How To Get Your Virginia Insurance License
Looking for the BEST Virginia course available to pass your insurance license exam?
Getting your license is the first step to becoming an insurance agent in Virginia.
Whether your goal is to sell property and casualty insurance, life insurance, health insurance, or a combination of these lines, we’ve compiled the information you need to get started.
Why Get Licensed in Virginia for Insurance?
Virginia has a diverse economy, and its robust government sector directly employs more than 700,000 people. The state is home to the Pentagon and other large federal agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and the National Science Foundation. Dozens of Fortunes 500 and Fortune 1000 firms are also headquartered in the state.
Virginia’s median household income is $72,600—the 11th highest in the nation—and the wider Northern Virginia region is among the highest-income regions in the country.
With its robust military, service, and technology sectors, the state attracts workers from all over the country. Those workers need insurance products, and that means opportunity for insurance agents.
Whether you’re just starting out in the insurance industry, or your goal is to sell additional lines of authority, it’s a great time to get an insurance license. The job market is booming for insurance agents, and Virginia’s economy is on the upswing from the Covid-19 recession.
Here’s what you need to know about getting your Virginia insurance license.
Step 1: Decide which Virginia insurance license you need.
Your first step is choosing which license you need. Most new insurance agents get either a Property & Casualty (P&C) license or a Life & Health (L&H) license.
With a P&C license you can sell products like auto and homeowner’s insurance. With a L&H license you can sell life insurance, health insurance, annuities, and other insurance products.
Many insurance agents opt to get P&C and L&H licenses. But if you plan to specialize in one area (such as auto insurance sales), it may not be worth the trouble of getting additional licenses beyond what you need for your job.
Step 2: Study for the Virginia insurance exam.
Your next step is to study for the exam. The Virginia Bureau of Insurance doesn’t require you to enroll in a pre-licensing course, which means the decision to study is completely up to you.
But if you wouldn’t attempt a college exam without studying, you shouldn’t forgo studying for the insurance licensing test, either.
The best way to make sure you pass the exam on your first try is to enroll in a . These courses are created specifically to give you the skills you need to pass the test.
It’s not a good idea to rely on books and study guides for sale online—they are rarely comprehensive and may not cover all the topics you’ll see on the exam.
America’s Professor offers a range of comprehensive pre-licensing courses to help you pass your exam on the first try. Our study solutions are designed to help you easily absorb complex insurance concepts and terminology. We’ve developed our material to complement every learning style, whether you’re a visual or auditory learner. It’s why our pass rates are among the highest in the industry.
Step 3: Take the Virginia insurance license exam.
Once you study your Virginia insurance license exam course work, the pre-licensing material from America’s Professor, and feel confident you know the material, it’s time to take the Virginia insurance license exam. You will need to register for the exam in advance through Prometric, the company that administers insurance license exams in Virginia.
The number of questions on the exam varies based on the line of authority. For example, the Property & Casualty exam has 145 questions, while the Life, Annuities, & Health exam has 150 questions.
The exam fee is 35, and you can take the test either in person at an exam center or online. You can find a list of test center locations when you schedule your test on the Prometric website.
Online exams are proctored, which means someone will be watching over you while you take the exam. If you’re not used to testing this way, take a few minutes to calm your nerves before the exam.
Your exam will be scored on the spot. The report will show your total score, but it will not include a breakdown of which questions you got right and wrong.
Exams are broken up into two sections: a national section and a state-specific section. You need a score of 70 on both parts to pass—the two scores are not averaged together. If you don’t pass, you can retake the exam after 24 hours have passed.
Once you pass the exam, there are a few more steps to get your license.
Step 4: Obtain a criminal background check and get fingerprinted.
Virginia requires first-time insurance license applicants to obtain a criminal background check and get fingerprinted (as of January 1, 2021). Getting fingerprinted will automatically initiate a background check.
You can get fingerprinted at any one of Fieldprint’s 46 locations throughout Virginia and the U.S. The fee for fingerprinting is $35.72, which includes fees required by the Virginia State Police and FBI.
Step 5: Apply for your Virginia insurance license.
Your final step is applying for your license online through Sircon. Be sure to attach any required documents, such as your ID, fingerprints, and criminal background report.
The application fee is $15 per license type (note that Property & Casualty are considered one license type, while Life and Health are two separate types).
Once submitted, your application will be reviewed by the state. If there are no issues, your license should be issued within 15-20 business days. If there are any items from your background check that need to be reviewed, the state will contact you to provide additional information.
You can periodically check to see whether your license has been issued using the Sircon License Lookup Tool.
Ready To Take the First Step? Sign Up for an America’s Professor Course
Our affordable online classes are taught by award-winning professor, Dr. Jack Morton. His approachable teaching style makes the material easy to understand, and he uses real-world examples and engaging stories to make learning fun.
Each AP course includes:
- Video lessons – Our comprehensive online insurance courses are available 24/7 on any device. Our streaming videos simulate live lectures but let you study at the pace that’s right for you.
- Hard copy textbook – You’ll receive a comprehensive textbook by mail, which works in conjunction with the lecture videos.
- 100-day online access – Most students find that 100 days is plenty of time to prepare. But if you need more time, simply call us and we will extend your access at no charge until you pass your exam.
- Sample questions and practice exams – Practice tests reinforce the information in the video lectures and help you gauge how well you understand the material. If you score low on a practice exam, you’ll know where you need to keep studying.
- Customer support – Our helpful customer support team is here to answer all your questions and make sure you have everything you need—right up until the day of your exam.
Enroll in a course today and be on your way to launching or expanding your career in the lucrative insurance industry!