Life Insurance Exam
Life insurance is no joke. You are truly working with people’s livelihoods and helping them to
prepare for the unexpected in the future. In order to be able to sell life insurance, you first have
to pass the exam to do so.
Of course, there are different types of exams and if you are selling a variable insurance policy,
you will also need a securities licensing. However, let’s focus in on the life insurance exam for
now.
Here are some quick tips to help you if you’re planning your life insurance exam.
1. Know the Requirements
Before you plan your exam, you should know and understand your own state’s requirements. It
is possible to be licensed in more than one state and each state might have different
requirements.
Different states will have different exams as well as exam requirements. They may also have
different continuing education requirements so that is something to keep in the back of your
mind as well.
The Department of Insurance within your state is the best resource for determining what your
requirements are so that you can plan accordingly.
2. Create a Study Plan
You’re going to need to devote some time to studying. You can take a prep course beforehand
to really cover the details of the licensing. Most test prep companies will give you a general idea
of how many hours you should plan to take coursework and study before taking your life
insurance exam.
If you think that you can just cram study the night before your exam, you will most likely be
disappointed by your results. It is typically recommended that you plan to study for a minimum
of 30 hours before testing. Some states even require a certain amount of study hours.
If you’re taking a course, these are almost like cramming but they will also have study resources
available to you outside of the class and will probably have a recommendation for studying
outside of class prior to testing as well.
The key here is you need time to study and you need to give yourself time to practice and really
take in the material. Your study track may look different than another tester’s but don’t try to
rush it.
3. State Exam Outline Details
Most state life insurance exams will have an outline that you can refer to. This outline has the
topics of the exam that you could possibly be tested on. You can use this as a resource for your
focused studying.
These outlines typically share what topics are included in the exams and may even break down
how they are weighted as well. This gives you a place to turn your focus so you know where you
may need to study more or less for the exam.
4. Calm and Focused
Finally, while you need to take time to study and prepare, you also need to find ways to calm
yourself and maintain your focus. Once you’ve studied and prepped and you have your exam
scheduled, teach yourself some calming techniques for the exam.
Be sure to rest the night before and eat a meal before you test as well. When you’re taking the
test, use deep breathing and focus to maintain a calm for the exam.
● Read the whole question every time, as well as every available answer
● Don’t leave questions blank, even if you are unsure
● If you aren’t sure of the answer right away, mark that question for review and move on.
You don’t want to spend too much time on the same question when it may bear little
weight.
If you’d like, please feel free to take a look at our class schedule to purchase or schedule your classes today!