Life & Health Insurance License Exam Guides by State (2026)
Of the 16 states covered here, 8 require no pre-licensing education — you may sit for the exam as soon as you register: Texas, California, North Carolina, Arizona, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Virginia, Pennsylvania. The remaining 8 require pre-licensing education before you may sit: Florida, Illinois, New York, Georgia, Colorado, New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio. Every figure below was verified against that state’s official candidate handbook or statute.
Exam formats, fees, passing scores, retake rules and pre-licensing education requirements for U.S. state Life & Health licensing exams. Every figure was verified against that state’s official candidate handbook, vendor content outline or state statute, and each guide links its primary sources. Prep-site folklore is flagged where it disagrees with the official documents.
The national picture (NAIC 2024)
Nationwide, the overall first-attempt pass rate for state insurance licensing exams was 59.4% in 2024 (all lines).
First-attempt pass rates range from 45.4% (Massachusetts) to 75.7% (Illinois) — see each guide for its state’s figure and caveats.
State-by-state exam guides
Click a state for its full exam guide. Figures are for each state’s combined Life & Health line where one exists.
| State | Exam provider | Scored questions | Time limit | Passing score | Exam fee | Pre-licensing education | 2024 pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Pearson VUE | 130 | 150 min | Scaled 70 | $49 | No pre-licensing education required | 55.5% |
| California | PSI | 150 | 195 min | 60% (90 of 150) | $98 | Only 12h ethics course (AB 943) | 64.2% |
| Florida | Pearson VUE | 150 | 165 min | 70% | $44 | 60h pre-licensing course required | 57.0% |
| Illinois | Pearson VUE | 81 | 125 min | Scaled 70 | $92 | 20h per line, incl. 7.5h classroom | 75.7% |
| New York | PSI | 150 | 150 min | 70% | $40 | 20h/line (40h combined) — required BEFORE exam | 57.4% |
| Georgia | Pearson VUE | 125 | 150 min | 70% | $67 | 8h per line (cut from 20h in July 2025) | 61.6% |
| North Carolina | Pearson VUE | 55 | 75 min | Scaled 70 | $45 | No pre-licensing education (abolished Oct 2025) | 55.9% |
| Arizona | PSI Services LLC | 150 | 150 min | 70% | $59 | No pre-licensing education required | 52.9% |
| Tennessee | Pearson VUE | 68 | 105 min | Scaled 70/100 | $55 | No pre-licensing education (removed March 2023) | 70.6% |
| Massachusetts | Pearson VUE | 80 | Not published | Scaled 70/100 | $37 | No pre-licensing education required | 45.4% |
| Colorado | Pearson VUE | 80 | 120 min | Scaled score (value not published) | $41 | 50h per line — heaviest in the top 16 | 69.2% |
| Virginia | Prometric | 140 | 150 min | 70% (not officially published) | $35 | No pre-licensing education required | 60.1% |
| New Jersey | PSI | 83 | 210 min | 70% | $47 | 20h per line (40h combined) | 58.3% |
| Pennsylvania | PSI | 150 | 170 min | 70% | $53 | No pre-licensing education (abolished April 29, 2025) | 58.6% |
| Michigan | PSI | 150 | 150 min | 75% | $41 | 20h per line (40h combined) | 51.4% |
| Ohio | PSI | 150 | 150 min | 70% | $49 | 20h per line (combined L&H = 40h total) | 61.5% |
Pass rates cover all insurance lines reported by each state in 2024. Arizona, Massachusetts, Michigan and Ohio have recently changed exam vendors or dropped remote proctoring — see the individual guides before you book. Figures verified ; each guide lists its own verification date and primary sources.
States with no pre-licensing education requirement
In these states there is no mandatory course and no education certificate to present at the test center — self-study with a question bank is the only preparation path.
“No pre-licensing education” here means no course is required before you sit for the exam. A few states in this group still require a short course before the license is issued — California, for example, requires a 12-hour Ethics & California Insurance Code course after AB 943, but you may take the exam first.
- Texas
- 130 scored questions · 150 min · fee $49 · 55.5% first-attempt pass rate
- California
- 150 scored questions · 195 min · fee $98 · 64.2% first-attempt pass rate
- North Carolina
- 55 scored questions · 75 min · fee $45 · 55.9% first-attempt pass rate
- Arizona
- 150 scored questions · 150 min · fee $59 · 52.9% first-attempt pass rate
- Tennessee
- 68 scored questions · 105 min · fee $55 · 70.6% first-attempt pass rate
- Massachusetts
- 80 scored questions · fee $37 · 45.4% first-attempt pass rate
- Virginia
- 140 scored questions · 150 min · fee $35 · 60.1% first-attempt pass rate
- Pennsylvania
- 150 scored questions · 170 min · fee $53 · 58.6% first-attempt pass rate
Roughly 70–80% of every state’s exam is national content
Policy types, contract law, annuities, tax treatment, Medicare, PPACA, LTC — the national core is the same layer in every state’s exam, and our question bank covers it completely: every question free with a 3-part explanation, no account required. State-law drills for all 16 states below are live too.
PassSprint is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with any state insurance department, PSI Services LLC, Pearson VUE or Prometric. Always confirm current requirements in your state’s official candidate handbook before scheduling.