Kentucky runs its own exams - there is no Pearson VUE handbook
Most states hand their licensing exams to a national vendor like Pearson VUE, PSI, or Prometric, and you study from that vendor's candidate handbook. Kentucky does it differently: the Kentucky Department of Insurance administers the exams itself. That is why you will not find a Kentucky candidate handbook on Pearson VUE - everything lives on the DOI's own site.
The practical effect is a different order of operations. In a vendor state you can often schedule a test almost immediately. In Kentucky you have to get the DOI to process your application first, and only then does the door to scheduling open.
Pre-licensing education: 20 hours per line
Kentucky requires 20 hours of state-approved pre-licensing education for each line of authority. Because the Property & Casualty license covers two lines, you complete 40 hours total before you can sit the exams.
Your provider files the completion electronically with the DOI, but the responsibility to confirm the DOI actually has your certificate on file is yours. If it is missing, you can upload Form CPL-01 through eServices. A pre-licensing completion certificate is valid for one year.
TESTivity recommends [Achievable](https://app.achievable.me/study/insurance-property-casualty/purchase#a_aid=getthelicense) to satisfy your Kentucky pre-licensing requirement. Achievable is an approved provider, its insurance courses were built by the same subject-matter expert behind TESTivity, and completing the Achievable course earns you the certificate of completion Kentucky requires.
One important distinction: TESTivity is not an approved pre-licensing provider in Kentucky and does not issue certificates of completion. The TESTivity learning tools and study packages will absolutely help you pass the exam — but treat them as a supplement to your Achievable course, not a substitute for it.
Disclosure: TESTivity has a partnership with Achievable and may earn a commission if you enroll through links on this page.
Criminal background report - not fingerprinting
Kentucky does not require fingerprinting. Instead, you request an electronic criminal background report through the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC). This is a Kentucky court-records check rather than the IdentoGO / fingerprint vendor process used in many other states.
The DOI cannot review your history before you apply, so a prior record does not block you from applying - each application is reviewed case by case once it and the supporting documents are in.
Submit the application through NIPR
File your resident producer application electronically through NIPR. The state application fee is $40 per line of authority, paid by card or e-check and non-refundable once submitted.
Allow roughly three to five business days for DOI staff to review your application, background report, and pre-licensing certificate. Within about 24 hours of submitting, you can create your eServices account to track status.
Schedule through eServices, then test
Once the DOI has processed your application, you schedule your exam through your eServices account - this is Kentucky's version of an 'authorization to test.' Exams are offered at testing locations around the state.
The exam fee is $50 each time you sit, and the passing score is 70%. You see your result at the testing site; testing centers do not print, so you retrieve your official score through the eServices portal. A failed attempt requires an Exam Retake Form and another $50 to reschedule.
Kentucky tests one line at a time. Because the Property & Casualty license spans two lines, plan on two separate exams.
Continuing education and renewal
Resident producers renew every two years and must complete 24 hours of approved continuing education each period, including at least 3 hours of ethics. A minimum of 6 hours must relate to each line of authority you hold, and up to 12 unused hours can carry over to the next period as general credit.
CE completed even one day late can result in termination of the license, so do not cut the deadline close. CE hours are credited across all of your licenses at once if you also hold an adjuster or related license.
What the Property and Casualty exams cover
Each exam blends general insurance principles with Kentucky law. Property topics include the dwelling and homeowners forms, commercial property, and inland marine. Casualty topics include personal and commercial auto, general liability, workers' compensation, and umbrella coverage.
The Kentucky-specific slice is where candidates lose easy points - unfair trade practices, producer duties, and especially the state's no-fault auto framework. Know it cold.
Kentucky's no-fault auto system - the MVRA
The Motor Vehicle Reparations Act (KRS 304.39) makes Kentucky a no-fault state. After a crash, an injured person's own insurer pays Basic Reparation Benefits - what most people call PIP - up to $10,000 per person for medical bills, part of lost wages, and replacement services, regardless of who was at fault.
Minimum liability limits are 25/50/25: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage. Kentucky also accepts a $60,000 combined single limit as an alternative, and it must still carry PIP for anything other than a motorcycle.
Here is the Kentucky twist worth memorizing: it is a 'choice' no-fault state. By accepting standard coverage a driver accepts limits on the right to sue, but a driver can reject the tort limitation in writing under KRS 304.39-060 and keep an unrestricted right to sue. The tort threshold is met at roughly $1,000 in medical bills or a defined serious injury.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage
Insurers must offer uninsured motorist (UM) coverage, and a customer who does not want it must reject it in writing (KRS 304.20-020). Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage must be made available on request (KRS 304.39-320) and pays the shortfall when an at-fault driver's limits are not enough.
Because Kentucky's minimum limits are modest, UM and UIM are practical, frequently recommended add-ons - a point worth understanding both for the exam and for advising real clients.
Quick Reference
Official Links
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