Illinois Life & Health Insurance License Practice Exam
Illinois requires two separate exams to get licensed — a General exam and an Illinois State exam. Practice both right here.
Illinois Life and Health Exam Topics
Illinois requires passing both exams separately — practice each one here.
General Exam
National life and health insurance product knowledge — covers life insurance, health insurance, annuities, and federal regulations like HIPAA, COBRA, and Medicare.
Illinois State Exam
Illinois-specific statutes and regulations — Illinois Insurance Code, Director authority, replacement rules, and Illinois Life & Health Guaranty Association.
Illinois L&H — Practice by Topic
Drill individual domains from either exam before attempting the full timed versions above.
Life Insurance
Whole life, term, universal life, annuities, policy provisions, riders — General exam content.
Health Insurance
Disability income, AD&D, medical expense, Medicare, group insurance — General exam content.
Annuities & Retirement
Fixed, variable, indexed annuities, qualified plans — General exam content.
Illinois State Law
Illinois Insurance Code, Director authority, replacement rules, IL Guaranty Association — State exam content.
About the Illinois Life & Health Insurance Exam
Illinois producer exams are administered by Pearson VUE, and the Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI) issues the producer license. Life and Accident & Health are separate lines, and each line has its own General exam and Illinois State exam; there is no combined Life and Health exam. For Life, the General exam has 50 scored questions (75 minutes) and the State exam has 31 scored questions (50 minutes). For Accident & Health, the General exam has 50 scored questions (75 minutes) and the State exam has 39 (55 minutes). Each exam also has 5 unscored pretest items.
You need a score of 70 on each exam, and you must pass the General and State exams for a line within 90 days of each other. First-time candidates must complete 20 hours of pre-licensing education per line (215 ILCS 5/500-30(b)) and show the completion certificate at the test center. Each exam is listed at $92, which includes a $50 Illinois administrative fee.
Illinois Life & Health Insurance Exam Topic Breakdown
| Section | Questions / Weight | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|
| Life General — I. Types of Policies | 15 | Whole life, interest-sensitive and variable products, term, annuities, combination plans |
| Life General — II. Provisions, Riders, Options and Exclusions | 15 | Riders, policy provisions (free look, nonforfeiture, incontestability, settlement options), exclusions |
| Life General — III. Application, Underwriting and Delivery | 12 | Application, replacement, point-of-sale disclosures, USA PATRIOT Act, GLBA, FCRA, STOLI/IOLI, contract law |
| Life General — IV. Retirement and Other Concepts | 8 | Life settlements, group life, qualified and nonqualified plans, needs analysis, Social Security, taxation |
| A&H General — I. Types of Policies | 16 | Disability income, AD&D, medical expense, Medicare supplement, group and COBRA, long-term care, other coverages |
| A&H General — II. Provisions, Clauses and Riders | 15 | Mandatory and optional provisions, probationary and elimination periods, preexisting conditions, renewability |
| A&H General — III. Social Insurance | 6 | Medicare Parts A to D, Medicaid, Social Security |
| A&H General — IV. Other Insurance Concepts | 5 | Types of disability, coordination of benefits, managed care, workers' compensation, subrogation, taxation |
| A&H General — V. Field Underwriting Procedures | 8 | Application, MIB and FCRA, HIPAA privacy, receipts, delivery, replacement, contract law |
| IL — Common to All Lines | 22 | Insurance Director (215 ILCS 5/401, 5/403), producer licensing, registration and continuing education (5/500-15 to 5/500-70), fiduciary responsibilities (5/500-115), commissions (5/500-80), disclosure (5/500-155), marketing practices including rebating, misrepresentation and unfair claims (5/149 to 5/154.6; Reg. 919) |
| IL — Life Only (Life State exam) | 9 | Advertising and sales (Reg. 909), replacement (Reg. 917), life solicitation (Reg. 930), accelerated benefits (5/4; Reg. 1407), illustrations (Reg. 1406), viatical settlements, unfair practices (5/236), Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association (5/531.01 to 531.19) |
| IL — Accident & Health Only (A&H State exam) | 17 | Medicare supplements (5/363; Reg. 2008), long-term care (5/351A; Reg. 2012), advertising (Reg. 2002), minimum standards (Reg. 2007), group insurance (5/367i; Reg. 2013), unfair practices (5/364), guaranty association, HMOs, limited health service organizations |
Counts are from the Pearson VUE Illinois content outlines effective January 1, 2026 (each General exam: 50 scored plus 5 unscored pretest; Life State: 31 plus 5; A&H State: 39 plus 5). Each Illinois subsection is published as a range, so only the section totals are shown. The outlines effective January 1, 2027 show the same section headings and counts.
What Makes the Illinois Life & Health Exam Different
Two exams for every line. Illinois requires a General exam and a State exam for each line of authority, and both must be passed within 90 days of each other. Life and Accident & Health are separate lines, so licensing in both means four exams. Ordering the General and State exams for the same line together earns a $92 discount from Pearson VUE.
Certificate and retake rules. Pearson VUE requires first-time candidates to show an IDOI pre-licensing completion certificate, valid for one year from course completion. Candidates retaking an exam do not need to present it again, and a re-examination cannot be reserved at the test center.
Grace period and incontestability. A covered Illinois life policy must give a grace period of 30 days or one month for premiums after the first, and must become incontestable no later than 2 years from its date, with listed exceptions such as nonpayment of premium (215 ILCS 5/224).
Free look and misstatement of age. The policy must allow surrender for a refund within ten days from delivery, and if age was misstated the amount payable is what the premium would have purchased at the correct age (215 ILCS 5/224).
Two-year license, lapse and address changes. An Illinois producer license is issued for two years. A producer who lets a license lapse may be reissued within 12 months without retaking the exam, a late renewal carries a penalty of double the unpaid renewal fee, and a change of address must be reported within 30 days (215 ILCS 5/500-35).
Guaranty association. Both Illinois State exams test the Illinois Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association (215 ILCS 5/531.01 to 5/531.19).
Sample Illinois Life & Health Insurance Exam Questions
1. An Illinois individual life policy (not industrial, group, annuity or pure endowment) is issued. What grace period must it give for payment of any premium after the first?
2. Under the Illinois Insurance Code, within what time must an individual life policy become incontestable, except for nonpayment of premiums and other listed exceptions?
3. An Illinois resident producer is renewing a two-year producer license. What continuing education must the producer complete?
Study Tips for the Illinois Life & Health Exam
Illinois splits each line into two exams, so plan two sittings. For Life, the General exam is 50 scored questions and the State exam is 31, which means about 38% of your Life scored questions are Illinois-specific. For Accident & Health the State exam is 39 of 89 scored questions, or about 44%.
The Illinois sections are mostly licensing and marketing rules that apply to every line. The Common to All Lines section carries 22 of the State exam's questions, so it is worth more study time than any single product topic. Producer licensing and continuing education (5/500-15 to 5/500-70) and marketing practices are the heart of it.
Studying for the other Illinois line? Try the Illinois Property & Casualty practice exam.
How to Get Your Illinois Life & Health Insurance License
There are four steps to get your Illinois producer license in the Life and Accident & Health lines.
Steps to Get Your Illinois Life & Health Insurance License
| Step | What to Do |
|---|---|
| 1. Pre-Licensing Education | Complete 20 hours of pre-licensing education per line of authority from a certified provider; at least 7.5 of those hours must be in a classroom or webinar setting. Your completion certificate is valid for one year. |
| 2. General and State Exams | Reserve the General exam and the State exam for each line with Pearson VUE ($92 each, with a $92 discount when the pair is ordered together). Bring your certificate to the test center. You need 70 on each exam, and both must be passed within 90 days of each other. |
| 3. Apply for Your License | Apply through NIPR on the IDOI producer licensing page at least five days after passing. Answer the background questions carefully: IDOI treats an incorrect answer as a misstatement. |
| 4. Renew and Keep Current | The license is issued for two years and expires on the last day of your birth month. Complete 24 hours of course study per renewal, 3 of them classroom or webinar ethics. |
Illinois Life & Health Insurance License Requirements at a Glance
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Lines of authority | Life; Accident & Health (each has its own General and State exam) |
| Pre-license education | 20 hours per line; 7.5 hours in a classroom or webinar setting |
| Exams (Life) | General: 50 scored + 5 pretest, 75 minutes; State: 31 scored + 5 pretest, 50 minutes |
| Exams (A&H) | General: 50 scored + 5 pretest, 75 minutes; State: 39 scored + 5 pretest, 55 minutes |
| Passing score | 70 on each exam (scale of 0 to 100, not a percent of questions) |
| Pass window | General and State exams for a line within 90 days of each other |
| Exam fee | $92 per exam, including a $50 Illinois administrative fee; $92 discount when a line's pair is ordered together |
| Pre-licensing certificate | Valid for one year from course completion; first-time candidates only |
| Application | Online through NIPR, at least five days after passing |
| License term | Two years; expires on the last day of your birth month |
| Continuing education | 24 hours per renewal, 3 of them classroom or webinar ethics |
| Exam provider | Pearson VUE |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Insurance |
Verified against the IDOI producer licensing and renewal pages, the Pearson VUE Illinois candidate handbook and content outlines, and the Illinois Compiled Statutes. Confirm current fees with Pearson VUE and IDOI before you apply.
Our free Illinois Life & Health practice exam covers the General and State exam content. You can also try the Illinois Property & Casualty practice exam.
Interested in where this license leads? See our guide to insurance careers — including salary ranges, how to break in, and what the career looks like day to day.
Frequently Asked Questions — Illinois Life & Health Insurance Exam
How many questions are on the Illinois Life insurance exam?
Illinois uses two exams per line. The Life General exam has 50 scored questions plus 5 unscored pretest questions (75 minutes), and the Life State exam has 31 scored plus 5 pretest (50 minutes).
How many questions are on the Illinois Accident & Health exam?
The A&H General exam has 50 scored questions plus 5 pretest (75 minutes), and the A&H State exam has 39 scored plus 5 pretest (55 minutes).
What is the passing score for the Illinois insurance exam?
The passing score is 70 on each exam. Scores run from 0 to 100 and are not the percentage of questions answered correctly, per the Pearson VUE handbook.
Is there a combined Life and Health exam in Illinois?
No. Pearson VUE lists separate General and State exams for Life and for Accident & Health, and no combined exam.
How many pre-licensing hours does Illinois require?
Illinois requires 20 hours per line of authority, with at least 7.5 hours in a classroom or webinar setting (215 ILCS 5/500-30(b)).
How much does the Illinois insurance exam cost?
Pearson VUE lists $92 per exam, which includes a $50 Illinois administrative fee. A $92 discount applies when the General and State exams for the same line are ordered together.
How long is my Illinois pre-licensing certificate valid?
The Pearson VUE handbook says certificates are valid for one year from course completion, and you must test within that year.
How often does an Illinois producer license renew?
The license is issued for two years and expires on the last day of your birth month. Renewal requires 24 hours of course study, 3 of them classroom or webinar ethics.