Failed the Insurance Exam? Here Is the Way Back.
First-attempt pass rates for the life & health and P&C exams sit in the 55–65% band, so the room is full. What matters now is two things: your state's actual retake rule, and changing the thing that made attempt one fail.
"But I was passing every practice exam in my course"
The most common failure story in this exam, by a wide margin. Course simulators test recognition of the course's own wording; the state exam applies the same concepts in scenarios you have not seen. If your prep passed you and the state failed you, the fix is not more hours in the same simulator — it is practice on exam-style questions that were not written by your course. Start with the free practice exam and see how the wording differs.
Practice on questions your simulator never showed you
The insurance dashboard drills you on exam-style wording — scenario questions with explanations — and scores your readiness per section, so the state exam stops being the first place you meet unfamiliar phrasing.
- Life & Health and P&C banks with per-section accuracy
- Exam Day rehearsal mode under real time pressure
- Free tier to test the difference before spending anything
Retake rules, from the official handbooks
Verified states below; each row links to the document we read. More states are added as their handbooks are verified.
Florida
Pearson VUE- Wait to retake
- No waiting period stated — reapply and pay again via Pearson VUE
- Attempt limit
- 5 attempts per exam type per 12 months
- Fee per attempt
- $44 per attempt; re-examination fees are non-refundable
Georgia
Pearson VUE- Wait to retake
- 14 days after attempts 1 and 2; 60 days after the 3rd and later
- Attempt limit
- None — "no limit on the number of attempts a candidate can take the same exam"
- Fee per attempt
- $67 per attempt, paid at reservation
Texas
Pearson VUE- Wait to retake
- Next day — "a candidate who failed can schedule for a new exam within one day"
- Attempt limit
- None — same handbook sentence: "no limit to the number of attempts"
- Fee per attempt
- $49 General Lines (L&H or P&C); $39 Life Agent / Personal Lines; $29 Limited Lines
California
PSI- Wait to retake
- No mandatory wait — re-register through PSI
- Attempt limit
- 10 failed attempts within 12 months bars you from that exam for 12 months (Cal. Ins. Code §1682)
- Fee per attempt
- $55 per attempt for agent/broker lines
• Adjuster lines differ: $79 initial with a $32 re-examination fee.
CDI / PSI Candidate Information Bulletin (Feb 2025)Illinois
Pearson VUE- Wait to retake
- 24 hours to rebook (producer lines)
- Attempt limit
- No cap stated — but General + State exams must both be passed within 90 days
- Fee per attempt
- $92 per attempt (covers the General + State pair when ordered together)
• Public Adjuster: 7-day wait after the 1st fail, 30 days after the 2nd and later.
• Ordering the General and State exams separately costs $92 each.
IL Insurance Candidate Handbook (Pearson VUE #121400)Washington
PSI- Wait to retake
- Next day — same-day rebooking is not possible; fail Wednesday, retest as soon as Friday
- Attempt limit
- None — "no limit to the number of times a candidate may retake an examination"
- Fee per attempt
- $38 per single-line exam; $55 for combo lines
Tennessee
Pearson VUE- Wait to retake
- 10 days after the 1st fail; 30 days after each subsequent fail
- Attempt limit
- No general cap; Public Adjuster must wait 1 year and re-apply after 3 fails
- Fee per attempt
- $55 per single line at a test center ($80 two-line combos)
• Online (OnVUE) testing is capped at 2 attempts per exam line — further attempts must be at a test center.
• Public Adjuster: 30-day wait after every fail, $50 per attempt.
TN Insurance Candidate Handbook (Pearson VUE #124300)Pennsylvania
PSI- Wait to retake
- Next day — same-day rebooking is not possible; fail Wednesday, retest as soon as Friday
- Attempt limit
- None — "no limit to the number of times you may take an examination if you fail"
- Fee per attempt
- $45 per exam ($55 for combined lines); fees are not refundable or transferable
• Pennsylvania moved from Pearson VUE to PSI — older guides point at dead Pearson pages.
PA Insurance Licensing Candidate Booklet (PSI)After a fail, people ask
Why did I fail the state exam after passing my prep course simulations?
Because course simulators mostly test recognition of their own material, while PSI and Pearson VUE write scenario questions that apply the concepts in unfamiliar wording. Passing a simulator proves you learned the course; the state exam tests whether you can use it. Before your retake, practice on questions written in exam style rather than re-running the same simulator.
How long do I have to wait to retake the insurance exam?
It depends on the state and exam type, not just the test vendor. California requires re-registration and has a ten-failure limit in a 12-month period for an exam type; Tennessee has a longer wait after a fail. Check your state's official handbook before booking.
Do I have to retake my pre-licensing course if I fail the exam?
Generally no — your pre-licensing certificate stays valid for a window set by your state (commonly 1–2 years), and you retake only the exam. But some states pair the exam parts: Illinois requires the General and State exams to both be passed within 90 days of each other.
Should I switch from Life & Health to P&C after failing, or push through?
Push through. The lines test different material, so switching resets your preparation to zero — the sunk study time only pays off on a retake of the same line. Switch only if the reason you sat the exam changed, not because the first attempt went badly.