How to pass the Washington State Insurance Licensing Exam

Preparing for Washington insurance licensing exam

Are you considering getting an insurance license in the state of Washington? If you are, then you probably have a lot of questions about where to go, who to talk to and what to do. Fortunately, America’s Professor has pulled together all  of our knowledge and resources to create one comprehensive site with the answers you require. Below you will find sample questions, basics of test format and scoring, pricing, testing locations, how to fully prepare yourself for the exam and more!

We’re here to help you succeed and that means providing you with the best information available. Our courses offer preparation for all types of state insurance licensing exams and they are available to you at the click of a mouse. Read on and enroll today!

 

 

What kind of questions do they put on the Washington insurance test?

All of the Washington insurance exam questions are multiple choice. There are no fill-ins (no need to memorize) and no essay (no need to be ready to explain anything) questions.

For example:

questions for washington

A multiple choice test will usually test heavily on definitions (terminology) and numbers (dollar amounts and number of days).

The exam is drawn from a large pool of questions – you will have a different set of questions than the person sitting next to you. If you retake the exam, expect to see very few of the questions repeated on the next exam. Students report that the exams vary greatly in terms of the number of questions on any given topic.

Students report that about 1/3 of the questions are terminology (definitional) questions, 1/3 are number/day questions, and 1/3 are questions where you have to apply the knowledge to reason through a practical situation (story problems – usually short).

What score do I need to pass the Washington insurance exam?

There are 4 basic exams given in most states – Life, Disability (Health), Property, and Casualty. In some states, the exams are combined (Property & Casualty). Some states, including Washington, have a Personal Lines exam for agents selling only homeowner or auto insurance.

Washington requires a score of 70 to pass each exam. The exam consists of a mix of both national and state questions. You will receive a score report immediately after completing the exam indicating whether you passed or failed. If you pass you’ll receive a letter that provides you with a performance summary. Note that it will not provide detailed information about which questions you answered correctly or incorrectly.

Test takers who fail part of a combination exam (05 or 06) are required to retake only the part they failed (General section or State section). However, if one part is failed, candidates must retake the combination exam in order to receive credit for the passed section.

Are questions grouped by category?

Our students always want to know if the questions regarding indemnification (for example) are grouped together. No, questions and topics are randomly scrambled, but that never seems to be a problem for anyone.

What insurance exams are given in Washington and what do they cost?

Reimbursement of Washington State Exam Fees for Veterans

The WA State insurance exams have recently been approved for qualifying veterans to receive reimbursement of their exam fees. To determine if you are eligible, and for any questions about the reimbursement program, please go to https://gibill.custhelp.va.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/39 or call 1-888-442-4551, or for the hearing impaired call 1-800-829-4833.

Where can I take the Washington insurance exam?

Below is a list of testing centers at the time this page was updated. Be sure to check for updates!

Arlington
18810 59th Dr NE, Bldg 44A
Arlington, WA 98223
From Interstate 5 take the WA-531/172nd St NE exit, exit 206. Go East on 172nd St NE. Turn left on 59th Ave NE. Turn left on 188th St NE. The test site will be straight ahead. It is a 2 story grey building that says Arlington Flight Services on it.

Everett
1010 S.E. Everett Mall Way, Suite 208
Everett, WA 98208
North on I-5, take Exit 189 (WA-526 W/WA-527 N to Mukilteo/Whidbey Is. Ferry/Broadway/Everett Mall Way).
Bear right to WA-526 W / WA-527 N. You will see a sign reading “WA-527 N to Broadway/Everett Mall Way”.
At light, turn left on Bothell-Everett Hwy (SR-527) and go north for .5 mile to light at Broadway – get into left turn lane.
Turn left onto Broadway which then becomes SE Everett Mall Way.
Go approx .8; just past light at West Mall Dr get into middle left/right turn lane and turn left immediately before the Chevron gas station; proceed down lane approx. one block to 1010 behind the gas station.

South on I-5, take Exit 189 WA-526 W to Mukilteo/Whidbey Is.
Ferry/Everett Mall Way – keep to the left. You will see a sign reading “to Everett Mall Way”.
Take ramp to right to light at Everett Mall Way.
Proceed through light onto SE Everett Mall Way (stay in left lane).
Go approx .8; just past light at West Mall Dr get into middle left/right turn lane and turn left immediately before the Chevron gas station; proceed down lane approx. one block to 1010 behind the gas station.

Ellensburg – Central Washington University
(Fingerprinting is not available at this site)
400 E University Way
Bouillon Hall- RM 125
Ellensburg, WA 98926
From East: merge onto I-90 W toward Seattle.
Take Canyon Rd Exit, Exit 109, toward Ellensburg.
Turn right on Canyon Rd.
Turn right onto University Way.
Turn left on Chestnut St.
Take the next right *SEE BELOW.

From South: merge onto I-82 W/ US-97 N toward Ellensburg.
Merge onto I-90W/US-97 N via Exit on the left toward Seattle.
Turn right on Canyon Rd.
Turn right onto University Way.
Turn left on Chestnut St.
Take the next right *SEE BELOW.

From West: merge onto I-90 E.
Take Canyon Rd Exit, Exit 109, toward Ellensburg.
Turn right onto Canyon Rd.
Turn right onto University Way.
Turn left on Chestnut St.
Take the next right* SEE BELOW.

From North: take US-97 S ramp toward I-90/ Ellensburg/Seattle.
Us-97/WA-10 becomes Old Hwy 10.
Turn right onto Reecer Creek Rd.
Turn left onto Cascade Way/Univ Way.
Turn left onto Chestnut St.
Take the next right.

*2nd parking lot is visitors parking lot. Bouillon Hall is 2nd building to the North from the corner of University Way & Chestnut St. Walk in front door of Bouillon Hall & testing center is directly across the lobby.

Olympia
3435 Martin Way E, Suite I
Olympia, WA 98501
From I-5 South, take exit 108B for Martin Way, toward Sleater-Kinney Road North.
Make a right onto Martin Way and follow that straight for a little over one mile.
The test center will be on your left (soon after passing the 7/11) and there is no turn lane, though you can turn from the main lane of traffic.

From I-5 North, take exit 108B for Martin Way, toward Sleater-Kinney Road North.
Make a left onto Martin Way and follow that straight for a little over one mile.
The test center will be on your left (soon after passing the 7/11) and there is no turn lane, though you can turn from the main lane of traffic.

Federal Way (Seattle)
500 South 336th St., Suite 220
Federal Way, WA 98003
From I-5 to 320th street.
Turn left on International (Pacific Hway) (99).
Turn right on 336th and pull in the 500 building parking lot.

Richland – Vivid Learning Systems Inc
2345 Stevens Drive Room #379
Richland, WA 99354
Going East/West on I-182 to Richland/Pasco take Exit 4 SR 240.
Go North on SR 240 Bypass Hwy for 4.3 miles.
Once you get to the 4 way intersection of SR 240 continue straight thru the light and the road now becomes Stevens Drive.
Turn Left on Snyder after the light at the Conoco station and then right after the Blue Port of Benton Manufacturing Mall sign.
Park in the parking lot. At the top of the outside of the building there will be an orange and light blue Vivid Learning Systems sign.
Use the elevator or stairs at the South end of the building. Proceed to Vivid Learning Systems Training Center in Room 379. The door will be on your right.

Seattle (Bellevue)
Newport Place
4122 Factoria Blvd. S.E, Suite 303
Bellevue, WA 98006
From I-405 – Exit 10 for Coal Creek Parkway towards Factoria.
Turn left onto 128th Ave SE/Factoria Blvd SE. The test center will be on the right.

From 1-90 E – Take Exit 10B.
Turn Right onto 128th Ave SE/Factoria Blvd SE.
Make a U-turn at SE 41st Pl. The test center will be on the right.

Spokane
920 N Argonne Road, Suite 202
Spokane Valley, WA 99212
From I-90 E – Take exit 287 for Argonne Rd. Turn right onto Argonne
Rd. After about ½ mile the building will be on the left. If you reach
Broadway Ave, you’ve gone too far.

From I-90 W – Take exit 287 for Argonne Rd. Turn left onto Argonne
Rd. After about ½ mile the building will be on the left. If you reach
Broadway Ave, you’ve gone too far.

Tacoma
Tacoma Community College Testing Center
6501 S 19th St, Building 6
Tacoma, WA 98466
From North or South I-5 take Exit 132 (Bremerton/HWY 16).
Follow HWY 16 to the South 19th Street (West) – Orchard Street (South) Exit.
Turn right at Orchard Street.
Turn right at 19th Street and travel approximately 1.5 miles.
Turn right at Mildred Street. TCC is on the 
right.

Vancouver
9013 N.E. Highway 99, Suite F
Vancouver, WA 98665
From the South: merge onto I-5 N toward Seattle.
Take the NE 78th St exit 4. Keep right at the fork to go on NE 78th St.
Turn left onto NE Hgwy 99.

From the East: turn onto NE Padden Pkwy W (Padden Pkwy becomes NE
78TH ST). Turn right onto NE Highway 99.

Coming from the North: merge onto I-5 South.
Take the NE 99TH St exit 5.
Keep left at the fork in the ramp. Turn left onto NE 99th St.
Turn right on NE Highway 99.
Center is located in the first building, Suite F

Yakima
3611 River Rd Suite 120
Yakima, WA 98902
Going South on N 16th Ave, turn left on Fruitvale Blvd. Turn left onto River Road.

Additionally, PSI has examination centers in many other regions across the United States. You may take this examination at any of these locations. Once you have paid for the examination, enter your zip code and a list of the testing sites closest to you will appear. You must be fingerprinted at a WA PSI examination center or WA IDEMIA–IdentoGo Center.

What are the Washington Fingerprinting Requirements?

Washington state requires resident applicants to submit their fingerprints electronically for a background check. Non-resident applicants do not have any fingerprint requirements. A license will not be issued until the state receives the results of the background check.

PSI subcontracts fingerprint services to IDEMIA. Candidates must make a fingerprint reservation with IDEMIA no later than one (1) business day prior to the desired examination date. Candidates
must either schedule their appointment online at www.Identogo.com or contact IDEMIA at 888-771-5097. An IDEMIA Registration ID number will be provided at the end of the appointment scheduling process and should be made available to the proctor on the exam date, if requested. A fee of $48.25 must be paid by credit card, eCheck or company billing account to IDEMIA at the time of appointment scheduling. This payment includes the WA State Patrol processing fee of $28.25, and the PSI fingerprint processing fee of $20.00. Payments will not be accepted on-site.

If a Candidate waits too long to schedule an appointment there may not be an available slot on the same day as their examination. In that case, Candidates should select an appointment slot for a later date. Upon arrival at the test site, the Candidate should notify the proctor that a fingerprint reservation was made for a future date and share the IDEMIA Registration ID number (required).

The following information is required by the OIC, State Patrol & Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and must be provided at the time of the fingerprint reservation:

  • Full Legal Name
  • Height
  • Ethnicity
  • Full Current Address
  • Weigh
  • Place of Birth
  • Date of Birth
  • Hair Color
  • Citizenship
  • Gender
  • Eye Color
  • Social Security Number

IDEMIA will contact you via email with directions if your fingerprints have been rejected and a new appointment is required. Please be sure to provide a valid email address when
making your initial reservation.

How do I sign up to take the Washington insurance exam?

We recommend that you call PSI Exams (the testing company) at 1-800-733-9267. Be sure to call at least 3 days in advance of the date you plan to take the exam. The earlier you sign up, the better your chances of getting the test date of your choice.

What are the pre-licensing education requirements in Washington?

Each test taker must complete an approved course consisting of at least twenty (20) hours of instruction for each line of insurance (life, disability, property, personal lines or casualty) for which an examination is being taken. Make sure to take all certificates earned to the testing center when going in for examination!

UPDATE: As of Monday, July 24, 2023, Washington State will no longer require certificates of completion in order to test or apply for a license. They have effectively removed the pre-licensing education (PLE) requirement for producers. If you are testing before then, you will need a certificate of completion. If you plan on testing after July 24th, feel free to toss your study log!

Which Washington insurance test is the toughest?

Each insurance licensing exam presents its own challenge. Between Life and Disability (Health), students say that the Washington Disability (Health) insurance exam is the more difficult. Disability (Health) insurance policies are simply more complicated than life insurance policies.

The Property insurance exam is easier than the Casualty insurance exam. Property insurance deals with easy to understand issues – fire, flooding, earthquake, etc. On the other hand, Casualty insurance deals primarily with Liability insurance – protection against lawsuits. Casualty insurance is a more conceptual topic and one that is more difficult for students to grasp – particularly if you have never been sued.

The state portion of the Washington insurance exam is very detailed and presents its own challenges. The state topics tend to cover trivial details relating to complicated state regulations. None of this is easy, but that is why we work so hard to make the material both understandable and memorable.

This is a challenging exam. Put yourself on a strict schedule as you do your exam prep work. Be focused and disciplined as you do your insurance test prep.

Will I have adequate time to complete the Washington insurance test?

Yes. We have never had students say that they ran out of time to complete the exam. Most students finish in about half of the allotted time (up to 2 hours). The only students who ever report that they ran out of time were those who were trying to memorize questions in the event they had to repeat the exam.

Is the Washington insurance exam still given by the “paper and pencil” method?

No, this is a computerized exam. Virtually all of the students say the proctors were helpful, the room was quiet, and the computer worked well. The proctors will give you the opportunity to complete a practice exam to learn how to use the system. When you are done, you will NOT be given a copy of the exam, nor will you be given the opportunity to review particular questions and their answers. The exam will be scored immediately and you will know your results when you leave.

What is the best test prep method for the Washington insurance exam?

There is no alternative to knowing the material. There are no shortcuts to learning but there are more effective and less frustrating ways to learn. We recommend that you follow a 4-step process:

  • watch and listen to the lecture;
  • highlight key concepts in the text;
  • review questions in the test bank; and
  • send AP an email if you have any questions.
video courses online sample questions
Washington Online Video Courses Washington Sample Practice Exams

 

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Nathan
Nathan
5 years ago

I just took this exam on 11/27/18. It was the hardest exam I’ve taken. The questions on the state exam were nowhere near what I was asked on the examfx website. The state exam was close to the guarantee exam on the website. I wasn’t asked ANY basic insurance questions. The questions were not grouped together and they asked them in a way that didn’t make any sense. Like, “what is not an exclusion for an HO-2 policy?” Not an exclusion? Holy double negative Batman. I can pass the practice questions and exams on the online website, but the actual… Read more »

America's Professor - DCM
America's Professor - DCM
5 years ago
Reply to  Nathan

Hello Nathan, First of all CONGRATS on passing your exam! It is a very tricky exam and I do agree that it is not worded very friendly. I can not speak to the EXAMFX content but I know that it is also a challenge for us to teach the double negatives but we do let students know they are coming. 😉 Thanks for leaving your experience here for other students to read. Good luck to you in your insurance career!

Aini
Aini
2 years ago
Reply to  Nathan

Exactly the same problem. I took it last Monday it was so weird questions.

America's Professor - DCM
America's Professor - DCM
2 years ago
Reply to  Aini

That is why it is so very important to know the content being taught in the course inside and out. All PLE Providers are required to teach the content off the state of Washington’s test content outline in order to be an approved provider. The Test Provider can have such tricky questions, not to mention the practice questions that don’t count towards your score! Hopefully you knew the content well enough to pass. 🙂 Have a great day!

heba
heba
6 months ago
Reply to  Nathan

and what is the answer? im studying to my exam and i failed the first one iam also second language

Christopher Romans
Christopher Romans
6 years ago

Christopher Romans
I’m thinking about a enrolling for life insurance sales. If I take the coarse, pass the state test for life insurance do I apply for a job with a insurances company or a private insurance broker?
would this be a full-time career or a part time job?

I’m interested in this area and appreciate your time

America's Professor - DCM
America's Professor - DCM
6 years ago

Hello Christopher, Most people will look for jobs first and then kind of know the path they are going down and what licenses are required (most get Life and Health (Disability) and/or Property and Casualty). But yes, if you were to get your license you could then go to work for anyone hiring, captive or independent. Usually these are full-time positions. Different companies have different compensation options too (all commission, part commission + salary/hourly, etc.) so be sure to keep that in the back of your mind. Give us a call if you have any other questions. Thanks and have… Read more »

Taylor
Taylor
6 years ago

Hi I’m looking into getting my car insurance sales license can someone lead me in the righ direction

America's Professor - DCM
America's Professor - DCM
6 years ago
Reply to  Taylor

Hi Taylor, You will want to start by taking an Approved Washington Property and Casualty course (home and auto insurance), pass your insurance license exam with PSI and then apply for your license. Please let us know if you have any other questions but starting with an approved course is your first step. Thanks!

dee
dee
6 years ago

Im looking to get into auto claims what direction would be best for me?

America's Professor - DCM
America's Professor - DCM
6 years ago
Reply to  dee

Hello Dee, I know that Washington State is working on changing some of their Adjuster licensing rules as right now they are very restrictive, to the point that it’s nearly impossible to get started in the industry as an Independent Adjuster. You are best off to call the licensing department (360-725-7144) to see what your best option is. Good luck!

dee
dee
6 years ago

Same advice if I’m just looking to build my resume to be in that direction? Any general classes I could take? Ill call them soon, thank you for the number.

America's Professor - DCM
America's Professor - DCM
6 years ago
Reply to  dee

In most states a Property & Casualty course would prepare you for the Insurance Producer Exam or an Adjuster Exam but that’s not the case in Washington. I think if you are getting into Adjusting my first call would be the the licensing department. Good luck!

Michelle Thorson
Michelle Thorson
3 years ago

Hi, I want to get my license in finale expense so, do I enroll in life and disability?

America's Professor - DCM
America's Professor - DCM
3 years ago

Hello Michelle, For Final Expense you will only need a Life license. Here’s a link to our Washington Life Producer course. Please let us know if you need anything else.

Rebecca K Smith
Rebecca K Smith
2 years ago

So, I’m looking at changing careers. Do I need to have to be employed by an insurance company before I can sign up for the courses and testing? Or can I do the course work and then test, and then look for a company?

America's Professor - DCM
America's Professor - DCM
2 years ago

Hello Rebecca, You can sign up for courses (PC and/or LH) and take your exam, and get licensed before being employed by an insurance company. Good luck!

Peter John Ignacio
Peter John Ignacio
2 years ago

I took my exam just 3 days ago, and I passed on first try. The exam is pretty much if not all, majority of the questions I got are taught by the course. But some topics that mention of the course that is not important was seen on my test questions. So my advise is just read all the information taken on the book. And I believed that you should review all the course and take the exam right away. Planning to take some other courses again like C&P license to AP. Goodluck everyone

America's Professor - DCM
America's Professor - DCM
2 years ago

Congrats on passing your exam, Peter! Great points. Always expect to see some unfamiliar items on your exam as the test company is always testing new questions (trial questions that don’t count). If you come across something you want to point out to us, please let us know. Thanks for being a great student.

greg
greg
9 months ago

How many times can I take the test if I fail

Jene Bautista
Jene Bautista
6 months ago

I have taken the test 2 x and just like the previous comment I felt like the questions were nowhere near what I was asked in the Intellipass website I used to study, so here I am looking for another type of study material I don’t want to fail a 3rd time it would devastate me!!