I cannot tell you how much I hate these things, and while I admit I have failed more times than I hoped for, I felt that it was still a good journey overall, and I'd like to share a little wisdom.
1. Read the damn book.
I honestly hope that you didn't have to pay out of pocket yourself (I did), but if you did, make sure that it worth every dollar you spent by read the book. I know it is often tempting to just read the review notes, but fact is, those who are taking Online Course (OCs) are generally relatively new to the industry, so a more repetitive and overly detailed introduction is not necessarily bad.
2. Remember, quiz is way way easier than actual exam.
The quiz questions on the exam will be annoying. They will be new. They will be obscure.
So first time around I figured, oh, then I won't do the practice, since it's too easy. Wrong!
Do them all, and then some.
3. You need to actually learn something.
It is very tempting to find shortcut and memorize only those "key points". Here's the thing, OCs doesn't work that way, you actually should try to make sense of the material, such as the policy forms, the contract law, the COPE details, the reinsurance types etc. Until you could teach someone else in your own words, you haven't understand it well enough.
4. While OCs are exams, don't prepare them as a full-length actuarial exam
When all's said and done, each OC should take 1 hour to complete. It's multiple choice, so it's often you know it immediately or not. Spend only a few weeks and study intensely. With all honesty, passing them with only 2 weeks dedicated to each is quite doable.
More posts to follow.