FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why have Bound Books been discontinued?
- How many times may I download a file associated with an order?
- How often do you revise and update your study guides?
- Are PDF study guides always the most current revision available?
- Why are the Phone Hours only 1 PM - 5 PM EST?
- Do you offer Study Guides in a Downloadable Audio format?
- What courses are covered under Core Audio Study Guides?
- Do you offer Free Samples of your MP3 Audio Study Guides?
- Do you offer Free Samples of your PDF Study Guides?
- Where can I read your Terms, Policies, and Notices?
- I bought the wrong item. Should I cancel my order or can I request an exchange?
- Can you void my order, if I decided I do not want any of my purchases?
- I bought a few items I do not want. How do I get a refund for them?
- Do you offer Coupons?
- Do you offer Automatic Special Pricing for employees of certain companies?
- Can I Print my PDF?
- What is The Burnham System?
- Why use The Burnham System?
- How can you guarantee I'll pass?
- What about The Burnham System's Pass Rates?
- Do I need to get the Institutes' textbooks too?
- Do I need to take a class too?
- How many pages are The Burnham System's study guides?
- How many exam questions does The Burnham System cover?
- How do your study guide offerings compare to other providers?
- How can I get more information before I buy The Burnham System?
- Which course or group of courses should I take ... and why?
- How can I Succeed in Insurance?
- Why did Ray create The Burnham System?
Why have Bound Books been discontinued?
Due to recent supply chain issues, and the death of our amazing shipping clerk/sole secretary due to Covid, and our printer going out of business --- all at about the same time --- The Burnham System experienced major problems with shipping bound books.
That's why Ray decided to offer printable PDFs, which also allowed for instant product delivery.
Our digital PDF Books are exact digital replicas of our previously offered Bound Book editions, so you'll now get instant delivery with no wait time.
How many times may I download a file associated with an order?
There is no limit to the number of times you can download our content, either PDFs of MP3s.
PLEASE NOTE: iPhone and iPad users, read this important FAQ, How do I save my downloadable PDF or MP3 files to my iPhone or iPad?
How often do you revise and update your study guides?
The Burnham System consistently publishes the new revisions before the first day of the first exam period for each and every course study guide we offer.
We've been vigilant in that endeavor for over 30 years.
Are PDF study guides always the most current revision available?
Yes! Ordering your study guide through our website, in PDF format, grants you access—at no additional charge—to our study guide's most recent current revision, and all future revisions, if you re-download your PDF after we make a revision.
We do not provide revisions for products we have discontinued.
Further, we reserve the right not to provide extra copies of products we have discontinued for re-download and the right to limit downloads in the future, if, for example, we suspect someone has downloaded too many copies.
Example: If, for some reason you skip a test one year, the next year just re-download the PDF and/or MP3s for any study guide you've purchased and you'll automatically get the latest revision.
Why are the Phone Hours only 1 PM - 4 PM EST?
After working all morning to focus on preparing more study guides or do other Burnham System work, Ray prefers to answer the phone himself.
This limits the hours he has available to offer exceptional, one-on-one customer service to the second half of his workday.
Conversely, this website gives you the freedom to place orders and to email Ray 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Do you offer Study Guides in a Downloadable Audio format?
Yes. We offer Lisa's narrations of our Basic Books.
(Anything in our Basic Book might be on your exam and there will be nothing on your exam that is not covered in our Basic Book for your course.) Our narrated insurance exam preparation materials, in downloadable MP3 audio format, are available for all our Core Audio Study Guides®.
What courses are covered under Core Audio Study Guides?
Our Core Audio Study Guides® cover 128 courses; including AAI 301, AAI 302, AAI 303, AAI 81, AAI 82, AAI 83, AAI 87, AAI-M 330, AFSB 151, AFSB 152, AFSB 153, AIAF 114, AIAF 115, AIC 30, AIC 300, AIC 301, AIC 302, AIC 303, AIC 304, AIC 305, AIC 31, AIC 32, AIC 330, AIC 37, AIC 39, AIC 40, AIC 41, AIC 42, AIC 43, AIC 44, AIC 47, AIC 48, AIC 49, AIDA 181, AIDA 182, AIM 330, AIM 331, AIM 40, AIM 44, AINS 101, AINS 102, AINS 103, AINS 21, AINS 22, AINS 23, AINS 24, AIS 25, AIS 320, AIT 134, AMIM 121, AMIM 122, AMIM 320, AMIM 321, APA 320, APA 321, APA 91, APA 92, API 28, API 29, API 320, API 321, ARC 301, ARe 143, ARe 144, ARe 320, ARe 321, ARe 322, ARM 400, ARM 401, ARM 402, ARM 54, ARM 55, ARM 56, ASLI 163, ASLI 164, ASLI 320, ASLI 321, AU 60, AU 61, AU 62, AU 67, CIC CC 101, CIC CP 101, CIC LH 101, CIC PL 101, CPCU 410, CPCU 500, CPCU 520, CPCU 530, CPCU 540, CPCU 550, CPCU 551, CPCU 552, CPCU 553, CPCU 555, CPCU 556, CPCU 557, CYB 301, ERM 57, Ethics CPCU 312, Ethics IIA 311, HS 300, HS 311, HS 313, HS 314, HS 319, HS 321, HS 323, HS 324, HS 325, HS 326, HS 328, HS 330, HS 331, HS 333, HS 334, HS 375, HS 376, Intro 320, Intro 330, Intro 350, Intro 360, IR-ARC 201, PRC 110, PRC 111, SM 18, SM 19, and SPPA 30.
In addition, our audio narrations are available for available for all the new and all the updated courses available in our store.
Do you offer Free Samples of your MP3 Audio Study Guides?
Yes! We are that proud of our work.
To obtain a free sample audio study guide, please visit our Free Samples section.
Once there, select one of our Core Audio Study Guides.
Each sample contains narrations of a purchasable study guide's first assignment.
After you make your selection and fill in all the required fields, press the Generate Sample Guide button.
A button to download your sample audio study guide will appear after the MP3 file is generated.
Do you offer Free Samples of your PDF Study Guides?
Yes!
We are so proud of our work that we offer a free sample of each and every study guide available for purchase.
Each sample contains The Burnham System's first assignment of the study guide and other material related to your study.
Please visit our Free Samples section to get your sample PDF.
Where can I read your Terms, Policies, and Notices?
Please visit our Terms & Conditions section to view our website's terms of use.
Our website's terms of use agreement is also comprised of our Privacy Policy section, our Legal Notices section, and the answers outlined on our FAQs section.
To view our guarantees and policies, visit any of the following sections: Our Guarantees, Shipping Policy & Methods, Exchange Policy, Refund Policy.
Or please visit our Customer Service section for more information.
I bought the wrong item. Should I cancel my order or can I request an exchange?
If you wanted Item A, but accidentally bought Item B, then you should request an Item Exchange.
Please call Ray before 4:00 PM EST on the same day you placed your order.
Can you void my order, if I decided I do not want any of my purchases?
Yes.
Contact us within 24 hours of placing your order, and, if none of the charges we applied against your credit card have cleared your financial institution, we can void the transaction.
You will receive a refund notice, however your credit card will not be charged; we simply release any temporarily held funds.
It can take up to two weeks for your financial institution to recognize that refund.
To ensure that you receive a prompt refund—via void—please contact Customer Service before 4:00 PM EST on the same day you placed your order.
NOTICE: You cannot download a refunded course.
Do you offer Coupons?
No. But we offer huge savings if you order two or more courses at the same time.
Remember we update all our courses, almost always before the first day of their updated exams, so there is no worry about ordering early.
How can my company receive Automatic Special Pricing?
Generally, Automatic Special Pricing is based heavily on the volume of purchases that a particular company's employees make per year.
To find out if your company qualifies for a volume based discount: Have an authorized agent at your company, who is permitted to negotiate deals and contracts with suppliers, call Ray (808-987-1033, between 1 and 4 pm, Eastern) or email Ray (Ray@BurnhamSystem.com).
Can I Print my PDF?
Yes. And we encourage you to do so. Studying paper books yields higher pass rates than studying digital books.
Please click here for more information regarding your User Digital Document Rights.
What is The Burnham System?
That's obvious: The Burnham System is the best way known to mankind to prepare for insurance designation exams.
The Burnham System summarizes and outlines your texts and course material to provide you concise, to-the-point, time-saving executive summaries.
A Burnham System Basic Book study guide in printed format averages 35 pages.
Most PDF study guides also provide, as bonuses, in The Burnham System Bonus Book, answers to the Review Questions, definitions of the Key Words, and a sample exam.
Key Words are defined in standard text.
Other new terms are defined in italics.
The Burnham System executive summaries will cover at least 97% of the material on your exam.
In almost all cases, The Burnham System covers 100% of the material on your exam.
Why use The Burnham System?
You'll pass. Guaranteed!
You'll save time. Guaranteed!
Independent studies done at Carnegie-Mellon for the US Government compared retention of text material versus retention of text summaries. Students who studied text summaries consistently demonstrated improved retention, direct learning, inference learning, transfer learning, and recall and response times.
Surveys from Burnham System patrons consistently show candidates cut their study time in half and have much higher pass rates, over 97%.
How can you guarantee I'll pass?
Ray's students' overall pass rate is the best in the business, CPA confirmed.
Ray can guarantee you'll pass with The Burnham System ... because you will pass ... if you use The Burnham System.
Overall pass rates are less than 72.5% for candidates who do NOT use The Burnham System, over 97% for those who do.
Those who do not pass usually have a very good reason: He did not study past the first assignment; her mother died yesterday; he drank way too much yesterday; she was running a high temperature when she took her exam; and so on.
Do I need to get the Institutes' textbooks too?
If you'll want greater details and more examples, both now and in the future, buy the texts. They represent the distilled experience of top experts in our industry.
How many pages are The Burnham System's study guides?
Ray's current guides average 35 pages per study guide, excluding bonus material.
Ray's prior guides averaged about 65 pages per study guide, excluding bonus material.
How many exam questions does The Burnham System cover?
In the past ten years, Ray has been told of exactly three individual questions that he did not cover in his basic material.
That includes over 100 courses (including The American College courses), each with a variety of actual exams, and often two or three versions of each course, each with a variety of exams --- most certainly well over 100,000 actual exam questions in total.
How do your study guide offerings compare to other providers?
Among independent sources, you'll probably find only The Burnham System offers
1. ALL the study guides for the CPCU, CLU, ChFC, REBC, RHU, or AIC, or
2. ANY of the specific study guides for the API, AIM, AU, AU-M, AAI, APA, AIAF, AMIM, AIT, ARe, AFSB, ASLI, ARC, ANFI, PRC, or CIC.
If you want to earn any of those designations and you want help or if
you want to halve your study time or if
you want to improve your chance of passing from about 72% to over 95%, then
you want The Burnham System.
How can I get more information before I buy The Burnham System?
First, you don't make any commitment when you order The Burnham System.
Ray guarantees he will meet any standard of quality you set—or your money back.
You don't buy it, you try it.
Second, if you have a question, just email (Ray@BurnhamSystem.com) or call (808-987-1033). Ray will be happy to help you.
Third, nothing and no one can possibly describe The Burnham System better than The Burnham System itself.
Download, FREE, our first assignment of your course.
Then order it. Use it. And, then, decide.
Simply, you can't go wrong with The Burnham System.
Which course or group of courses should I take... and why?
- Consider if you want a better foundation in your current job, or for another job you may want in the future. Then take whichever courses relate directly to that work.
- Decide which areas of insurance education play to your strengths, then start with that course or group of courses first.
- If your manager has earned several designations, then your manager to offer you good advice.
- Call or email Ray; he'll be happy to advise you, to help you achieve your goals!
How can I Succeed in Insurance?
- If you want to succeed in insurance, you must continue your education.
- The Institutes offer the best, learn-at-home, property-casualty courses.
- The American College offers the best, learn-at-home, life-health courses.
- The Risk and Insurance Education Alliance's Institutes offer the best live classes.
- Use the Burnham System's study guides whenever available.
Why did Ray create The Burnham System?
To help you learn quickly and to help you pass, the first time, every time. Ray created the very preparation tool he wishes he'd had when he prepared for the exams.