All About Registering For and Taking the Idaho Insurance Exam

What is the Idaho Insurance Exam Like?

Idaho has contracted with PSI, a testing center, to administer the Idaho insurance exams. The Idaho insurance licensing exam will test your knowledge and understanding of broad insurance concepts. The exam is also designed to challenge your reading comprehension, product knowledge, and test-taking skills.

The following are key points about the exam format:  

• Multiple Choice Questions.  All examination questions are multiple-choice with 4 possible answers. The typical question is short – usually just one sentence followed by 4 answer choices. Although there are short “story” problems on the exam, even those are quite brief. Even though the trend among many test writers is for longer questions, you will be surprised by how short the questions are.
• Very Few Math Problems.  There are very few math questions and the math problems on the exam are very straightforward. Basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills are all the math skills required. (Please review our Math Problems Super Sheet found in your online course materials to master the math problems.) The testing company allows calculators while taking the exam if they are hand-held, battery operated, non-programmable, numeric keypad models, but MUST NOT contain alpha characters. 180 Licensing will provide you with sample math problems so there will be no surprises at exam time.
• Read Key Words Carefully.  Test questions are not designed to mislead. However, just like any other exam questions, misreading the questions will impact your score. Words such as ALL, NONE, EXCEPT are often used and, if misread, can dramatically impact your score.
• Question Types.  About 80 percent of exam questions cover conceptual knowledge, while the remaining 20 percent cover specific facts, such as number of days, dollar amounts, etc.

Idaho Insurance Exam Details

You will take your exam on a computer, with your test results provided immediately afterwards. If you pass, you will not be given an actual score; if you fail, you will be given your actual score.

Minimum Passing Score.  Idaho requires that you receive a 70 or higher score to pass the exam.  In our experience, this score is difficult to interpret because the passing score is curved and questions have different weight values. So there is really no way to know exactly how many questions you have missed with any particular score. Our experience has shown that most students who do have trouble on the exam receive a score within 5 points of passing. The problem of course is that missing a passing score by 5 points does not tell you how many questions you actually missed. And, you don’t know which particular questions you missed either.

Passing the Exam Does Not Equal a License.  Passing the insurance exam does not automatically mean that you receive an insurance license. You must work with your employer in order to apply for and receive your insurance license from the Idaho Department of Insurance. (For more information about obtaining your license, see our article Steps to Getting Your Idaho Insurance License.)

Where is the Idaho Insurance Exam Given?

When you register with PSI, you will be asked to specify a test center location. Several ways to find a location include:

Online Test Locator.  To find a test center that is most convenient for you by using the online PSI Test Center locator, here.

Reference to The Candidate Handbook.  You can also find the list of test locations by viewing the PSI Idaho Insurance Candidate Handbook, here.

Test Locations in Idaho.  Although they may be changed from time to time, the usual testing locations are:
Boise, Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Twin Falls, and Spokane (fingerprinting at Spokane location is currently not available)

Keep in mind it may be possible to take the Idaho insurance exams in other parts of the country. If you need to take the exam from a location that is not listed, ask the PSI customer service when you call to register or choose a location that is available from PSI’s online registration system.

How Do I Register For the Idaho Insurance Exam?

If you have any disabilities that require special attention, be sure to contact PSI well ahead of time to make special arrangements. When signing up for your specific exam date, keep in mind that examination time slots may fill up quickly.

• Schedule Your Exam. Use the links below to schedule and register for your exam. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to ensure the location and date you prefer are available. We recommend scheduling you exam at least one week in advance.
• Exam Registration Phone Number:  855-807-3999
• Exam Registration:  Website
• Register for Fingerprinting.  Idaho requires that you be fingerprinted at a PSI test center and undergo a U.S. Department of Justice background check. Make sure to be fingerprinted at the location where you are testing if it is available at that location. You cannot register for fingerprinting and fingerprinting is done on a first come first served basis.
• Change a Scheduled Exam Date.  Keep in mind that if you need to change your testing time or date, PSI will sometimes cancel your existing testing time before they can see if other time slots are available. Reschedule as soon as possible in order to avoid forfeiting your registration fee. Visit the online registration page to view/edit your appointment.

When Should I Schedule My Idaho Insurance Exam?

We recommend that you plan to contact PSI at least three weeks prior to completing your exam prep course. That will allow you to predict when you will complete the course and also give you the opportunity to pick an exam date that falls soon after finishing the course.  If you take the exam too long after completing the course, it becomes more difficult to remember the details.

Which Idaho Insurance Exam Will I Take?

The most common types of licenses and related exam names or numbers for Idaho are listed below, along with the number of questions and the time allotted for each exam. Students report to us that they normally complete their exams with time left over. But, be sure to watch the clock on your test computer to keep track of the remaining time on each exam.  And, if you have any doubt as to which exam you need, your employer is the best person to ask.

*For a complete list of license types, visit the PSI Exams Website and review the Candidate Information Bulletin. Go here.

What if I Fail the Test? Can I Retake It?

Yes. Each state has a different rule on this and the rules change from time to time. The best source to find the answer is from the testing service’s handbook (see below).

Where can I Find Additional Information about Idaho’s Licensing Exam?

Find the current answers to many of your questions from the Idaho’s Insurance Licensing Candidate Information Bulletin here.

Disclaimer:  180 Licensing Exam Prep, Inc. makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, information is subject to change. The final authority for the latest insurance licensing information is your state’s department of insurance.

Must Read:  Our National online, self-paced, exam prep courses offered in Idaho contain national insurance and general state law rules, but do not contain your exam’s specific state law content (about 15-20% of your exam). You must supplement our materials with your state’s specific state law rules. You may have access to such materials from your recruiter or another source. If not, we may be able to assist you in finding such materials. Our National courses are designed by award winning Professor Jerry Furniss and are excellent for getting you over the exam finish line the fastest and easiest way possible. Go here for more information.