About six in ten first-time candidates pass the California Life-Only Agent exam, and the rate has hardly moved in five years.

The California Department of Insurance (CDI) does not publish pass rates on its own site. The numbers here come from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), which collects first-time results from each state and its testing vendor every year.

All figures are first-time takers of the English exams. Retakes and Spanish exams are not included, and NAIC has no separate figures for 2021.

In short

  • 63.0 percent of 15,950 first-time takers passed the Life-Only Agent exam in 2025.1
  • The combined Life, Accident and Health exam fell to 59.6 percent in 2025, its lowest rate since at least 2020.12
  • The stand-alone Accident and Health exam passes most often: 76.0 percent in 2025.1
  • Remote candidates passed the Life-Only exam at 65.5 percent, test center candidates at 60.8 percent.1
  • You need 60 percent to pass, on 75 scored questions in 105 minutes.3
Contents
  1. Pass rates by exam, 2025
  2. Trend since 2020
  3. Remote versus test center
  4. How the exam is scored
  5. Common questions
  6. Cite this page
  7. Sources

Pass rates by exam, 2025

1Life-Only Agent: 63.0 percent

15,950 first-time takers, 10,054 passed. This is the exam most new life agents in California take.1

2Life, Accident and Health: 59.6 percent

15,281 first-time takers, 9,101 passed. The combined exam has 150 questions and covers both lines in one sitting.13

3Accident and Health: 76.0 percent

3,367 first-time takers, 2,559 passed, the highest rate of the five main exams.1

4Property and Casualty: 57.5 percent

5,479 first-time takers of the combined Property and Casualty Broker-Agent exam, 3,150 passed.1

5Personal Lines: 45.5 percent

2,228 first-time takers, 1,014 passed, the lowest rate of the main exams.1

ExamFirst-time takersPassedPass rate
Life-Only Agent15,95010,05463.0%
Life, Accident and Health15,2819,10159.6%
Accident and Health3,3672,55976.0%
Property and Casualty5,4793,15057.5%
Personal Lines2,2281,01445.5%

Trend since 2020

6Life-Only: between 62.7 and 67.9 percent

The Life-Only pass rate was 67.9 percent in 2020 and has stayed between 62.7 and 64.5 percent since 2022. First-time takers rose from 11,597 in 2020 to a peak of 17,663 in 2024.245

7Life, Accident and Health: down to 59.6 percent

The combined exam passed 69.4 percent in 2020 and about two thirds from 2022 to 2024, then dropped to 59.6 percent in 2025.24651

8Property and Casualty: up from 43.0 to 57.5 percent

Property and Casualty went the other way and improved every year since 2020.21

YearLife-OnlyLife, Accident and HealthAccident and HealthProperty and CasualtyPersonal Lines
202067.9%69.4%85.2%43.0%63.6%
202262.7%64.9%80.8%51.3%39.6%
202364.5%66.1%77.5%54.6%38.7%
202463.5%66.9%79.3%55.4%39.8%
202563.0%59.6%76.0%57.5%45.5%

Since January 1, 2026, life agent applicants no longer need the 20 hour prelicensing course, only the 12 hour ethics course. The first full year of data under the new rule will show whether that changes the pass rates. Our guide on how to get a life insurance license in California explains the new steps.7

Remote versus test center

9Remote candidates pass more often

In 2025, 7,455 candidates took the Life-Only exam remotely and 65.5 percent passed. At test centers, 60.8 percent of 8,495 passed. For the combined Life, Accident and Health exam the gap was larger: 61.7 percent remote against 56.0 percent in person.1

The data does not say why. Remote candidates choose their own time and place, which may matter as much as the format itself.

How the exam is scored

1060 percent to pass

All California agent exams require 60 percent. The Life-Only exam has 75 scored questions and 105 minutes, the Life, Accident and Health exam 150 questions and 195 minutes. Up to ten unscored experimental questions can be added, and they count against your time.3

The state exam fee is $55, plus a PSI convenience fee of $43.83

You can find out where you stand with a free practice test.

Common questions

What is the pass rate of the California life insurance exam?

63.0 percent of first-time takers passed the Life-Only Agent exam in 2025.1

Is the Life, Accident and Health exam harder than Life-Only?

In 2025 its first-time pass rate was lower, 59.6 against 63.0 percent, and it is twice as long.13

Does the CDI publish pass rates?

Not on its own website. The state reports first-time results to the NAIC, which publishes them for all states once a year.1

Use these numbers

Writing about this topic yourself? You are welcome to use all the numbers, with a link to this page. Pick a format and copy it with one click.

Link for your website
<a href="https://californialifeinsuranceexam.com/blog/california-life-insurance-exam-pass-rates/">California Life Insurance Exam Pass Rates (NAIC Data)</a>, CaliforniaLifeInsuranceExam.com
APA

Donovan, C. (2026). California Life Insurance Exam Pass Rates (NAIC Data). CaliforniaLifeInsuranceExam.com. https://californialifeinsuranceexam.com/blog/california-life-insurance-exam-pass-rates/

MLA

Donovan, Claire. "California Life Insurance Exam Pass Rates (NAIC Data)." CaliforniaLifeInsuranceExam.com, 2026, californialifeinsuranceexam.com/blog/california-life-insurance-exam-pass-rates/

Sources

NAIC splits 2022 to 2025 into remote and in-person results. The totals on this page add both. Check the NAIC page for newer years.

  1. NAIC: State testing pass rates, 2025 (content.naic.org)
  2. NAIC: State testing pass rates, calendar year 2020 (content.naic.org)
  3. PSI: Candidate Information Bulletin for California Insurance License Examinees (October 2026) (insurance.ca.gov)
  4. NAIC: State testing pass rates, 2022 (content.naic.org)
  5. NAIC: State testing pass rates, 2024 (content.naic.org)
  6. NAIC: State testing pass rates, 2023 (content.naic.org)
  7. California Legislature: AB 943 (2025), Chapter 566 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
  8. California Department of Insurance: License fees (insurance.ca.gov)