Before Exam Day

Prep for the exam.  Our main online course offering provides all of our learning tools into one comprehensive package, which is designed to help you pass your Texas insurance exam the fastest and easiest way possible. Most students choose our recommended Full Texas Exam Prep Package. They select either the Property and Casualty Package or the Life and Health Package, depending on which Texas insurance exam they are prepping for. We also offer a less expensive Practice Questions Only Package, which contains our comprehensive 2000+ question test bank and Practice Questions PLUS Package, which combines our test bank with our famous Super Sheets, for last minute cramming. With our Texas packages, you will find both national exam prep material and Texas rules and regulations materials, so you should be fully prepared to pass your Texas insurance exam.

Once you have a target exam day, follow the details found in our handy guide All About Registering For and Taking The Texas Insurance Exam.

Register to have your fingerprints taken. You must get a reservation for fingerprinting before taking your test. For preregistration you can call 888-467-2080 or go here.

What Happens on Exam Day?

Pearson VUE requests that you be at the test center 30 minute prior to your scheduled exam.  (Texas has contracted with Pearson VUE to administer insurance licensing exams.) If it is convenient, we recommend that you visit the test center before the exam date so you can check out the parking, see where the test room is, locate the rest room, etc.  Be sure to allow for traffic problems on exam day.

  • In the event of bad weather or national emergencies,  the exam may be postponed.  For information regarding suspected test center closings, you may contact Pearson VUE at 888-754-7667.
  • Be well-rested;  take the night before the exam to relax and get a good night’s sleep.
  • Do not cram for the exam the night before or the morning of the exam.  You are using 180 Licensing’s materials so that you won’t have to cram, you will know the material! Don’t panic when, at the test center, you see unprepared students cramming at the last moment. (They did not take the 180 Licensing course!)
  • Be sure to eat something before the exam.  You will use a lot of energy in a short period of time.
  • Pearson VUE requires  two (2) forms of identification.  That identification document must: (1) be government-issued (like a driver’s license, state-issued identification card, or military identification card. (2) contain both a current photo and signature and (3) Have a name that exactly matches the name on the registration for the examination, including jr., III, etc.  Pearson VUE requests that you bring your exam confirmation number(s). You will need the confirmation number to schedule, reschedule, cancel and confirm your appointments.

When You Check-in:

After you arrive at the test center location,  the staff will confirm your scheduled appointment, a fingerprint technician will capture your digital fingerprints and digital photograph.

Note:  Prior to your test date, you should have scheduled your fingerprinting appointment by calling 888-467-2080 or go here.

After Check-in:

You will be seated at a computer.  The proctor will enter code numbers into your assigned computer and your exam will appear. Prior to beginning, you will have the opportunity to take a short computer tutorial, which does a nice job of showing how the exam operates. If you do not use computers regularly, plan on taking the brief tutorial.  This tutorial will show you how to click the answer boxes, move on to new questions, change answers, etc. The time spent on this tutorial will not reduce your allotted testing time whatsoever.

The nice thing about a computerized exam, other than instant test results, is that you can mark questions for later review.  So, you can come back to earlier questions as long as you have not left that test and started another one. (For example, if you are taking the Life and Health test, once you agree to leave the Life test, you cannot go back later). Just pay attention to the directions and warnings on the screen and you will do fine.

If you have any questions, be sure to ask the Pearson VUE proctors who are normally very helpful.

When the Proctor Seats You at the Computer:

You will like the computerized testing system.  It will allow you to skip questions, change answers, and mark questions for later review.  All of the questions are multiple choice with 4 options. Three formats are used:  Direct question, Incomplete sentence and  All of the following except.

When you are done with an exam section, you will be asked whether you wish to continue.  If you click on the YES box, that portion of the exam will be locked in and you won’t be able to revisit any of the questions. There will be a warning to that affect. So, just follow the instructions.

If you are taking more than one exam,  you will have to ask the proctor to enter more code numbers so that the next exam will appear.

Are You a Nervous Test Taker?

If so, you may find it helpful to read through a number of questions before marking any – at least not until you have relaxed a bit. Studies show that deep breathing exercises also help nervous test takers.

  • Be sure to take a mental break about every 30 questions.  Simply pausing to get up and stretch or, if needed, to take a rest room break is a great way to relax. Remember that you generally have considerably more time than you need on these exams
  • Read each question twice  in order to fully comprehend what it is asking before you look at the answers. Read each answer carefully and pay attention to key words such as all, except, every, always, never, and so on. The most common mistake students make is misreading the question.
  • Use the process of elimination:  Decide if the question is looking for an answer that is true or false (such as “All of the following are TRUE except,” where the examiners want the false answer, or “All of the following are False except”, where the examiners are looking for the true answer). Eliminate choices that are definitely wrong, and then select the answer that is the best. There is absolutely no penalty for guessing, so NEVER LEAVE A QUESTION UNANSWERED!
  • Do Not Get Frustrated: Relax!  If you have prepared, the correct answer will come to you.  If you cannot make a decision, leave the question unanswered, move on, and return to these questions after you have completed the rest of the test. Do not expect perfectly written questions. Mark the best answer even though you are convinced that the question is poorly written and the answers don’t really match the question.
  • Pace Yourself:  Do not spend too much time on each question. Work at a steady pace that will allow you to come back to the harder questions. Remember that you generally have considerably more time than you need on these exams. The computer will display a clock showing how much time is left on each exam.
  • Should you change an answer or is it best to go with your first guess?  Contrary to popular belief, studies show virtually no difference in scores – students who change an answer are no more or less likely to answer it correctly.
  • Don’t be alarmed by absurdly false answers.  Many of the false answers on exams are so convoluted that they simply make no sense whatsoever. Don’t assume that such answers are correct simply because you can’t understand them. Test writers refer to such answers as “convoluted distracters.”
  • Do not be alarmed if others leave the testing center before you.  People will be taking a wide variety of Texas exams; some may be much shorter than your exam.

When you are done, your score will appear on the screen.  Congratulations – You passed!

You will receive a printed score report. This report indicates your overall score and grade. It includes the percentage of questions answered correctly and whether you passed or failed.

Give the copy of your passing score to the licensing person at your place of employment.  They will usually  take care of the necessary paperwork to have your license issued by the Texas Department of Insurance. (You may be asked to apply online through Sircon, which Texas uses to take online applications.) Applicants who have passed the examination, submitted a complete application, and been approved by TDI, will be issued a license. The TDI is the final authority on licensing and, as mentioned, they have contracted with Sircon to electronically process your license application.

Do Any of Our Students Ever Fail?

Of course they do. Even if you are fully prepared, you can still have a bad day. And the exams are not easy since they require a mastery of entry level insurance information and practices. But, the way 180 Licensing courses are structured, it is easy to review the specific sections where help is needed to prepare to retake the missed section as soon as desired.