Six states, six licensing structures
| State | Life + Health route | Published format | Key state distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | Combined 2-15 | 165 delivered questions · 2h 45m | Five-attempt limit in a rolling 12 months |
| Texas | Combined General Lines LAH | 145 delivered questions · 150 minutes | No general prelicensing course on the standard route |
| California | Combined Life, Accident & Health | 150 questions · 3 hours | 12-hour Ethics and California Insurance Code course remains required |
| New York | Combined Life, Accident & Health | 150 questions · 2h 30m | 40 hours of approved combined prelicensing education for most residents |
| New Jersey | Life and Health handled by line | Separate line examinations | 20 approved prelicensing hours per line |
| Georgia | Combined Life, Accident & Sickness | 2h 30m | Eight prelicensing hours per major line; knowledge requirements did not shrink |
Published results - with different denominators
| State | Published result | Population measured |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 52.7% did not pass | 2025 Health & Life candidates |
| Texas | 50% English / 66% Spanish did not pass | 2025 attempts by exam language |
| California | 40% English / 71% Spanish did not pass | First attempts, Jan-Sep 2025 |
| New York | 53.37% English / 78.31% Spanish did not pass | 2025 combined-exam examinees |
| New Jersey | No comparable statewide table published | Schools charging tuition must disclose their own recent pass rates |
| Georgia | 46.77% did not pass | Graded combined-exam attempts, H1 2026 |
Why each exam is difficult in a different way
- Florida combines 165 delivered questions with a broad product scope and a hard cap of five attempts per rolling 12 months.
- Texas has no general prelicensing-course requirement for the standard resident path, so candidates must create their own structure. The exam still includes 30 scored state questions plus five state pretest questions.
- California uses a 60 percent passing score, but still delivers 150 scored questions and has current Ethics and California Insurance Code requirements for license issuance.
- New York combines 150 questions with a 150-minute limit and a substantial state-law framework; its 2025 Spanish-language result was especially weak.
- New Jersey separates the Life and Health paths, so candidates must not study or budget as if they were taking one combined examination.
- Georgia shortened required course hours but expressly kept the licensing knowledge requirements; repeat attempts performed worse than first attempts in H1 2026.
Language data are a preparation signal, not a label
Texas publishes exam-language results, not ethnicity. California publishes both language and voluntary demographic tables, and Florida publishes native language plus voluntary demographic tables. A Spanish-language result must never be presented as if it represented every Hispanic candidate.
The actionable response is not to lower expectations. It is to provide complete terminology, explanations and state-law practice in the language the candidate will use under pressure.
What this means for your preparation
- Use only the current outline for your exact state and line of authority.
- Track scored, pretest and total question counts separately.
- Practice at the official time limit.
- Study the state-law portion in depth rather than as a last-minute appendix.
- Confirm every fee and scheduling rule on the official site before booking.
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.
- Florida Department of Financial Services: 2025 Annual Report of Florida Insurance ExaminationsOfficial 2025 results and voluntary demographic reporting for Florida insurance examinations.
- Pearson VUE / Florida DFS: Florida Insurance Content OutlinesCurrent Florida examination outline, including scored and pretest question counts and time limits.
- Texas Department of Insurance / Pearson VUE: Texas Insurance 2025 Examination SummaryOfficial annual totals by exam language and attempt type.
- Texas Department of Insurance / Pearson VUE: Texas Insurance Licensing Candidate HandbookOfficial exam structure, time limit, fee, state outline and retake policy.
- California Department of Insurance: October 2025 Curriculum Board Meeting PacketOfficial January-September 2025 first-attempt results by examination language.
- California Department of Insurance: Examinations: Time Limit and Number of QuestionsOfficial 150-question, three-hour format and 60 percent producer-exam passing score.
- New York Department of Financial Services: Annual Report on Insurance Agent Licensing Examinations 2025Official 2025 examinee counts and pass rates by exam, language and voluntarily reported demographic group.
- PSI / New York Department of Financial Services: New York Insurance Examination Candidate BulletinOfficial exam series, 150-item format, 2.5-hour limit, scoring, fee and retake procedure.
- New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance: Producer Frequently Asked QuestionsOfficial $47 examination fee, 20-hour-per-line education requirement and current online application fees.
- New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance: Producer Licensing Regulation — Provider DisclosuresOfficial rulemaking text requiring tuition-charging prelicensing providers to disclose their own pass rates by line of authority.
- Pearson VUE / Georgia OCI: Georgia Insurance Pass Rates, January–March 2026Official graded-attempt totals for exam series 12-GA-05 and other Georgia examinations.
- Pearson VUE / Georgia OCI: Georgia Insurance Pass Rates, April–June 2026Official second-quarter results used with Q1 to calculate the first-half totals.
- Pearson VUE / Georgia OCI: Georgia Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook, August 2026Current exam fee, length, Spanish-language option, bilingual toggle and licensing steps.
- Georgia Secretary of State: Georgia Rule 120-2-3-.09 — ExaminationsControlling 70% passing score, 14-day and 60-day retake waits and 12-month score-validity rule.