Life insurance license — Texas

Texas does not require pre-licensing education for a life agent license. You can sit the exam as soon as you're ready, which makes it one of the faster states to get licensed in — and one of the easier ones to fail, because most people underprepare.

Budget two to three weeks from starting to study to holding the license, assuming you pass the first time and your background check is clean.

The steps, in order

1. Study. No required hours, but plan 30–40 of them. The exam is 150 questions and the failure rate is real.
2. Schedule with Pearson VUE. Create an account, pick General Lines — Life, Accident and Health, and book a seat.
3. Get fingerprinted. IdentoGO handles it. Do this before the exam if you can — results take a few days and it's the step that most often delays a license.
4. Pass the exam. 70% to pass. You find out immediately.
5. Apply through Sircon or NIPR. Within one year of passing.
6. Get appointed. A license alone doesn't let you sell. Your IMO or carrier submits the appointment.

What it costs

| Item | Cost | Paid to | | --- | --- | --- | | Exam | $64 | Pearson VUE | | Fingerprinting | $41.45 | IdentoGO | | License application | $50 | TDI | | Study course (optional) | $100–300 | Provider of your choice |

Figures change. Confirm current amounts with the Texas Department of Insurance before you pay anything.

What's on the exam

General Lines — Life, Accident and Health covers both life and health, so you're studying more than the job title suggests. The sections that fail people are consistently the same: policy provisions and riders, taxation of benefits, and the Texas-specific regulations block at the end.

Read the state law section last and read it twice. It's the smallest portion of the exam and the one where candidates lose the most points relative to study time.

After you're licensed

Texas requires 24 hours of continuing education every two years, including 2 hours of ethics. Your license renews on the last day of your birth month.

If you plan to sell into other states, look at non-resident licenses next — Texas is a common resident state to build from, and the non-resident process is far shorter than this one.