Finally passed ALU 101 — here's what actually helped me study

by Jordan L. 70 views3 replies
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Jordan L.OP
May 27, 2026

I've been in insurance sales for about three years now and my manager kept pushing me to get the LOMA designations. I signed up for ALU 101 kind of on a whim back in January, thinking it'd be straightforward since I deal with underwriting decisions daily. Yeah, I was wrong about that. The material on mortality tables and risk classification was way more technical than I expected.

Spent about six weeks studying, probably 45 minutes to an hour each night after the kids went to bed. The ALU 101 study guide from LOMA is dense but honestly pretty well organized — I'd read a chapter, then quiz myself before moving on. What really locked things in was doing an ALU 101 practice test every few days to see where my gaps were. I kept bombing the reinsurance section until I made flashcards specifically for that.

Ended up scoring in the 80s, which I was thrilled with. Anyone else working through this right now? Happy to share what worked for me, especially on the exam day timing — that caught me off guard.

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Mike_T
May 28, 2026
Congrats! I just registered for my sitting next month and the reinsurance piece is already stressing me out. Can I ask — did you focus more on the textbook or the practice questions? I've heard some people say the practice tests are closer to the actual exam format, but I don't want to neglect the reading entirely. Also how many questions is the actual exam? I've seen conflicting info online.
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Chloe W.
May 28, 2026
I passed ALU 101 last fall and my biggest exam tip is don't underestimate the hazard classification stuff. I came from a P&C background so I thought I had a decent foundation, but the life underwriting angle is different. Gave myself eight weeks total, skipped week five because of vacation, and still felt rushed at the end. The LOMA practice questions in the back of each chapter are worth doing twice, not just once.
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Ravi S.
May 28, 2026
Solid score — 80s is nothing to sneeze at on this one. For anyone studying now, the LOMA online flashcard tool they added recently is genuinely useful for the terminology. Saved me probably two weeks of making my own cards.

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