Most candidates spend 200-300 hours preparing for STAM, typically over 3-6 months depending on your background in calculus, probability, and financial mathematics. If you're strong in these foundational areas, you might need less time; if you need to refresh your math skills, you may benefit from a longer study period. Working with a tutor can help you create a personalized study schedule that targets your specific weak areas and maximizes your preparation time.

Students preparing for STAM often struggle with survival analysis and life contingencies, which require understanding mortality rates and present value calculations for insurance products. Financial derivatives and option pricing also trip up many candidates because they combine calculus with complex financial concepts. Additionally, time management during the exam is a common challenge—the exam has 35 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours, so pacing and quickly identifying which questions to tackle first is critical for success.

Practice tests are essential for STAM preparation—they help you identify knowledge gaps, build test-taking stamina, and get comfortable with the exam format and timing constraints. Taking full-length practice exams under timed conditions allows you to practice pacing strategies and learn which question types require more time. Most successful candidates complete at least 5-10 full practice exams before test day. A tutor can review your practice test results with you to pinpoint exactly which concepts need more work.

Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors who understand the specific content and question patterns on STAM and can create a customized study plan based on your strengths and weaknesses. Tutors help you master difficult topics like survival analysis and derivatives, teach you efficient problem-solving strategies, and review your practice test performance to identify patterns in your mistakes. Personalized 1-on-1 instruction also helps build confidence and reduce test anxiety, which is especially valuable when tackling a rigorous exam like STAM.

In your first session, a tutor will assess your current understanding of probability, calculus, and financial mathematics—the core foundations for STAM. They'll ask about your timeline, your target score, and any specific topics you're already struggling with. This diagnostic conversation helps the tutor create a personalized study plan and identify which concepts to prioritize. You'll likely work through a practice problem or two to establish your baseline and get a feel for how the tutoring sessions will be structured.

Score improvement depends on your starting point and how consistently you engage with tutoring and practice. Students who work with a tutor while completing regular practice problems typically see significant gains in their understanding of difficult topics and their ability to manage time during the exam. Rather than focusing on a specific score guarantee, the goal is to identify and eliminate your knowledge gaps so you can approach the exam with confidence and mastery of the material.

Varsity Tutors makes it easy to connect with an expert tutor for STAM preparation—simply tell us about your exam timeline, current skill level, and specific topics you want to focus on. We'll match you with a tutor who has deep knowledge of the STAM curriculum and a track record of helping students succeed. You can start with a single session to see if the fit is right, then scale up your tutoring frequency based on your study plan and needs.