All About Registering For and Taking the Texas Insurance Exam

What is the Texas Insurance Exam Like?

Texas has contracted with Pearson VUE, a testing service, to administer the Texas insurance exams. The Texas 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. Three different multiple-choice formats are used. These include “direct question”, “incomplete question”, and “all of the following except.”
• 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 Learning Center to master the math problems.) No reference materials, papers, or study materials are allowed while taking the exam. A calculator or slide rule is allowed and must be battery powered, solar powered, quiet and paperless. Calculators may be available at the test center. 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. (Please review our Numbers Super Sheet found in your course materials to master the important numbers tested on the exam.) 180 Licensing has designed its courses with this same balance in mind.

Texas Insurance Exam Details

You will take your exam on a computer, with your test results provided immediately afterwards. Your score will be shown on the screen and you will also receive a printed score report.

Minimum Passing Score.  Texas requires that you receive a 70 or higher score to pass the exam. Your overall score and grade is shown on the score report including the numerical percentage of questions answered correctly and if you passed or failed. Section percentages will not average to total percentage score because of the way questions are allocated to different sections. 180 Licensing takes this into account when preparing you for the exam.

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 to apply for and receive your insurance license from the Texas Department of Insurance. (For more information about obtaining your license, see our article Steps to Getting Your Texas Insurance License.)

Where is the Texas Insurance Exam Given?

When you register with Pearson VUE, you will be asked to specify a test center location. You may also be able to be certified with OnVUE to test from your home or office.

If certified, you can take your Texas insurance exam conveniently from home through OnVUE online proctoring. A live proctor will monitor you through the webcam on your workstation to provide a secure exam experience.

Testing at a Test Center:  There are 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 Pearson VUE Test Center locator, go here.

• Reference to The Candidate Handbook.  You can also find the list of test locations by viewing Pearson VUE’s Texas Candidate Handbook, here.

Test Locations in Texas.  Although they may be changed from time to time, the usual testing locations are:

Abilene, Arlington, Austin, Beaumont, Bedford, Bridgeport, Cleburne, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Driftwood, El Paso, Forest Hill, Fort Worth, Glen Rose, Harker Heights, Houston, Hurst, Keene, Killeen, Kerrville, Lubbock, McAllen, Midland, Round Rock, San Angelo, San Antonio, Temple, Tyler, Waco, Weatherford, and Wichita Falls

Note:  Keep in mind it may be possible to take the Texas insurance exams in other parts of the country. Pearson VUE’s Texas Candidate Handbook lists those alternative locations, go here.

How Often is the Texas Insurance Exam Given?

In Texas, the exam times are subject to change. For the most current information, call Pearson VUE at 888-754-7667.

How Do I Register For the Texas Insurance Exam?

If you have any disabilities that require special attention, be sure to contact Pearson VUE 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.  To schedule a test with Pearson VUE, you can register online, register by phone, or register by mail. However, be sure to register well ahead of time to ensure that the location and date you prefer are available. The fee for taking the exam varies depending on the exam. Online registration is the preferred method.
• Exam Registration:  888-754-7667
• Exam Registration:  Online
• Register for Fingerprinting.  Texas requires that you be fingerprinted and undergo a U.S. Department of Justice background check. Make sure to register for fingerprinting with IndentoGO By MorphoTrust, USA. Schedule the fingerprinting at any of the locations across the state of Texas. If you already have been fingerprinted in the past life, ask whether those prints will work. Often, they will not work, especially if they are the old ink and paper, instead of the new digital fingerprints. Contact IndentoGO By MorphoTrust USA at 888-467-2080 or go here.
• Change a Scheduled Exam Date.  Keep in mind that if you need to change your testing time or date, Pearson VUE may cancel your existing testing time before they can see if other time slots are available. Students who call to explore the option of selecting a different exam date may risk losing the first exam date. Always ask the exam company’s customer service person whether you risk losing your slot if you reopen you registration. Be careful! You must call Pearson VUE at least three full business days in advance to change your reservation. If notice in not given within this time, you will forfeit your fee! Exam registration fees are not refundable or transferable. A registration is valid for 90 calendar days after it has been processed.

When Should I Schedule My Texas Insurance Exam?

180 Licensing recommends taking the Pearson VUE insurance exam as soon as possible after completing our prelicensing course. We recommend that you plan to contact Pearson VUE at least three weeks prior to completing our 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.

Is the Texas Insurance Exam available in any Other Language?

Alternative Language Exams.  In Texas, the exam is available in English and Spanish. Please contact Pearson VUE at 888-754-7667 as soon as possible to inquire about an alternative language exam. If you want to take the exam in Spanish, you should request this at the time you register. If English is not your primary language, you may request an ESL (English as a Second Language) Authorization to allow more time for the test. You should not schedule your examination until you receive your approval.

Which Texas Insurance Exam will I take?

*For a complete list of license types, visit the Pearson VUE Website and review the Candidate Handbook, go here.

Note:  You may request to take one or more exams during the same testing session, except for those exams which must be taken individually.

How can I get the Texas Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook from the Testing Company?

The bulletin created by the testing company includes much more detail than we have provided here. We wanted to highlight the most often asked issues given our 20 years’ experience dealing with students signing up for the exam. To view the complete Insurance License Candidate Handbook, go here.

What is the Pearson VUE’s Test Content Outline?

The Texas Insurance Exam is based on a Test Content Outline created by Texas Department of Insurance and Pearson VUE. To view, go here. 180 Licensing designs its courses to very closely match this content outline.

The content outline itself does not describe the details of the test topics, but rather sets forth the general concepts to be covered and makes reference to the sections of laws and regulations applicable to a broad topic. Because the content outline itself does not give much detailed subject matter information, you may not find the content outline to be very useful in your test preparation, unless you do the necessary research to fill in the details yourself. 180 Licensing has dissected the content outline, piece by piece, researched all of the state laws referenced in the outline, and created an understandable, highly effective course based on the topics found in the outline. And, we constantly monitor the Test Content Outline for changes, and adjust our materials accordingly.

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

If you fail the exam you can retake it. In Texas, if you do not pass the examination, you must re-register and reschedule the examination. You must also pay another registration fee. There is no limit to how many times you may take an examination.