The final syllabus for each exam is published approximately six months prior to the exam administration date (i.e., the syllabus will be published in the Fall for the upcoming Spring exams, and will be published in the Spring for the upcoming Fall exams).

In general it is the intent of the SOA, however, to fully update the syllabus for the FSA-level exams only once each year. While we reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus every six months, we expect that the syllabus published following the full annual update will generally apply for the two ensuing administrations of each FSA-level exam.

Should the need to make interim changes to the syllabus occur, for example, due to new textbook editions, changes to the case study, significant developments affecting exam topics, etc., such changes will be reflected on the syllabus applicable to the second exam administration following the full syllabus update. Our expectation is that if interim syllabus changes are made, they will be minor and will be announced well in advance of the following exam administration. If interim syllabus changes are made, all changes will be prominently noted on the Updates page when the interim syllabus is published.

To assist in study and planning for examinations, the following table is provided to indicate when full annual updates will occur for the FSA-level examinations:

For example, a syllabus reflecting the full annual update for the Retirement Benefits DP exam will be published in the Spring of 2011, and will be applicable to the DP exam administered in Fall, 2011. The syllabus for the Spring, 2012 DP exam will be published in the Fall, 2011, and will be identical to the syllabus applicable to the Fall, 2011 DP exam if no interim syllabus changes are made.