Before buying
The first step is not the store but the syllabus. Every SOA, CAS or IFoA exam publishes its reading list with the exact edition; buying an earlier edition can leave out tested chapters. For CNSF accreditation and the college certification in Mexico, the syllabi rely mostly on Mexican regulation, which is free on the CNSF website.
Before paying, check whether the body offers the text at no cost, whether there is a digital edition, and what shipping and import charges add up to. For titles chosen for their historical and technical importance, see the essential books library; for reserving methods, the IBNR methods guide.
Specialist study material providers
They sell manuals, courses and practice exams for SOA, CAS and IFoA exams. They are the usual route to prepare international exams from Mexico.
ACTEX Learning
Study manuals, GOAL practice, video courses, tutoring and textbooks for SOA, CAS, CIA, VEE, EA, IFoA, IAI and ASSA exams; it refers ASM buyers to The Actuarial Bookstore.
Actuarial Study Materials (ASM)
Study manuals, flashcards, videos, GOAL practice and mock exams for SOA Exams P, FM, IFM, FAM and SRM, CAS MAS-I and MAS-II, and the EA exams; sold through The Actuarial Bookstore.
The Actuarial Bookstore
Specialist bookstore selling study materials, VEE courses and textbooks for SOA, CAS, CIA, EA, IFoA and IAI exams, and the retailer for ASM products; it states it ships to nearly every country, with Mexico estimated at 2 business days.
Coaching Actuaries
Online exam prep with manuals, video lessons, quizzes and practice exams for SOA ASA and FSA exams, VEE, and CAS exams such as MAS-I, MAS-II, 5 and 6U.
The Infinite Actuary (TIA)
Online courses and seminars for preliminary exams, SOA FSA exams, CAS Exams 5 through 9, VEE and the Enrolled Actuaries exams.
BPP Actuarial Education (ActEd)
IFoA exam materials (Course Notes including Core Reading, Combined Materials Packs, ASET, mock exams and revision notes) in print or eBook, plus tuition and marking; printed items ship to the rest of the world with a per region despatch charge.
Rising Fellow
Online courses, study guides, calculation cookbooks and problem packs for CAS Exams 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, labeled 2026.
BattleActs
Interactive study guides with a quiz bank, battle cards and calculation problems for CAS Exams 5, 6U, 6C, 7, 8 and 9.
Academic publishers
The actuarial series of the major academic publishers hold the reference textbooks, many of them official exam readings.
Cambridge University Press, International Series on Actuarial Science
Series published with the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, with about 20 titles including Actuarial Mathematics for Life Contingent Risks and Nonlife Actuarial Models, offered in print and with digital access.
Springer Actuarial (serie de Springer Nature)
Peer reviewed series of textbooks, monographs and lecture notes on risk, solvency, valuation, ALM and insurance mathematics, with recent titles such as Actuarial Pension Funding Theory (2025).
EAA Series (Springer, European Actuarial Academy)
Discontinued European Actuarial Academy series whose titles remain available, such as Handbook on Loss Reserving and Market-Consistent Actuarial Valuation.
CRC Press, Chapman & Hall/CRC Series in Actuarial Science
Routledge and CRC Press (Taylor & Francis) series with titles such as Parodi's Pricing in General Insurance and Gan's Actuarial Loss Models.
Official and open materials
Professional bodies publish syllabi, reading lists and, in several cases, complete texts at no cost. Check them before buying.
SOA, información para pedir libros de texto y manuales
Official SOA page listing textbook and study manual providers, including ACTEX, ASM, Coaching Actuaries, TIA, PAK and FIA Bookstore, noting that the SOA does not endorse them.
SOA, notas de estudio (study notes)
SOA study notes are sold through its online store in hard copy only and shipped via FedEx, with an order form for November 2026.
SOA, página de estudio del examen P
Exam P syllabus PDFs for the September 2026, November 2026 and January 2027 sittings, an online sample exam and study tips.
CAS, publicaciones
Casualty Actuarial Society publications hub with monographs, the peer reviewed journal Variance, the CAS Forum, research papers and electronic and print books.
CAS, seminarios y apoyos de estudio
Official CAS page listing study aid providers by exam, including ACTEX, ASM, BattleActs, Coaching Actuaries, TIA, Howard Mahler and Rising Fellow.
IFoA, biblioteca
Institute and Faculty of Actuaries library with about 400 ebooks and 30,000 articles for members, plus book loans by post or courier from London and Edinburgh.
IAA, publicaciones
International Actuarial Association publications: monographs sold as e-books, the IAA Risk Book, the ISAP standards and publicly available educational papers.
Open Actuarial Textbooks Project (Loss Data Analytics)
Free interactive actuarial textbooks, chiefly Loss Data Analytics (2nd edition, 2024) in HTML and PDF, with a short video course, R code and a Spanish translation produced mainly by the Universitat de Barcelona.
Actuarial Science and Analytics Resources (Edward W. Frees, UW Madison)
University of Wisconsin Madison site presenting Loss Data Analytics as a free online text, with guided tutorials and links to actuarial mathematics and regression resources.
Friedland, Estimating Unpaid Claims Using Basic Techniques (CAS)
A 451-page CAS text on reserving and IBNR methods, free to download as a PDF; it is reading for the CAS reserving exam.
Loss Data Analytics en español (Open Actuarial Textbooks)
Spanish translation of the open textbook Loss Data Analytics: severity, frequency, aggregate losses and credibility, free online.
Buying in Mexico
For printed books in English, online stores operating in Mexico are usually the fastest route. Always check the edition the exam syllabus requires.
Amazon México
Online store with listings for English language actuarial books such as Actuarial Mathematics for Life Contingent Risks, Loss Models and Bowers' Actuarial Mathematics, plus Kindle editions.
Librerías Gandhi
Mexican bookstore with an online store for print books, ebooks and audiobooks, offering free shipping anywhere in Mexico.
Used and out of print
Out-of-print classics, such as earlier editions of Bowers or Bühlmann, can be found in used book marketplaces.
AbeBooks
Marketplace for used and rare books from independent sellers; many listings include free worldwide shipping depending on the seller, and international orders may incur duties paid by the buyer.
Frequently asked questions
Which book do I need for each SOA exam?
Are there reliable free actuarial books?
Are SOA study notes free?
Is it worth buying abroad?
Further reading
These lists are not commercial endorsements, and the professional bodies do not endorse any particular supplier. Information verified on October 23, 2026.