Alaska Insurance Licensing State Requirements
On this page, you will find all of the state-specific information for insurance licensing in the state of Alaska. This information pertains to resident license applicants. For additional information for resident licensing, or for nonresident license information, please refer to the Alaska Department of Insurance website at https://www.commerce.alaska.gov. Information is subject to change, and we will do our very best to make the process of completing your licensing education requirements as simple as possible.
How to Get Your Alaska Insurance License
1. Complete an Insurance Exam Prep Course
Those looking to earn an Alaska insurance license have a significantly higher chance of passing their licensing exam when they complete one of Kaplan’s exam prep courses. Give yourself the best chance to pass before you sit for the state exam.
Acceptable Methods of Education
- Classroom
- Self-Study
Online
2. Pass Your Alaska Licensing Exam
Exam Provider: Pearson VUE
- To obtain a Licensing Information Bulletin, go to the Pearson VUE website at http://www.pearsonvue.com (Candidate Handbook)
- To schedule an exam, contact Pearson VUE at http://www.pearsonvue.com or 800-274-5993.
Effective October 9, 2020, all insurance license candidates who are required to take an AK insurance license examination will have the option to take a remote online proctored examination for all exam types via Pearson VUE's platform, OnVUE. Candidates will need a computer with a webcam, a reliable internet connection, and a quiet room. They will be monitored by a Pearson VUE proctor through their webcam and microphone to ensure the integrity of the examination.
In order to facilitate the implementation of remote online examinations, the DOI will be moving from a two-part exam to a one-part exam. Candidates will still be required to answer both general and state specific exam questions, but the previously separated examinations will now be combined. As a result, any candidate that has previously tested and still needs to retake one part of any insurance licensing examination will only be able to do so on or before October 4, 2020.
Examination Scheduling Information.
- Appointments may be made up to one calendar day prior to the day you wish to test, subject to availability.
- Online reservations are the most efficient way for candidates to schedule their examination. Candidates must go to www.pearsonvue.com/ak/insurance to make an online reservation for an examination
- First-time users are required to create an account.
- Candidates must make an online reservation at least twenty-four (24) hours before the desired examination date.
- Candidates must pay $89 at the time of reservation.
- Fees will not be accepted at the test center.
- Candidates should call Pearson VUE at (800) 274-5993 forty-eight (48) hours before the examination to change or cancel a reservation.
Candidates are required to bring two (2) forms of current signature identification. Primary and secondary. The name on the ID must exactly match the name on the registration.
- PRIMARY ID (photograph, signature, not expired)
- Government-issued Driver’s License
- U.S. Dept. of State Driver’s License
- U.S. Learner’s Permit (plastic card only with photo and signature) •
- National/State/Country Identification Card
- Passport
- Passport Cards
- Military ID
- Military ID for spouses and dependents
- Alien Registration Card (Green Card, Permanent Resident Visa)
- SECONDARY ID (signature, not expired)
- Debit (ATM) or Credit Card
Any form of ID on the Primary ID list
- If the ID presented has an embedded signature that is not visible (microchip), or is difficult or impossible to read, the candidate must present another form of identification from the Primary ID or Secondary ID list that contains a visible signature. Pearson VUE does not recognize grace periods. For example, if a candidate’s driver’s license expired yesterday and the state allows a 30-day grace period for renewing the ID, the ID is considered to be expired.
- Candidates should report to the test center thirty (30) minutes before the examination and check in with the test center administrator.
- Candidate identification and other documentation will be reviewed, and they will be photographed for the score report.
Candidates are required to review and sign a Candidate Rules Agreement form.
What is the exam like?
Content Outlines
- Each major lines examination (Life, Health, Property, Casualty, Personal Lines) is given in a multiple-choice format and consists of two parts. The general portion deals with basic insurance product knowledge. The state portion deals with state-specific insurance laws, rules, regulations, and practices.
- The general portion of Life, Health, Property, Casualty consists of fifty (50) questions that count toward the score and ten (10) pretest questions that do not count toward the score.
- The general portion of the Personal Lines examination consists of seventy-five (75) questions that count toward the score and eleven (11) pretest questions that do not count toward the score.
- The examination will contain pretest questions which do not count toward the score. Pretest questions account for approximately twenty percent (20%) of the total number of Part 2 questions.
- Pearson VUE administers “limited lines” examinations in addition to the major lines examinations. The length and format of limited lines examinations vary, but they are typically one-part examinations covering both product knowledge and state laws, rules, and regulations.
Taking the Exam
- Candidates will have an opportunity to take a tutorial on the computer on which the examination will be administered.
- The examination begins the moment a candidate looks at the first examination question.
- After the examination time for each section has expired, the computer will proceed to the next section.
- Candidates will leave the test center with their official scores in hand.
- Examination scores must be less than one (1) year old at the time the candidate applies for the license.
Test Center Policies
- Candidates who violate any of these policies will not be permitted to finish the examination and will be dismissed from the test center, forfeiting the examination fee.
- No personal items are allowed in the testing room, including:
- Cellular phones
- Hand-held computers or electronic devices
- Pagers
- Watches
- Wallets
- Purses
- Firearms or other weapons
- Hats
- Bags
- Coats
- Books
- Notes
- Pens or pencils
- Candidates must store all personal belongings in a secure area as indicated by the administrator or return items to their vehicle.
- All electronic devices must be turned off before storing them in a locker.
- Studying is not allowed in the test center.
- Visitors, children, family or friends are not allowed in the test center.
- Break policies are established by the exam sponsor. Most sponsors allow unscheduled breaks.
- Candidates must leave the testing room for all breaks.
- Candidates are not permitted to leave the floor or building for any reason during this time, unless specified by the administrator and the exam sponsor.
- Candidates are not allowed access to items, including but not limited to, cellular phones, exam notes and study guides, unless the exam sponsor specifically permits this.
- The performance of all candidates is monitored and may be analyzed statistically for the purpose of detecting and verifying fraud.
- Dictionaries, books, papers (including scratch paper), and reference materials are not permitted in the examination room (unless permitted by the exam sponsor), and candidates are strongly urged not to bring such materials to the test center.
- Upon entering and being seated in the testing room, the test administrator will provide the candidate with materials to make notes or calculations and any other items specified by the exam sponsor.
- The candidate may not write on these items before the exam begins or remove these items from the testing room.
Eating, drinking, or chewing gum, smoking and/or making noise that creates a disturbance for other candidates is prohibited during the exam.
How is the exam scored?
- There are multiple versions of each of the licensing examinations.
- These versions are known as forms.
- Although all forms of an examination are developed based on the content outlines, the difficulty of the forms of an examination may vary slightly because different questions appear on each form.
- To ensure that no candidate is put at an unfair advantage or disadvantage due to the particular form of an examination that he or she is given, a statistical procedure known as equating is used to correct for differences in form difficulty.
- Raw scores are converted into scaled scores.
- To avoid misuse of score information, numeric scores are only reported to failing candidates.
- The scaled score that is reported to you is neither the number of questions you answered correctly nor the percentage of questions you answered correctly.
- With a passing score of 70, any score below 70 indicates how close the candidate came to passing, rather than the actual number or percentage of questions the candidates answered correctly.
- Exam results are good for one (1) year.
- Candidates who pass all parts of an examination will receive a score report that indicates “pass” only; no numeric score is reported.
- For those candidates who fail one or more parts of the examination, a separate numeric score for each failed part will be reported.
- Diagnostic information is intended to help failing candidates identify their areas of strength and weakness in order to prepare for future examinations.
- Candidates may use the content outlines in handbook to interpret the diagnostic information on a failing score report.
- Candidates who fail one part of the examination and pass the other need retake only the part failed.
How long is the exam?
Exam | Section | # Items | Time Allotted |
Life | General | 60 | 1 Hour 15 Minutes |
State | 50 | 1 Hour | |
Health | General | 60 | 1 Hour 15 Minutes |
State | 50 | 1 Hour | |
Property | General | 60 | 1 Hour 15 Minutes |
State | 50 | 1 Hour | |
Casualty | General | 60 | 1 Hour 15 Minutes |
State | 50 | 1 Hour | |
Personal Lines | General | 60 | 1 Hour 15 Minutes |
State | 50 | 1 Hour | |
Bail Bonds | One Section | 50 | 1 Hour |
Surplus Lines Broker | One Section | 50 | 1 Hour |
Managing General Agent | One Section | 20 | 45 Minutes |
Reinsurance Intermediary Broker | One Section | 16 | 45 Minutes |
Reinsurance Intermediary Manager | One Section | 20 | 45 Minutes |
Adjuster | One Section | 80 | 1 Hour 30 Minutes |
Title | One Section | 50 | 1 Hour |
Credit | One Section | 50 | 1 Hour |
- Seeking initial licensure
- Changing a license from nonresident to resident status
- Reinstating a license cancelled or expired more than 12 months
- The fingerprints will be captured digitally on the required FD-258 card.
- Pearson VUE will provide the card back to you.
- The fee for digital fingerprinting is $15.00 to cover the service charge to IdentoGo by MorphoTrust USA™ for capturing your fingerprints.
- For Alaska residents, candidates who test in the approved Washington Test Centers may schedule a fingerprint appointment with IdentoGo by MorphoTrust USA™.
- Contact Pearson VUE’s subcontractor, IdentoGo by MorphoTrust USA™ at 866.761.8069 Monday through Saturday 8 am to 5 pm PT to schedule a fingerprint reservation at your Exam Center.
- You MUST first schedule an appointment with Pearson VUE for the insurance examination before contacting IdentoGo by MorphoTrust USA™ for the fingerprint appointment. NOTE: The exam appointment and fee is separate from the fingerprinting appointment and fee.
- Be sure to schedule an appointment with Pearson VUE for the examination and with IdentoGo by MorphoTrust USA™ for the fingerprint. You may also make the fingerprint reservation online at https://pearsonwest.ibtfingerprint.com.
- NOTE: You will be given step-by-step instructions on the website. If you experience problems please call IdentoGo by MorphoTrust USA™ at 866.761.8069 Monday through Saturday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm PT for help.
- NAIC Uniform Application (available at www.nipr.com)
- 08-240 managing general agent
- 08-237 individual or firm reinsurance intermediary manager or broker license; or a
- 08-226 individual or firm managing general agent license
3. Get Fingerprinted
Pursuant to Alaska Statute 21.27.040(f), all application filing requirements must be met within four (4) months of the receipt of the application or the application will be considered withdrawn.
You need to submit fingerprints when you are:
In Alaska, only the Anchorage Test Center offers fingerprints.
4. Apply for Alaska Insurance License
Once you have passed your state licensing exam, you are ready to apply for an insurance license.
All initial applicants for licensure must forward to the Division of Insurance:
1) Completed insurance license application with the appropriate fees:
If you can file electronically via NIPR and elect to file a paper application, an additional $50 filing fee is required.
2) One fingerprint card with a $48.25 fee included with the application fee.