Illinois Life & Health Exam Overview

Illinois Life & Health Insurance Exam 2026

This FREE guide prepares you for the Illinois resident Life and Accident & Health (A&H) producer license exams. Illinois licenses by line of authority, so "Life & Health" is really two separate licenses: a Life line and an Accident & Health line. You complete pre-licensing education and a separate Pearson VUE exam for each line. There is no single combined exam.

The Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI) regulates all producers under the Illinois Insurance Code (215 ILCS 5). The Director of Insurance has authority to issue, deny, suspend, and revoke licenses. This guide reflects rules in effect as of June 2026 — always confirm current details at insurance.illinois.gov.

Pre-Licensing Education (Required Before You Test)

Illinois requires 20 hours of approved pre-licensing education per line. Of each 20-hour course, 7.5 hours must be completed in a classroom or live-instruction setting (live webinars count); the remaining 12.5 hours may be self-study. A combined Life & Health program totals 40 hours with 15 hours of live instruction.

Your course provider issues a Certificate of Completion after you pass the course's certification exam. The certificate is valid for 1 year — you must pass your state exam within that window or repeat the education.

Trap: A common exam distractor says "40 hours, all self-study" or "20 hours combined." Neither is correct. It is 40 combined, and 15 of those must be live.

Exam Structure, Scoring, and Logistics

The State of Illinois contracts with Pearson VUE to develop and administer its producer exams. You schedule online at the Pearson VUE Illinois insurance page or by phone at (800) 274-0402.

Exam Format by Line

Under the content outlines effective January 1, 2026, each line of authority is delivered as two separate examinations — a General Knowledge exam and an Illinois State exam — and you must pass both to qualify for that line (you can book them "back to back" in one session).

The passing score is 70% on the scored questions of each examination, and you must pass both the General and State exams for a line within 90 days of each other. Pretest (pilot) questions are mixed in and do not count toward your score, but you cannot tell which they are — answer every question. Questions are multiple choice with four options.

Cost and Delivery

• Exam fee: $92 per exam. This includes the $50 IDOI administrative fee bundled into the Pearson VUE charge.
• In-person only. As of January 17, 2025, Illinois discontinued remote OnVUE state exams. You must test at a physical Pearson VUE center.
• Pre-licensing course fees typically run $150–$400 depending on provider and format.

What to Bring

You no longer present a paper education certificate at the test center in most cases (the provider reports completion electronically), but you must bring two valid forms of ID, at least one a government-issued photo ID, with names matching your registration. Arrive 30 minutes early; late arrivals may forfeit the fee.

Worked example: To earn the combined license efficiently, Maria finishes a 40-hour combined course (15 live hours), passes the course certification exam, then books her Life and A&H exams for the same morning. She pays $92 + $92 = $184 in exam fees and must score at least 70% on each line's scored questions.

From Passing to Licensed: The Application

Passing the exam does not make you a licensed producer — you must still apply. Illinois processes resident producer applications through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) at nipr.com.

Step-by-Step

1. Complete pre-licensing education (20 hours/line; 7.5 live) and pass the course certification exam.
2. Pass the Pearson VUE exam for each line at 70%. Pearson VUE transmits your result to IDOI.
3. Apply through NIPR for the resident producer license, selecting your line(s) of authority. Pay the application/state fees.
4. Background review: disclose any criminal or administrative history; the Director may require additional documentation.
5. License issued electronically by IDOI; verify it on the NIPR or IDOI lookup.

Key Deadlines and Numbers to Memorize

Continuing Education and Renewal

Resident producers renew every 2 years and complete 24 hours of CE per renewal cycle, including 3 hours of ethics; the remaining 21 hours cover insurance concepts and consumer protection. Long-term care and annuity sales carry additional product-specific training requirements. Producers must report address changes and administrative or criminal actions to IDOI within the time required by statute (generally 30 days).

Trap: Distractors often offer "30 hours including 4 hours ethics" or "18 hours." Illinois is firmly 24 hours / 3 ethics per biennial cycle.

Exam Content Outline and How to Study

Each Pearson VUE line exam blends national insurance concepts with Illinois-specific law. Roughly speaking, the bulk of each exam tests general principles, with a meaningful Illinois state-law segment woven throughout. Study the national content first, then layer the Illinois rules from later chapters of this guide.

Life Exam — Major Domains

• General insurance concepts — risk, insurable interest, indemnity, contract law (offer/acceptance, consideration, utmost good faith), agent vs. broker authority.
• Life products — term, whole life, universal and variable life, annuities.
• Policy provisions, riders, and options — incontestability, grace period, beneficiary designations, nonforfeiture and settlement options.
• Underwriting and taxation — risk classification, premium computation, tax treatment, business uses (key person, buy-sell).

Accident & Health Exam — Major Domains

• General insurance concepts — same fundamentals as Life.
• Health products — medical expense, disability income, long-term care, Medicare/Medicaid and Medicare Supplement.
• Policy provisions — mandatory/optional uniform provisions, renewability classes, claims procedures.
• Group health — group characteristics, COBRA/Illinois continuation, ACA basics.

Illinois-Specific Threads (tested on both)

• IDOI authority and the Illinois Insurance Code (215 ILCS 5).
• Free look: Illinois life and annuity contracts carry a minimum 10-day right to examine (longer for replacements and certain seniors).
• Replacement regulation, beneficiary rules, unfair trade practices, and privacy/disclosure duties.

Study Strategy

1. Weeks 1–2: national concepts; pass each course chapter quiz at 70%+.
2. Week 3: complete the 15 hours of live instruction; ask about weak topics.
3. Week 4: drill Illinois law (Chapters 1–4 of this guide) and take timed practice exams.
4. Exam week: test both lines, then verify your NIPR application is complete.

Resources: IDOI — insurance.illinois.gov (Springfield: 320 W. Washington St.; Chicago: 122 S. Michigan Ave.); Illinois Insurance Code at ilga.gov; Pearson VUE scheduling at (800) 274-0402.