Alaska Insurance Exam Guides
Pick the license you're studying for. Each guide covers Alaska-specific requirements, fees, and official links — plus a free practice exam. Then scroll down to explore the Alaska exam's state-law material, mapped.
Free study resource
What's actually tested on the Alaska exam — the state regulations, mapped
Every Alaska insurance exam reserves a block of questions for Alaska-specific law — the fees, deadlines, limits, and rules that generic national study guides gloss over. This is that material: 103 facts from the TESTivity Alaska regulations curriculum, organized the way we teach them. Open a branch, explore, and let the structure do some of the remembering for you.
Every fact below carries its source citation and the date we last verified it (most recently July 2026) — and is re-checked on a schedule. Facts marked tested are ones you should expect to see on the exam.
Life 12 facts
The life insurance rules that differ by state — free look, grace, reinstatement.
- Incontestability period tested2 years from date of issue, except for nonpayment of premium
- Grace period for individual life tested30 days (or one month of not less than 30 days). **Industrial life paid more often than monthly gets 4 weeks.**
- Window to reinstate a lapsed policy tested3 years from premium default (**2 years** for industrial life)
- Max interest chargeable on reinstatement, if capped testedBack premiums with interest **not exceeding 6% per year, compounded annually**, plus policy-loan interest
- Suicide exclusion period tested2 years from date of issue — the statute says **'while sane or insane'**
- Free look for individual life tested**10 days** after delivery, with a full refund
- Free look for annuities tested**10 days** — the same statute expressly covers annuity contracts
- Free look when a policy is being replaced tested**30 days**, with an unconditional full refund (cash surrender value plus charges for a variable or MVA contract)
- Free look for long-term care tested**30 days** for long-term care (AS 21.53.050(a)); **30 days** for Medicare supplement (3 AAC 28.490(e))
- Required nonforfeiture options testedStandard Nonforfeiture Law — cash surrender value, paid-up nonforfeiture benefit, extended term
- Registrations required to sell variable products testedA **Life producer license first**, then FINRA/NASD qualification as a Registered Representative or principal (or the SEC test under § 15(b)(8) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934)
- Has the state adopted the NAIC best interest standard? tested**YES — adopted, effective 23 November 2022.** *'When making a recommendation of an annuity, a producer shall act in the best interest of the consumer… without placing the producer's or the insurer's financial interest ahead of the consumer's interest.'* Four obligations: **Care, Disclosure, Conflict of Interest, Documentation.**
Health 11 facts
Health coverage rules — continuation, prompt pay, mandates, public programs.
- Has the state expanded Medicaid under the ACA? tested**YES — expanded effective 1 September 2015**, by executive action of Governor Walker. Alaska was the 29th state to expand.
- Effective date of expansion, if expanded tested1 September 2015
- Agency administering Medicaid testedAlaska Department of Health (DOH)
- Federal marketplace or state-based exchange testedFederal marketplace (healthcare.gov) — Alaska has no state-based exchange
- Name of the state CHIP program tested**Denali KidCare**
- Clean-claim payment deadline, electronic tested**30 calendar days**
- Clean-claim payment deadline, paper tested**30 calendar days** — the same
- Does the state distinguish electronic vs paper claims? tested**NO — Alaska applies ONE uniform 30-day standard** to every clean claim, electronic or paper
- Interest / penalty on late claim payment tested**15% annual interest**, accruing from the day after notice was due until the claim is paid. If the insurer needs more information it must say so within 30 days, then pay within **15 days** of receiving it.
- Is the IRO's external review decision binding on the plan? tested**YES — Alaska runs its OWN state external review process**, and the IRO's decision is **binding**: *'An external review decision is binding on a health care insurer except to the extent the health care insurer has other remedies available under applicable state law.'* The Division assigns a registered IRO on rotation.
- Employer size at which federal COBRA applies tested20 or more employees
Auto 10 facts
Auto insurance — minimum limits, fault system, required coverages.
- Fault-based (tort) or no-fault tested**Fault-based (tort). Alaska is NOT a no-fault state** — there is no PIP chapter in Title 21 or Title 28, and medical payments coverage is optional.
- Minimum bodily injury liability per person tested$50,000
- Minimum bodily injury liability per occurrence tested$100,000
- Minimum property damage liability tested$25,000
- The memorizable shorthand (e.g. 30/60/25) tested50/100/25
- Uninsured motorist: mandatory / must be offered & rejectable / not required tested**Included by default at minimum limits, but rejectable IN WRITING.** The insurer must offer UM/UIM initially and at each renewal. Once rejected, it may not be added back to a renewal or replacement policy unless the insured asks in writing. **If the rejection is not signed, the policy must issue with UM/UIM matching the liability limits.**
- Underinsured motorist status testedSame as UM — included by default, rejectable in writing. Minimum UM/UIM limits are **50/100/25**, with a $250 property damage deductible.
- Personal injury protection status testedNot required — Alaska has no PIP statute
- Contributory / pure comparative / modified comparative negligence tested**PURE COMPARATIVE NEGLIGENCE.** *'Contributory fault chargeable to the claimant diminishes proportionately the amount awarded… but does not bar recovery.'* **There is NO percentage bar.** A claimant 99% at fault still recovers 1% of their damages.
- Assigned risk / residual market plan for auto tested**The Alaska Automobile Insurance Plan (Assigned Risk)**, AIPSO-administered. Note that on any auto cancellation (other than for nonpayment) or nonrenewal, **the insurer must tell the insured about their eligibility for the Plan.**
CE & Renewal 8 facts
Continuing education and renewal rules — the numbers the exam loves.
- How long a license lasts before renewal testedTwo years
- What the renewal date keys off (flat term / birthday / birth year) tested**Your birthday, in odd or even years to match your birth YEAR.** Born in an odd-numbered year, the license renews on your birthday every odd-numbered year; born in an even year, every even year. A firm license runs 2 years from original issuance.
- CE hours per renewal period, standard case tested24 credit hours per two-year license period
- CE hours if holding multiple license types (if different) testedStill 24 — the requirement does not increase with the number of lines held
- Ethics hours required per period tested3 hours, in **business insurance ethics**
- Limits on who may provide CE credits testedUp to **8 excess hours may be carried over** into the next period
- What happens if CE is not completed (fine / expiry / cancellation) testedThe license **lapses/expires** if not renewed by the expiration date. **You may not act as a producer while lapsed.** The Director notifies you at least 30 days before the renewal date.
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) tested**Nonresident producers are EXEMPT from Alaska CE.** CE is also not required for limited lines title, bail bond, or credit licenses. A licensee must have held the license for a full two-year period before CE applies.
Property 6 facts
Property insurance — rate regulation, residual markets, catastrophe exposure.
- Rate regulation system (file-and-use / prior approval / use-and-file) tested**FILE-AND-USE with a flex band.** File at least **30 days** before the effective date; the Director reviews within 15 days (extendable by 15). A filing takes effect **unless disapproved within the waiting period**. **A rate change of 10% or less cumulatively over 12 months takes effect with no prior approval at all.** **PRIOR APPROVAL applies only to workers' compensation, medical malpractice, and assigned-risk plan rates.**
- Is insurance credit scoring permitted in personal lines? tested**Permitted — but NEVER as the sole basis.** *'An insurer may use a consumer's credit history or insurance score to cancel, deny, nonrenew, underwrite, or rate personal insurance only in combination with other substantive underwriting factors.'*
- Does the state have a FAIR Plan? tested**NO — Alaska has no FAIR Plan and no residual property market at all.**
- Dominant catastrophe perils in the state tested**Earthquake above all** — Alaska is the most seismically active state in the union, with more large earthquakes than the rest of the United States combined and a roughly M7 event nearly every year (the 1964 Good Friday quake was M9.2). Also volcano, flood and coastal erosion, tsunami, wildland fire, ground failure, permafrost degradation, and severe weather.
- What license you must already hold to write surplus lines testedAn Alaska license as a **producer or managing general agent with PROPERTY AND CASUALTY lines of authority**. The old experience requirement has been abolished. The Surplus Lines Broker license fee is **$300**, and a separate Surplus Lines Broker examination is required.
- Is a diligent-effort search of the admitted market required first? testedYes
Guaranty 10 facts
The safety nets when an insurer fails — and their limits.
- Name of the life & health guaranty association testedAlaska Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association
- Life death benefit limit tested$300,000
- Life cash surrender / withdrawal value limit tested$100,000
- Annuity benefit limit tested$250,000 present value
- Health benefit limit tested$500,000 for health benefit plans; $300,000 for disability income; $300,000 for long-term care; $100,000 for other health coverages
- Aggregate per-individual cap, if any tested**$300,000 aggregate per life** — except **$500,000** where a health benefit plan is involved. Also: $5,000,000 for one owner of multiple non-group life policies; $250,000 structured settlement payee.
- Does the state follow the standard NAIC model limits? testedYes — standard NAIC model structure, with tiered health limits
- Name of the P&C guaranty association testedAlaska Insurance Guaranty Association — **AS 21.80**, with three accounts: workers' compensation, automobile, and all other
- Per-claim cap tested**$500,000** per covered claim — plus **workers' compensation claims paid IN FULL with no cap**, and unearned premium capped at $10,000 per policy
- Is using the guaranty association as a sales inducement prohibited? tested**YES — expressly prohibited.** No person may publish an advertisement *'that uses the existence of the association for the purpose of sales, solicitation, or inducement to purchase any form of insurance.'* The required disclaimer must also tell the buyer they *'should not rely on coverage under the association when selecting an insurer.'*
Workers Comp 6 facts
Who must carry workers' compensation and what it pays.
- Is workers' compensation mandatory for private employers? tested**Yes**
- Employee count at which coverage is required tested**ONE employee.** An 'employer' is *'a person employing one or more persons.'* **There is no headcount exemption at all.**
- Agency administering workers' compensation testedThe **Division of Workers' Compensation**, Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Claims are adjudicated by the **Alaska Workers' Compensation Board** (three-member panels: a hearing officer plus one industry and one labor representative), with appeals to the **Workers' Compensation Appeals Commission**.
- Temporary total disability wage replacement rate tested**80% of the worker's SPENDABLE weekly wage** — gross weekly earnings minus payroll tax deductions
- Deadline to file a claim tested**2 years** from the date the employee has knowledge of the nature of the disability and its relation to the employment — with an outer limit of **4 years from the date of injury**. Death claims: **1 year**. Where benefits were paid without an award: 2 years from the last payment. **Separately, notice of injury must be given to the EMPLOYER within 15 days.**
- Ways an employer may comply (insure / self-insure / group) testedEither insure with a licensed insurer, or furnish the Division satisfactory proof of financial ability to pay directly (self-insure). **Failure to insure is a criminal offense: a $10,000 fine and up to a year's imprisonment, plus civil penalties of up to $1,000 per employee per day uninsured.**
Regulator 5 facts
Who regulates insurance here and what powers the office holds.
- Name of the state insurance regulator testedThe Alaska Division of Insurance
- Title of the person who heads it testedDirector of Insurance — NOT 'Commissioner'
- How the commissioner is chosen: elected / appointed by governor / appointed by other body testedAppointed by the **Commissioner of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development**, and serves at that commissioner's pleasure — NOT elected, and NOT a gubernatorial appointee
- Where the state's insurance law is codified testedAlaska Statutes Title 21 (AS 21.xx.xxx), with regulations in Title 3 of the Alaska Administrative Code (3 AAC 21–31)
- Does the regulator sit somewhere unusual (e.g. inside a constitutional commission)? testedSomewhat — the Division sits inside the **Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED)**, and its head is a Director appointed by that department's commissioner
Cancellation 8 facts
When and how policies can be canceled or nonrenewed — heavily tested.
- Initial window during which an insurer may cancel more freely tested**60 days.** The statutory restrictions on cancellation do not apply to a policy in force less than 60 days (unless it is a renewal) — so the insurer may cancel for any reason in that window. Notice is still required.
- Notice days to cancel a homeowners policy inside the initial window tested**30 days** for general cause — and the same rule covers homeowners AND personal auto
- Notice days to cancel a personal auto policy inside the initial window tested**30 days** for general cause — Alaska uses one rule for both homeowners and personal auto
- Notice days for cancellation for nonpayment tested**20 days**
- Notice days for cancellation for other permitted causes tested**10 days** on the fast track — for a suspended or revoked driver's license or registration, conviction of a crime increasing the hazard insured against, or fraud/material misrepresentation
- Notice days required for nonrenewal tested**20 days for personal lines**; **45 days for commercial**. A personal policy may be nonrenewed **only on the annual anniversary**, and if the notice is defective the policy continues until proper notice has run. A **20-day notice is also required if the renewal premium rises by more than 10%** (AS 21.36.235).
- Must the reason be stated proactively, on request, or not at all? tested**On CANCELLATION: YES** — *'A notice of cancellation… must include or be accompanied by a statement of the reason for the cancellation.'* **On NONRENEWAL: NO** — AS 21.36.240 imposes no reason requirement.
- Restrictions on nonrenewing because of claims (e.g. weather claims excluded) testedA homeowners policy **may not be nonrenewed based solely on the earliest claim in the preceding 3 years that arose from the criminal act of a THIRD PARTY** (i.e. the insured was a victim).
Licensing 27 facts
How you get and keep the license — exams, fees, applications, background checks.
- Is there a standalone life license/exam? testedYes — Life (60 general + 50 state)
- Is there a standalone health license/exam? testedYes — Health (60 general + 50 state)
- Is there a combined life+health license/exam? testedYes as a LICENSURE AREA — but there is **no single combined Life & Health exam**. You sit the Life exam AND the Health exam (220 questions in total). You may take both in one session at a physical test center for a single $89 fee.
- Is there a personal lines license/exam? testedYes — Personal Lines (86 general + 54 state)
- Is P&C one combined license, or split into Property and Casualty? tested**Separate exams — Alaska has NO combined Property & Casualty exam.** You sit Property and Casualty separately, and may take both in one session for a single $89 fee.
- Does the life license cover annuities? testedYes — annuities fall under the Life line
- Does the P&C license already include personal lines authority? testedNo — Personal Lines is its own separate examination and line of authority
- Full list of exam-based agent license types testedLife · Health · Property · Casualty · Personal Lines · plus limited lines (Bail Bond, Title, Credit, Crop, Travel, Motor Vehicle Rental)
- Exam administrator (Prometric / PSI / Pearson VUE) testedPearson VUE — with **OnVUE online proctored testing available**, plus 12 physical test centers
- Exam fee tested$89 — and **two exams may be taken in one session for a single $89 fee** at a physical test center. Online (OnVUE) candidates pay per exam with no combination discount.
- License application fee tested$75 biennial license fee — 'any or all lines'. Surplus Lines Broker is $300.
- Fee per insurer appointment testedNone — Alaska charges no appointment fee, because appointments are not filed with the state
- Passing score tested70 (scaled). Passing candidates receive a score report saying only 'pass' — no numeric score. Only FAILING candidates get a number.
- Minimum age to be licensed tested18
- Is pre-licensing education required? tested**No — Alaska requires no pre-licensing education.** The statutory qualifications are: be 18, be a bona fide Alaska resident, be trustworthy and competent, and pass the examination.
- Pre-licensing hours and any exceptions (e.g. Title, adjusters) testedNone. The Director *may* adopt education regulations but has not done so.
- Fingerprints, state police report, or none tested**One fingerprint card**, submitted with the application
- Who takes the prints / issues the report testedAny fingerprinter on the Alaska Department of Public Safety's approved list
- How long the background report stays valid testedA **$48.25 fingerprint fee** is submitted together with the application fee
- Deadline to apply after passing the exam testedExamination results are valid for **1 year**. Separately, once you file, **all application requirements must be met within 4 months** of the Division receiving the application, or the application is treated as WITHDRAWN.
- How long a passed exam remains valid tested1 year
- Waiting period before retaking a failed exam tested**At a test center: no waiting period.** **Online (OnVUE): 4 attempts maximum** — wait 7 days after the 1st failure, 14 days after the 2nd, 30 days after the 3rd. After four online attempts you must test at a physical Pearson VUE center.
- Limit on number of attempts, if any tested4 attempts online; unlimited at a test center
- Notice required to reschedule/cancel without forfeiting the fee tested48 hours (24 hours for OnVUE online exams)
- Where you apply (Sircon / NIPR / state portal) testedNIPR (nipr.com). **Filing a paper application when you could have filed electronically costs an extra $50.**
- Are temporary licenses available? testedNo general temporary producer license. Alaska does have a **Trainee Independent Adjuster** license.
- Temporary license duration and training requirement testedTrainee Independent Adjuster only: must be employed and supervised by a licensed independent adjuster; must score 60+ on the limited lines adjuster exam at 4 months, 70+ at 8 months, and obtain the full independent adjuster license within 1 year.