ARM™ Designation – Associate in Risk Management
The ARM™ Designation or Associate in Risk Management is one of the premier insurance designations of the property-casualty insurance industry. This insurance designation is held by distinguished employees of the insurance industry including risk managers, risk officers, risk advisers, insurance agents, brokers, and underwriters.
The Associate in Risk Management Designation (ARM™) focuses on all aspects of risk management. This designation covers a wide array of insurance topics including risk management, risk assessment, and risk treatment.
The ARM™ Designation is of the many insurance designations administered by the Insurance Institute of America. The ARM™™ teaches you the science of risk management and provides you with the necessary skills and understanding to avoid, reduce, and manage risk.
Unlike some of the longer insurance designations, the ARM™™ designation is only three exams focusing on topics such as risk management principles, risk assessment, holistic risk, and treating risk.
Who Should Pursue the ARM™ Designation
This unique designation should be pursued by those interested in entering the risk management industry, property-casualty industry, and by those currently employed in the property-casualty industry who would like to advance their current knowledge and improve upon their current career position.
Although I recommend the ARM™ designation should be pursued by everyone in the insurance industry, the designation is most popular for the following careers:
- Risk managers
- Risk advisers
- Risk consultants
- Chief risk officers
- Risk management analysts
- Agents
- Brokers
- Underwriters
- Product analysts
- Product managers
- Claim managers
- Claim representatives
- School board executives
The ARM™ designation is highly respected in the insurance world and can help anyone in the risk management or property-casualty field gain the necessary skills and experience to reach that next level of employment while at the same time helping to build a more knowledgeable insurance and risk management industry.
Download: Free Practice Exam (CPCU® | ARM™ | AINS™ | API™)
How to Earn the ARM™ Designation
The ARM™ designation is achieved after the completion of a series of three exams and an ethics requirement course.
The exams include: Risk Management Principles, Risk Assessment and Treatment, and Holistic risk. These exams cover a wide array of topics and advanced subjects used in our day to day jobs such as risk management, risk assessment, risk management applications, analyzing risk, reducing risk, and much more
Each exam is multiple choice with a pass-fail grade of 70%. You must score a 70% or higher on each exam to pass.
The ARM™ exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions in the virtual exam. The virtual ARM™ exams will be 65-minutes long. Meaning, to answer every question before the time runs out, you should plan on spending about 1 minute and 18 seconds to answer each question (50 questions in 65 minutes).
All questions on the virtual exam will be application-based scenario questions. These are tricky questions that require you to apply your knowledge to a real-life scenario to choose the appropriate answer (you will not be repeating a definition or concept). That means, there is really no way to cheat on your exam, so don’t even try. You can download one of our free practice exams to see what these questions look like.
For more information, see our blog detailing how to earn the ARM™ Certification.
ARM™ Designation Exams
The ARM™ designation is achieved after the completion of a series of three exams:
- ARM™ 400 – this exam covers risk concepts and the risk environment.
- ARM™ 401 – this exam covers holistic risk.
- ARM™ 402 – this exam covers the topics of treating and assessing risk.
For more information, see our blog breaking down the Associate in Risk Management Designation.
How Long To Earn ARM™ Designation
The ARM™ exams are TOUGH. It is no easy task to complete this insurance designation, which is why only the best of the best earn their ARM™.
The industry recommends about 2-3 months of studying per exam and about 1 – 1.5 years to complete the coursework and earn the ARM™ designation.
Although that’s the industry-recommended time, I see most people complete their exams in about a month. If you’re truly dedicated you can crank out your ARM™ within six months. I always recommend that people study an hour a day on lunch break or before work. Just an hour a day for 2-3 weeks should be plenty of time for you to pass your exam.
Be sure to check with your employer before you get started, as most employers will pay for your study material and exams.
ARM™ Designation Costs
The cost of the ARM™ designation varies widely depending on your choice of study material and exam registration. On average, the ARM™ will cost between $1,800 to $2,200.
Each exam costs about $320 and study material ranges between $250 to $450 per exam.
It’s pricey, but there are plenty of tips and tricks to reduce the cost of your ARM™ including using college credits, waiving an ARM™ exam using college credit, and employer reimbursement (most employers will pay for your ARM™).
Where to Buy ARM™ Study Material
There are a number of great resources across the web that sell ARM™ study material. There is no right or wrong choice; it really depends on your study preference. You can learn more about our online courses, which have helped thousands of students pass their exams with a 99% success rate, here:
For a taste of ARM™ study material, check out our free ARM™ practice exams.
How to Sign Up For The ARM™ Exam
The ARM™ designation is administered by the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters (“The Institutes”). To sign up for your ARM™ exam, you will need to create an account at The Institutes. Here you can choose to take a written exam or you can sign up to take a computer-administered exam at a Prometric testing center
Disclaimer
Please note, AssociatePI is not affiliated with The Institutes. AssociatePI is an independent company that is not endorsed by or otherwise supported or recognized by The Institutes in any way. This blog is intended for informational purposes only, to help you register for your conferment ceremony.
Free Practice Exam
Ready to get started studying? We’re here to help (for free). Download one of our free ARM™ practice exams to get a feel for the type of content you will be studying.
Download: Free Practice Exam (CPCU® | ARM™ | AINS™ | API™)
More Information
For more information about the ARM™ designation checkout some of our other free resources:
- ARM™ Designation Overview
- ARM™ Designation Benefits
- How To Earn Your ARM™ Certification
- ARM™ to CPCU® Path
- What is the Associate in Risk Management Designation?
- Three Reasons To Pursue ARM™ Insurance Designation
- ARM™ 400 Difficulty
- ARM™ 401 Difficulty
- ARM™ 402 Difficulty
Disclaimer
ARM™ exams are administered by the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters (“The Institutes”). AssociatePI does not administer the actual exams, we are an independent resource of free content, advice, and study material for professional insurance education. This blog is intended for informational purposes only, to inform prospective students of the benefit of the ARM™ designation.
ARM™, CPCU®, and API™ are trademarks of the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters (“The Institutes”). AssociatePI LLC is not affiliated with, associated with, endorsed by or otherwise supported or recognized by The Institutes in any way. AssociatePI LLC is not authorized by The Institutes to offer courses, practice examinations, or any other resources related to the Institutes’ designations or other programs.
