California Insurance License Practice Exam
Regulated by California Department of Insurance (CDI)
California licenses insurance agents and brokers through the California Department of Insurance, and the exams are given by PSI. Since January 1, 2026 the old 20-hour course for each line is gone; one 12-hour course on ethics and the California Insurance Code remains. Producer exams pass at 60 percent, and California law runs through the whole paper rather than sitting in a separate state section.
Which license are you taking?
- California Life and Health Practice TestLife, Accident and Health or SicknessThe combined California exam for the life and the accident and health or sickness licenses. 150 questions in three hours, with California law woven through the paper.150 questions · 180 minutes · 60 percent to pass
- California Property and Casualty Practice TestProperty and Casualty Broker-AgentOne 150-question exam that qualifies for both the Property Broker-Agent and Casualty Broker-Agent licenses. Three hours, with California law spread through the paper.150 questions · 180 minutes · 60 percent to pass
- California Life Only Practice TestLife-Only AgentLife insurance and annuities without the health lines. 75 questions in 90 minutes.75 questions · 90 minutes · 60 percent to pass
- California Accident and Health Practice TestAccident and Health or Sickness AgentHealth, disability and accident coverage without the life lines. 75 questions in 90 minutes.75 questions · 90 minutes · 60 percent to pass
- California Personal Lines Practice TestPersonal Lines Broker-AgentA narrower property and casualty license for auto, residential property and related personal coverage. 90 questions in two hours.90 questions · 120 minutes · 60 percent to pass
653 practice questions available for this state: 498 on national principles and 155 on California law.
Choosing a license
CDI offers five exams for the common selling licenses. Life, Accident and Health or Sickness is the combined life and health exam. Property and Casualty Broker-Agent is its counterpart on the property side. Life-Only Agent and Accident and Health or Sickness Agent are the two halves of the combined exam, and Personal Lines Broker-Agent is a narrower property and casualty license.
California does not issue a single property and casualty license. One 150-question exam qualifies you for two licenses, Property Broker-Agent and Casualty Broker-Agent. The property license covers loss or damage to property, and the casualty license covers liability for injury to others.
On the life side, the Insurance Code lets you meet the exam requirement for both the life and the accident and health or sickness licenses either with two separate exams or with one exam covering both (Insurance Code 1676).
| License | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Life, Accident and Health or Sickness | 150 | 180 minutes |
| Property and Casualty Broker-Agent | 150 | 180 minutes |
| Life-Only Agent | 75 | 90 minutes |
| Accident and Health or Sickness Agent | 75 | 90 minutes |
| Personal Lines Broker-Agent | 90 | 120 minutes |
The 12-hour ethics and code course
AB 943 took effect on January 1, 2026 and repealed the 20-hour prelicensing course that each line used to require for these producer licenses. What remains is a one-time, 12-hour course on ethics and the California Insurance Code, and one of those 12 hours must be on insurance fraud (Insurance Code 1749).
One course covers every license in the group, so a candidate applying for property, casualty and life at once completes it only once. The course must be completed before the license is issued. CDI sets the exact timing and approves the providers, so confirm the current rules with CDI before you book the exam.
The repeal did not reach every license. According to CDI, bail agents and public insurance adjusters still need 20 hours of prelicensing education. A prelicensing certificate expires three years after the course is completed, whether or not a license has been issued.
How the exam is given and scored
PSI administers the exams. You can sit one at a PSI test center, at the CDI examination site in Los Angeles, or online with remote proctoring through PSI.
The passing score on the producer exams is 60 percent. That is lower than the 70 percent Florida uses, but the California papers are long and state law is not confined to one section: licensing rules, unfair practices and line-specific California law come up throughout the general and product material.
A passing score does not last forever. The commissioner may issue a permanent license only if the exam was passed within the 12 months before the license is issued (Insurance Code 1676).
What California law the exams cover
Every exam tests licensing law and the Unfair Practices Article. Licensing law covers the commissioner, who is elected by the voters, the difference between an agent, a broker and a solicitor, appointments, background reporting, and the fiduciary handling of premium. The unfair practices questions cover misrepresentation, rebating, dealing with nonadmitted insurers, and the duties owed to buyers 65 or older.
The life and health exams add free look rules, including a period of at least 30 days for buyers 60 or older, the replacement rules for life insurance and annuities, Medicare supplement open enrollment and the birthday rule, and long-term care training. The property and casualty exams add Proposition 103, the Good Driver Discount, cancellation and nonrenewal rules for auto and residential property, the duty to offer earthquake coverage, the FAIR Plan and the California Earthquake Authority.
After you pass
An appointment must be on file before you act as an insurer's agent, and the insurer files it with the commissioner. Notices of appointment and termination are due within 15 days (Insurance Code 1704 and 1707). A license with no active appointment is not canceled, but it is inactive and cannot be used to transact insurance.
Once licensed, you must report background changes, including felony charges, in writing within 30 days of learning of them (Insurance Code 1729.2). Resident life and accident and health agents complete 24 hours of continuing education before each renewal, three of them in ethics (Insurance Code 1749.33). Agents who sell long-term care insurance have their own training hours on top (Insurance Code 10234.93). CDI publishes the current continuing education rules for each license.
Application, exam and fingerprint fees change, so check the current amounts with CDI and PSI rather than relying on a figure from a study guide.
Common questions
- Do I still need 20 hours of prelicensing education in California?
- Not for the property, casualty, personal lines, life or accident and health licenses. AB 943 repealed that requirement from January 1, 2026. You still need the one-time 12-hour course on ethics and the California Insurance Code, including one hour on insurance fraud.
- When do I have to finish the 12-hour course?
- Before the license is issued. CDI sets the exact timing, so check with CDI before you schedule the exam if you want to be sure of the order.
- What score do I need to pass?
- 60 percent on the producer exams. There is no separate California section to pass on its own; state law is spread through the whole exam.
- Can I take the exam online?
- Yes. PSI offers online remote proctoring for California insurance exams, alongside its test centers and the CDI examination site in Los Angeles.
- Is there one property and casualty license?
- No. California issues separate Property Broker-Agent and Casualty Broker-Agent licenses, but a single 150-question exam qualifies you for both.
- What does the application cost?
- CDI and PSI set the application, exam and fingerprint fees and change them from time to time. Check the current amounts on the CDI and PSI websites before you apply.
Guides
Fees and requirements change, and several states have run temporary fee adjustments. Confirm current figures with California Department of Insurance (CDI) before relying on anything here.