Texas General Lines Property & Casualty Exam Overview
Key Takeaways
- The General Lines - Property & Casualty license is issued by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) and lets you sell, solicit, and bind home, auto, commercial-property, and liability coverage in Texas
- The exam is 110 multiple-choice questions (100 scored + 10 unscored pretest), 2 hours long, and you need 70% (70 of 100 scored questions) to pass
- Budget roughly $62 for the exam plus about $50 for the license application, complete IdentoGO fingerprinting, and apply to TDI within 12 months of passing
- Texas requires no pre-license education for the permanent license, but a 90-day temporary license needs 40 hours of education plus a sponsoring agent; CPCU holders are exempt from the exam
- Roughly 70% of the test is Texas-specific (Regulation 15%, Property Laws 25%, Casualty Laws 30%, Ethics & Prohibited Practices 30%), built on a foundation of general insurance concepts
What the Texas General Lines P&C License Is
The General Lines - Property & Casualty license is the credential issued by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) that authorizes you to sell, solicit, and negotiate property and casualty insurance in Texas. "Property" coverage protects physical things - homes, buildings, contents, autos. "Casualty" coverage protects against legal liability for injury or damage you cause to others.
Holding this single license lets you work across personal and commercial lines: homeowners and dwelling policies, the Personal Auto Policy (PAP), commercial property, the Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy, workers' compensation, umbrella, crime, and surety.
Texas is the second-largest insurance market in the country, so a P&C license is a durable, portable career credential. To qualify you must be at least 18, be of good reputation, and have no disqualifying fraud or dishonesty felonies. Unlike many states, Texas requires no pre-license education for the permanent license - but the exam is rigorous, so real study is essential.
Exam Logistics and Fees
TDI contracts with its testing vendor, PSI, to deliver the exam at testing centers across Texas (and via online proctoring). You schedule after creating an account with the vendor and paying the exam fee. The structure below is the most testable set of logistics in this chapter - memorize it.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regulator | Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) |
| Testing vendor | PSI |
| Total questions | 110 (100 scored + 10 unscored pretest) |
| Time limit | 2 hours |
| Passing score | 70% (70 of the 100 scored questions) |
| Exam fee | ~$62 |
| License application fee | ~$50 |
| Background check | IdentoGO fingerprinting (sent to Texas DPS/FBI) |
| Apply by | Within 12 months of passing |
| Format | Multiple choice, computer-based; immediate results |
The 10 pretest questions are unscored items the vendor is field-testing for future exams. They are mixed in and unlabeled, so answer every question carefully. Results are reported as pass/fail at the center; on a passing report you still must finish licensing steps.
Fingerprinting, Application, and Special Paths
After you pass, complete IdentoGO fingerprinting so TDI can run a background check, then submit your license application and the ~$50 fee through TDI's online portal. You must apply within 12 months of passing or your exam result expires and you retest.
Two special paths matter on the exam:
- Temporary 90-day license - Lets you start working before you pass. It requires 40 hours of pre-license education and a sponsoring agent or agency who supervises you. The 40 hours apply only to this temporary path, not the permanent license.
- CPCU exemption - Holders of the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation are exempt from the General Lines P&C exam and may apply for the license directly.
Once licensed, Texas resident P&C agents complete continuing education each license period, including a required ethics component, to renew.
The Exam Blueprint: What Is Weighted
About 70% of the exam is Texas-specific, layered on top of general (national) insurance concepts. Knowing the weights tells you where to spend study hours - Casualty law and Ethics together are roughly 60% of the test, so do not over-invest in property at their expense.
| Content Area | Approx. Weight | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Texas Insurance Regulation | ~15% | TDI authority, licensing, agent duties, file-and-use rates, the Consumer Bill of Rights |
| Property Insurance Laws | ~25% | Texas HO-A/HO-B/HO-C forms, dwelling policies, TWIA windstorm, TFPA FAIR Plan, flood (NFIP) |
| Casualty Insurance Laws | ~30% | Auto 30/60/25 limits, UM/UIM, Texas nonsubscriber workers' comp, CGL, commercial lines |
| Ethics & Prohibited Practices | ~30% | Unfair trade practices, misrepresentation, rebating, Prompt Payment of Claims Act, TPCIGA guaranty |
| General insurance knowledge | woven throughout | Risk/peril/hazard, indemnity, insurable interest, DICE policy structure, ACV vs. replacement cost |
Watch the Texas-only items the exam loves: the auto financial-responsibility minimums of 30/60/25 ($30,000/$60,000/$25,000), Texas being a workers'-comp nonsubscriber state where private employers generally are not required to carry coverage, and the residual markets TWIA (coastal wind/hail) and TFPA (basic property).
How to Use This Guide and a Study Plan
This FREE guide is organized to mirror the blueprint so your study time matches the exam's weighting. Read it in order, take every quiz, and treat the Texas-specific numbers as flashcard material.
- Chapter 1 - Texas Insurance Regulation: TDI structure, licensing, producer duties, rate filing.
- Chapter 2 - Property Insurance Laws: Texas HO forms, dwelling policies, TWIA, TFPA, flood.
- Chapter 3 - Casualty Insurance Laws: auto 30/60/25, UM/UIM, nonsubscriber workers' comp, CGL, commercial lines.
- Chapter 4 - Ethics & Prohibited Practices: unfair trade practices, claims handling, Prompt Payment Act, TPCIGA.
A realistic 4-week plan for most candidates:
- Week 1 - Foundations. Learn general concepts (indemnity, insurable interest, DICE structure, ACV vs. replacement cost) and Chapter 1 regulation. These ideas make every later chapter easier.
- Week 2 - Property (25%). Master Texas HO-A/B/C forms, Coverages A-F, deductibles, coinsurance, TWIA and TFPA.
- Week 3 - Casualty (30%). Drill auto 30/60/25, the PAP parts, UM/UIM, and the nonsubscriber workers'-comp rule.
- Week 4 - Ethics (30%) + review. Study prohibited practices and the Prompt Payment of Claims Act, then take full-length practice sets until you clear 70%+ consistently.
Review missed questions until you can explain why each wrong option is wrong - that habit, more than rereading, is what moves a borderline score above the 70% line.
A candidate finishes the Texas General Lines P&C exam and answers 72 of the 110 questions correctly, including 68 of the 100 scored questions. Did the candidate pass?
An applicant wants to begin selling insurance immediately while preparing for the permanent General Lines P&C exam. Which Texas path allows this?
Based on the exam blueprint, which two content areas should a candidate prioritize because together they make up roughly 60% of the scored questions?
A candidate passes the Texas P&C exam but waits 14 months before submitting the license application to TDI. What is the consequence?