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Bedford Seminars

Study Smarter, Not Longer!

Sample Testimonials and Feedback:
   
(note, some of these are from an earlier version that covered the reserving material only)     

"I wanted to send you a note to let you know I passed Exam 5, I couldn’t have done it without your material, it was so well done and clear. This is actually the first exam I’ve ever passed on the first attempt and I think that speaks volumes to how great your stuff is for Exam 5. Thank you a ton!"

"I used Bedford to prepare for Exam 5, I found his manual to be very well-written and thorough. Since I initially prepared for the Spring 2020 exams that were canceled I used his videos as well to fight boredom, and was pleasantly surprised at how good they were at explaining the tougher sections. I’d say don’t sleep on his video lessons."

"After failing exam 5 multiple times using another study manual, I knew I needed a different prospective. Mr. Bedford is a gifted teacher!  His recommendations regarding study tactics have revolutionized how I study. His manual and condensed notes are excellent. His excel format exam questions were a lifesaver in preparing for the new computer-based testing. His rapid response time to my questions was amazing. I passed on the first attempt after purchasing Bedford Seminars. If you are looking into purchasing an online course/manual for Exam 5 for the first time, get Bedford Seminars. If you’ve sat before and struggled... splurge like I did! Your raise will more than cover the cost, and your time and money will be worth it!"

"... I've enjoyed Bedford, as much as one can enjoy studying..."

“I passed on the first try. Only used Bedford's manual. I highly recommend it….I didn't spend enough time to do as many past exams as I wanted. I probably spent a total around 200 hours, got a 7.” 

“Your materials got me a 7 too. And I got married in July (so I didn't start studying until early August) and started interviewing for other jobs in October. I definitely didn't put in as many hours as I should have and still got there. Thanks, man!” 

“I passed Exam 5 on my first attempt during my first year of P&C work thanks to Bedford Seminars. Mr. Bedford has clearly put a lot of thought into producing a manual that is thorough, easy to read, and provides the intuition necessary to truly understand the material. I would highly recommend this product to anyone preparing for Exam 5.”

"Loved Bedford. He also has great flashcards and general study techniques, past exam problems organized by chapter, and generally a very nice concise manual."

"Your study material is fantastic, concise and easy to understand"

"I thought the way you explained the reserving concepts provided great insight and it all finally clicked for me"

"The material is very well-written and condensed enough to help me study the reserving section in a shorter amount of time than expected"


"The Bedford Seminar was essential in helping me comprehend all of the reserving material and provided new and innovative ways to look at the material that was invaluable."

"Jim Bedford's material is easily the best reserving material for Exam 5. He truly does teach 'why' each technique works instead of simply saying to memorize X steps. Everything is explained intuitively and the labeling and arrows really help to see what's really happening. I passed this exam on my first try and I attribute a lot of that success to this material. I fully recommend this to anyone taking Exam 5 in the future."

"ULAE was far better written and less confusing than competing sources. Also, thought the sections on Berquist Sherman and Cape Cod were well done compared to competing sources. Concepts were explained in a much more intuitive manner compared to competitors."

"Literally everything you need to know for the reserving portion of the exam is explained clearly and intuitively by Bedford in his manual"


"I found that the Bedford Seminar for Exam 5 really helped me to understand and simplify processes instead of memorizing them. I would highly recommend this material to anyone sitting for Exam 5"

"Bedford’s material is great. His methods of providing intuition behind the material is a great way to master the material to be able to pass the exam with ease. The price of the material is very fair and I would definitely recommend. I used this and I easily passed the exam on my first try."

"The layout, diagrams, summary tables etc. were all laid out in a way that made it easy to understand."

"The advanced problems were very beneficial…they were presented in a different way and were very helpful."

"I used Bedford material for reserving and was quite impressed by the clarity with which the material is written and the all practice questions are in excel format which made it quite easy for me to practice."


"Loved the intensive overview and then the shorter review to use closer to the test. Also, the flash cards were awesome!"

"Pretty much everything you needed to know was there and explained in a straightforward manner."


“I strongly recommend Bedford Seminars, its content is very versatile, providing a range of material to study (study book, resume, flashcards etc.) The material was well defined and explanations were clear and easy to understand. Solutions resembled those from past examiner reports and were efficiently presented in excel. J. Bedford was committed to provide support throughout the process up to the exam day!”
 
"I used Bedford's reserving manual...[it] is really good and definitely teaches you things in a much more clear and understandable way compared to something like [competitor]. It's extremely beneficial because sometimes [competitor] teaches you shortcuts for reserving problems to save time… which can fail if an exam question asks for something else that can't be done via shortcut. I used both sources and there are noticeable differences in how each approaches explaining the method and how it's used. [Competitor] felt more like a summary...For example, the Case O/S method #2 formula has a like 5 minute derivation on [competitor] and the formula is unnecessarily complex. In Bedford's text it's explained intuitively with an equivalent formula that requires no memorization or derivations...I'd definitely recommend Bedford's material."

“Your material is of exceptionally good quality”

“Jim Bedford’s notes are very concise yet thorough. His notes include comments that translate the text into practical knowledge that can be used on the job, but never lose sight of the immediate goal of passing the exam. His illustrations and insightful notes strike the perfect balance of brevity without compromising the necessary detail. I have also found his study tips and material retention tips to be very useful. I plan to use them not only for this exam, but for future exams as well.”

"For those taking exam 5 in the Spring, I highly recommend James Bedford's reserving manual. I failed the Spring 2017 sitting and bought his manual for the Fall sitting. I was able to easily pass, and I attribute that to Jim's explanations and advanced problem set. Jim explains things in such a way that really help you understand the underlying concepts. He also provides valuable studying advice to take with you for subsequent exams. It sucks failing exams, but his manual really got me excited about studying the material a second time."

"I highly recommend the Bedford manual for reserving. It made the logic of each reserving method very clear to me. When can/should I use a particular method? What should I be looking for in my results to tell me I've done it correctly?"


“Jim's manual enhanced my entire knowledge of the exam material, and I finally passed on my 3rd attempt with his help. The compare and contrast between techniques he presents are perfect for preparing exam style of questions. Rather than only knowing the stand-alone chapters or topics, Jim' manual helped me to make all the connections between each concept (lots of examples and explanations are from real work experience). Most importantly IMO, his manual was not simply regurgitation of the textbook, instead it deepens our learning and links the papers context to real work context. I also like the way he uses lines with arrows to point out the key numbers, references, and show the relationship of the numbers in formulas or between tables.”

“I found the manual to be very helpful. It was thorough, condensed, and well-worded. I looked back multiple times and found that it really was a fantastic overview, while still being pretty exhaustive.” 

“For me the best parts were the multi-stage diagrams that showed exactly how things come together … for example the BS paid adjustment diagram I found very illuminating.” 

“The summaries have been extremely helpful to my own understanding of the material in my reserving work as well as for studying for the exam.”

 “I like the way you use lines with arrows to point out the key numbers, references, and show the relationship of the numbers in formulas or between tables. It makes lots of sense when you refer to related topics and compare them in context, which the textbook doesn't have much of.”

Recent Reddit threads including discussions:

   CAS Exam -5 Bedford reviews
   How to study for exam 5
   Bedford Exam 5
   Exam 5 Study Material
   Bedford vs TIA for Exam 5
   Bedford for Exam 5

© 2024 by Jim Bedford, FCAS, MAAA

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