US Insurance license exam guide
The insurance license exam, explained with official numbers.
Start here if you are deciding whether and how to get a life, health, or property and casualty insurance license. Every figure below links to a state regulator, an exam-vendor handbook, or an official exam report, with the date we checked it.
Who sets the exam
Your state decides what you take.
The NAIC describes producer licensing as a state function, with NIPR and the Producer Database supporting licensing across states. In practice that means a state regulator picks the exam outline and passing score, and a testing vendor (for example Pearson VUE in Texas and Florida, PSI in Washington) delivers it.
Difficulty
Roughly half of attempts pass in the two largest published datasets.
Texas reports 52% of 32,647 graded Life, Accident and Health attempts passing in January-September 2024, and Florida reports 51.7% of 30,883 Health & Life candidates passing in 2024. Those are per-attempt rates that include repeat takers. Read the full breakdown before you decide how much to prepare.
Format
Time limits and scored items vary by exam and state.
Washington's Life and Disability combo is listed at 150 items in 195 minutes. Florida's Health & Life exam lists 150 scored plus 15 pretest questions in 2.75 hours. Texas allots 150 minutes for Life, Accident & Health. Use the format guide for the full table.
Next step
Check your knowledge before you pay for a seat.
Our free life and health practice test uses original questions, and each answer links to the federal law or government guidance it is based on. It checks concepts shared by most state exams; it is not a simulation of any state's exam.
Keep going
Related free guides and practice
- How hard is the insurance license exam? — official pass-rate reports from Texas and Florida
- How long is the insurance license exam? — time limits, scored items and passing scores
- How to get your insurance license — the steps, in order, with state examples
- Property and casualty insurance exam — pass rates and format, plus 100 practice questions
- Texas insurance license exam — fees, time limits, temporary license and pass rates
- Florida insurance license exam — format, passing score, retake limits and 2024 results
- Georgia insurance license exam — $67 fee, format, retake waits and quarterly pass rates
- New York insurance license exam — prelicensing hours, 2024 DFS pass rates and format
- Pennsylvania insurance license exam — fees, item counts, retakes and fingerprinting
- Life insurance exam by state — life-line format and pass rates compared
- Insurance license renewal and CE — continuing education hours in three states
- Washington Life & Health exam hub — state-specific practice, study cards and guides