SRM Exam Day Guide
Everything you need to know before sitting for Exam SRM: Statistics for Risk Modeling. Testing center logistics, time management, and strategies for performing your best on exam day.
Arrive early and go through security
Pearson VUE centers require arrival 30 minutes before your scheduled time. Bring two valid IDs. You will store all personal items in a locker and receive scratch materials at the testing station.
No calculator is provided or permitted
Exam SRM does not use a calculator. All numerical work is designed to be manageable by hand. Problems focus on interpretation and methodology rather than heavy computation.
Write down key model comparison criteria
At the start, jot down AIC = -2L + 2p, BIC = -2L + p*ln(n), and the formulas for adjusted R-squared and cross-validation error. These appear frequently and having them visible prevents mix-ups.
Read R output carefully
Many SRM problems present regression output from R. Read the column headers (Estimate, Std. Error, t value, Pr(>|t|)) and pay attention to which coefficients are significant. Do not confuse the intercept row with predictor rows.
Pace yourself at 6 minutes per question
SRM gives you 210 minutes for 35 questions, which works out to 6 minutes each. Conceptual questions should take less time, leaving extra minutes for problems requiring multi-step reasoning.
Focus on interpretation over computation
SRM tests your ability to choose the right method and interpret results. If a problem asks "which model is preferred," focus on the selection criteria mentioned in the problem rather than trying to compute everything from scratch.
Know the assumptions behind each method
Many questions test whether you understand when a method fails. Know that linear regression assumes linearity, independence, homoscedasticity, and normality of errors. Know what happens when each assumption is violated.
Use process of elimination on conceptual questions
For questions about properties of estimators or model selection, eliminate clearly wrong options first. Statements containing absolute words like "always" or "never" are often false in statistics.
Plan for the 3.5-hour duration
SRM is 3 hours and 30 minutes. Eat well beforehand, use the restroom before check-in, and maintain steady pacing. Rushing through the last 10 questions because of fatigue is a common failure mode.
Review your flagged questions
After your first pass, use remaining time to revisit flagged questions. Re-read the problem statement completely, as many errors come from misreading what the question asks.