Exam FM

Exam FM sample questions, with solutions and BA II Plus keystrokes

Ten questions in the exam's style, weighted like the syllabus, each solved in full with the BA II Plus keystrokes. Pick an answer to check it.

  1. Question 1Time Value of Money

    Ana deposits 5,000 into an account today and 3,000 at the end of year 2. The account earns a nominal rate of 6% a year, convertible monthly.

    Calculate the account balance at the end of year 5.

    Show the solution
    1. The monthly rate is  .
    2. The 5,000 grows for 60 months:  .
    3. The 3,000 grows for 36 months:  .
    4. Balance:  .

    On a BA II Plus

    1. 2nd CLR TVM
    2. 60 N 0.5 I/Y 5000 +/− PV 0 PMT CPT FV → 6,744.25
    3. 36 N 3000 +/− PV CPT FV → 3,590.04
    4. 6744.25 + 3590.04 = → 10,334.29
  2. Question 2Annuities

    Twenty annual payments of 1,500 are to be made, the first one 3 years from today.

    At an annual effective interest rate of 5%, calculate the present value of the payments.

    Show the solution
    1. Valued as an annuity-immediate, the 20 payments are worth  at time 2, one year before the first payment.
    2. Discount 2 years to today:  .

    On a BA II Plus

    1. 2nd CLR TVM, with END showing (no BGN on the screen)
    2. 20 N 5 I/Y 1500 PMT 0 FV CPT PV → −18,693.32
    3. 2 N 0 PMT 18693.32 FV CPT PV → −16,955.39
  3. Question 3Annuities

    Payments of 100, 200, 300, …, 1,000 are made at the ends of years 1 to 10.

    At an annual effective interest rate of 4%, calculate the present value of the payments.

    Show the solution
    1. This is 100 times an increasing annuity:  .
    2. , so  , and  .
    3. .
    4. Present value:  .

    On a BA II Plus

    1. 2nd CLR TVM
    2. 2nd BGN 2nd SET so BGN shows, then 2nd QUIT
    3. 10 N 4 I/Y 1 PMT 0 FV CPT PV → −8.435332, the annuity-due
    4. 2nd BGN 2nd SET back to END, 2nd QUIT
    5. 0 PMT 10 FV CPT PV → −6.755642, which is 10v¹⁰
    6. 8.435332 − 6.755642 = ÷ 0.04 = × 100 = → 4,199.22
  4. Question 4Annuities

    An annuity pays 2,000 at the end of year 1, and each later payment is 3% larger than the one before. There are 25 payments.

    At an annual effective interest rate of 7%, calculate the present value.

    Show the solution
    1. Geometric annuity:  .
    2. , so  .

    On a BA II Plus

    1. The calculator has no growth key, so value it as a level annuity at the rate j = 1.07 ÷ 1.03 − 1 = 3.883495%, with level payment 2,000 ÷ 1.03 = 1,941.7476.
    2. 2nd CLR TVM
    3. 25 N 3.883495 I/Y 1941.7476 PMT 0 FV CPT PV → −30,711.16
  5. Question 5Loans

    A 250,000 mortgage is repaid with level monthly payments over 30 years, at a nominal rate of 4.8% a year convertible monthly.

    Calculate the outstanding balance just after the 120th payment.

    Show the solution
    1. The monthly rate is 0.4%0.4\% and there are 360 payments:  .
    2. Just after payment 120, the balance is the value of the 240 payments still to come:  .

    On a BA II Plus

    1. 2nd CLR TVM
    2. 360 N 0.4 I/Y 250000 PV 0 FV CPT PMT → −1,311.66
    3. 120 N CPT FV → −202,118.54 (still owed after 120 payments)
  6. Question 6Loans

    A loan of 20,000 is repaid with 8 level payments at the end of each year, at an annual effective rate of 6%.

    Calculate the principal repaid in the 5th payment.

    Show the solution
    1. Payment:  .
    2. The principal in payment kk is P v n−k+1P\,v^{\,n-k+1}. For  and  : .

    On a BA II Plus

    1. 2nd CLR TVM
    2. 8 N 6 I/Y 20000 PV 0 FV CPT PMT → −3,220.72
    3. 2nd AMORT 5 ENTER ↓ 5 ENTER ↓ BAL ↓ PRN → −2,551.11
  7. Question 7Bonds

    A 10-year bond with face amount 1,000 pays coupons at 7% a year, convertible semiannually, and will be redeemed at 1,050.

    Calculate its price to yield 6% a year, convertible semiannually.

    Show the solution
    1. Per half-year: coupon  , yield 3%3\%, and 20 periods.
    2. .

    On a BA II Plus

    1. 2nd CLR TVM
    2. 20 N 3 I/Y 35 PMT 1050 FV CPT PV → −1,102.07
  8. Question 8Bonds

    A 5-year bond with face amount 1,000 pays annual coupons of 40 and is redeemed at par. It sells for 955.

    Calculate its annual effective yield rate.

    Show the solution
    1. The yield ii solves  .
    2. The price is below par, so ii is above the 4% coupon rate. Solving gives  .
    3. Check: at 5.04%,  .

    On a BA II Plus

    1. 2nd CLR TVM
    2. 5 N 955 +/− PV 40 PMT 1000 FV CPT I/Y → 5.04
  9. Question 9General Cash Flows, Portfolios and Asset Liability Management

    A liability requires payments of 1,000 at time 1, 1,000 at time 2 and 6,000 at time 4, with time in years.

    At an annual effective rate of 5%, calculate the Macaulay duration of the payments.

    Show the solution
    1. Present values at 5%:  , , ; total 6,795.636{,}795.63.
    2. Time-weighted:  .
    3. Macaulay duration  years.

    On a BA II Plus

    1. Total present value with the cash-flow worksheet: CF 0 ENTER ↓ 1000 ENTER ↓ 2 ENTER ↓ 0 ENTER ↓ ↓ 6000 ENTER NPV 5 ENTER ↓ CPT → 6,795.63
    2. Each present value with the TVM keys: 1 N 5 I/Y 0 PMT 1000 FV CPT PV → −952.38; 2 N CPT PV → −907.03; 4 N 6000 FV CPT PV → −4,936.21
    3. 952.38 + 1814.06 + 19744.84 = ÷ 6795.63 = → 3.31
  10. Question 10General Cash Flows, Portfolios and Asset Liability Management

    The annual effective spot rates are 3% for 1 year, 3.5% for 2 years and 4% for 3 years.

    Calculate the one-year forward rate from time 2 to time 3.

    Show the solution
    1. Investing for 3 years at the spot rate must match 2 years at the spot rate followed by the forward rate:  .
    2. , so  .

    On a BA II Plus

    1. 1.04 yˣ 3 = → 1.124864, then STO 1
    2. RCL 1 ÷ 1.035 x² = → 1.050073
    3. − 1 = → 0.050073, which is 5.01%

Pick an answer to check it. Each solution opens below its question.

How to use them

  • Give each question five minutes, the real exam's pace.
  • Draw the timeline before you touch the calculator.
  • Keep P/Y at 1 and enter the rate per period, as in every keystroke list here.

More practice

SOA publishes its own Exam FM sample questions with solutions. These ten are written separately, so they add fresh questions to that set. The free 50-minute diagnostic gives 10 more, marked by topic.

Next step

The same page for Exam P

SOA's Exam FM page

Questions people ask

Where can I find Exam FM practice questions?

Ten are on this page with full solutions. SOA publishes its own sample questions, and the free diagnostic here gives 10 more, marked by topic.

How many questions are on Exam FM?

30 multiple-choice questions in 2.5 hours, each with five answer choices. A few are unscored pilot questions you cannot tell apart.

Are past Exam FM exams released?

No. SOA does not release past Exams P, FM, FAM or SRM, so sample questions are the closest practice to the real paper.

Do I need a BA II Plus for Exam FM?

It is not required, but it is on SOA's approved list and its time-value keys solve annuity, loan and bond questions directly. Every solution here shows the keystrokes.