The exam

What it is

A proctored exam that proves you know the body of knowledge for your line. As covered in 02 Exam shape, every producer exam combines a general/national portion (line-specific insurance knowledge) with a state portion (that state’s laws and rules). STABLE

Stable structure you can rely on

• The exam is administered by a third-party testing vendor under contract to the state — commonly PSI, Pearson VUE, or Prometric. Which one varies by state and changes when contracts renew. STABLE
• It is multiple choice. STABLE
• It covers a published examination content outline — the vendor tells you in advance roughly what percentage of the test covers each topic. Studying to that outline is the single highest-leverage move. STABLE
• The general and state portions may be separately scored (you might pass one and fail the other) — confirm per state. STABLE
• If you fail, states allow retakes (usually after a waiting period and another fee). STABLE

The volatile parts — all VERIFY

Everything quantitative about the exam is volatile. Do not memorize any of it from a study aid:

VERIFY — confirm before you rely on it

which vendor administers the exam in WA / CA / NY (PSI vs Pearson VUE vs Prometric) · source: each state regulator’s licensing page, then the named vendor’s site.

VERIFY — confirm before you rely on it

number of questions, time limit, and passing score for your line in your state · source: the vendor’s current candidate information bulletin / handbook for that state and line.

VERIFY — confirm before you rely on it

the exam fee, and the retake policy/fee · source: the vendor handbook + the state regulator.

VERIFY — confirm before you rely on it

the exact content-outline percentage weightings per topic · source: the vendor’s published examination content outline for your state+line.

VERIFY — confirm before you rely on it

whether the general and state portions are combined or scored separately · source: the vendor handbook.

How to study for it

1. Master the general core first — 04. It underlies every line and is the largest stable chunk.
2. Drill your line — P&C (05 + 06) or L&H (07 + 08).
3. Learn the state portion — 09 WA / 10 CA / 11 NY plus 12 Ethics & trade practices.
4. Take timed practice exams in the app: ../../app/run.sh --mode exam --track pc.

Note on the app

The app’s practice-exam mode deliberately uses curated items only so your practice score is trustworthy, and it never grades a VERIFY number as a recall fact (you can’t be “wrong” about a number this wiki refuses to assert). It tests the concepts you control, not the regulatory trivia you must look up. See app/USAGE.md.

Next

→ 03 Background check & fingerprints