 6.42 | 5.25 |
| 75th percentile | 2.33 | 4.00 | 6.17 | 5.00 |
| 80th percentile | 2.17 | 3.83 | 5.92 | 4.75 |
| 85th percentile | 1.92 | 3.58 | 5.58 | 4.50 |
| 90th percentile | 1.67 | 3.25 | 5.25 | 4.08 |
| 95th percentile | 1.25 | 2.92 | 4.75 | 3.67 |
| Fastest | 0.17 | 1.00 | 2.25 | 1.92 |
Cumulative Travel Time Distributions
Percentage of exam writers who reached milestone faster than given travel time
Travel Times vs. Date of First Exam Pass
This graph aims to show how travel times are changing over time
Each line on the the above (near graph) represents the average travel time for all exam takers who passed their first exam on the given date along the x-axis.
This graph necessarily slopes downward since the completion of a set of exams that started more recently must necessarily have occured
within a shorter timespan than exams that started earlier. Over time, the left portion of the graph will reveal if travel times are changing over time -
if they are not, then that portion of the graph should remain flat.
| MEASURE | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| # of People | 2107.00 | 1588.00 | 1169.00 |
| Slowest | 15.50 | 15.50 | 17.00 |
| 5th percentile | 7.75 | 11.17 | 12.33 |
| 10th percentile | 6.58 | 9.83 | 11.25 |
| 15th percentile | 5.75 | 9.25 | 10.42 |
| 20th percentile | 5.25 | 8.67 | 9.83 |
| 25th percentile | 4.83 | 8.00 | 9.33 |
| 30th percentile | 4.50 | 7.58 | 9.00 |
| 35th percentile | 4.25 | 7.25 | 8.50 |
| 40th percentile | 4.00 | 6.83 | 8.25 |
| 45th percentile | 3.75 | 6.50 | 7.92 |
| Average | 3.97 | 6.73 | 8.08 |
| Median | 3.58 | 6.33 | 7.67 |
| 55th percentile | 3.33 | 6.00 | 7.42 |
| 60th percentile | 3.17 | 5.75 | 7.17 |
| 65th percentile | 3.00 | 5.50 | 6.92 |
| 70th percentile | 2.83 | 5.33 | 6.67 |
| 75th percentile | 2.67 | 5.00 | 6.42 |
| 80th percentile | 2.42 | 4.75 | 6.17 |
| 85th percentile | 2.25 | 4.50 | 5.92 |
| 90th percentile | 2.00 | 4.17 | 5.67 |
| 95th percentile | 1.67 | 3.78 | 5.17 |
| Fastest | 0.67 | 2.50 | 3.17 |
Cumulative Travel Time Distributions
Percentage of exam writers who reached milestone faster than given travel time
Travel Times vs. Date of First Exam Pass
This graph aims to show how travel times are changing over time
Each line on the the above (near graph) represents the average travel time for all exam takers who passed their first exam on the given date along the x-axis.
This graph necessarily slopes downward since the completion of a set of exams that started more recently must necessarily have occured
within a shorter timespan than exams that started earlier. Over time, the left portion of the graph will reveal if travel times are changing over time -
if they are not, then that portion of the graph should remain flat.