Official California Life & Health exam format
| Official item | Combined Life, Accident & Health or Sickness |
|---|---|
| Questions | 150 |
| Time limit | 3 hours |
| Passing score | 60% |
| Examination fee | $55 |
| Official objectives | Effective January 1, 2026 |
What changed in 2026 — and what still applies
AB 943 removed the former 20 hours of line-specific prelicensing education for Life and Accident & Health applicants effective January 1, 2026.
California still requires one approved 12-hour course covering Ethics and the California Insurance Code before the qualifying license can be issued. The course includes one hour on insurance fraud and is separate from CertiAcademy's exam-preparation program.
A clean licensing sequence
- Choose the combined examination and study from the current CDI objectives.
- Pass the qualifying examination before filing the resident license application.
- Submit the application and complete the resident Live Scan process promptly.
- Complete the approved 12-hour Ethics and California Insurance Code course before license issuance.
- Confirm appointment and insurer requirements before transacting insurance.
Preparation should teach California — not just insurance vocabulary
CertiAcademy combines more than 800 national concepts with 500 California-specific questions. Every item includes corrective reasoning, missed concepts return through review, and the mock-exam area reproduces the 150-question, three-hour format.
The 30-question diagnostic is free. It identifies chapter gaps before the learner chooses the six- or twelve-month package; English and Spanish follow the same concept structure.
Official sources and further reading
Facts and requirements were checked against the linked primary sources on the article's publication date. Licensing authorities and testing providers remain controlling.
- California Department of Insurance: Examination Times and Number of QuestionsOfficial question count, time limit and passing-score information for California license examinations.
- California Department of Insurance: 12 Hours of Ethics and California Insurance Code and License Examination ObjectivesCurrent 2026 education requirements and official examination objectives in English and Spanish.
- California Department of Insurance: Insurance License FeesOfficial filing, renewal and examination fees. The department states that filing fees are non-refundable.
- California Department of Insurance: California Resident Licensing Fingerprint RequirementsOfficial resident fingerprint procedure and the current $74 Live Scan vendor total.