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New Exam 5 Resources: Practice Items and Enhanced Answering & Grading Insight Videos

A digital illustration shows a clean study desk setup. On the left is a green potted plant next to a pair of round eyeglasses. At the center, there’s an open laptop beneath a white desk lamp. On the right, a cup filled with pencils and scissors sits beside a red apple and an orange mug with steam rising from it. At the top left corner, the CAS logo appears, and to the right, bold text reads “Exam Resources.” The background is teal, giving the scene a calm and focused atmosphere.

The Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) is releasing new resources to support candidates preparing for Exam 5: 

  • Recently Retired Exam 5 Practice Items with Solutions 
  • Enhanced Answering & Grading Insights Videos  

These resources are part of a broader initiative, guided by priorities established by the Admissions Governance Committee (AGC) and CAS Board of Directors, to modernize and expand candidate preparation resources for all CAS exams. While these resources are specific to Exam 5 content, they also give insight into broader CAS exam structure, expectations, and grading practices.  

Candidate feedback on these resources and lessons learned will impact future resources the CAS releases for other exams. The timeline for these additional resources has not yet been set, as it depends on the rollout and evaluation of the Exam 5 resources; the CAS will communicate the timeline once it has been determined. 

Recently Retired Exam 5 Practice Items with Solutions Candidates now have access to ten new practice items for Exam 5. These are retired items from Fall 2023-Spring 2025 administrations of Exam 5 and are intended to provide insight into the structure and content of recent exams.  

Each item is delivered in spreadsheet format and paired with a solution developed by the Exam 5 Working Group. The CAS extends its thanks to the group for their help with this initiative.  

The corresponding solutions reflect the level of depth expected on exams and are designed to help candidates assess their own work with greater clarity and confidence. The accepted answers do not provide the universe of accepted answers on the exam, but rather, provide an example of a response receiving full credit. 

Exam 5 Sample Items and Solutions

The CAS is seeking candidate feedback on the Exam 5 sample items, as this input will directly inform the development of future resources. If you are interested in providing feedback, the CAS will be holding two one-hour focus groups in early November following the October 2025 exam administration. Candidates interested in participating should complete the Exam 5 Practice Items Focus Group Interest Form.

Enhanced Answering & Grading Insights Videos

The CAS is also releasing the second iteration of its Answering & Grading Insights video series, developed in partnership with the Candidate Advocate Working Group (CAWG). The first iteration, released in March 2025, featured retired Exam 5 items and demonstrated strategies for approaching and answering exam questions while also providing insight into how graders evaluate responses.

A focus group was held after the original release of the videos to gather feedback from candidates. The second iteration features the same Exam 5 items from the Fall 2024 sitting that were featured in the first iteration; no new questions were added.

However, the new release introduces enhancements based on candidate feedback from the focus group that followed the first release, to make the videos more effective:

  • An accompanying Excel workbook is available with the problems featured in the videos, allowing viewers to work through the problems themselves
  • Built-in timestamps for quick navigation between sections
  • A full transcript of the videos for easy reference and deeper review

These enhancements give candidates greater flexibility in how they engage with the videos, whether by following along in the Excel workbook, navigating directly to key sections, or using the transcript to review specific concepts in detail. Candidates interested in sharing feedback on the videos are encouraged to complete the Exam 5 Resources Focus Group Interest Form. Additional details will be shared directly with those who express interest.

The CAS remains committed to building upon these resources and developing additional tools that reflect candidate feedback and strengthen exam preparation across all exams. Future releases will continue to expand and modernize preparation materials to enhance the candidate experience.