Maine Insurance Exam Guides
Pick the license you're studying for. Each guide covers Maine-specific requirements, fees, and official links — plus a free practice exam. Then scroll down to explore the Maine exam's state-law material, mapped.
Free study resource
What's actually tested on the Maine exam — the state regulations, mapped
Every Maine insurance exam reserves a block of questions for Maine-specific law — the fees, deadlines, limits, and rules that generic national study guides gloss over. This is that material: 97 facts from the TESTivity Maine 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 11 facts
The life insurance rules that differ by state — free look, grace, reinstatement.
- Incontestability period tested2 years from issue, during the insured's lifetime (except for nonpayment of premium)
- Grace period for individual life tested30 days (one month); the insurer may charge up to 6% per year interest
- Window to reinstate a lapsed policy testedWithin 3 years of premium default (2 years for industrial life), on evidence of insurability and payment of overdue premiums
- Max interest chargeable on reinstatement, if capped testedOverdue premiums bear interest not exceeding 6% per year, compounded annually
- Free look for individual life tested10 days for individual life — the owner may return the policy within 10 days for a refund
- Free look for long-term care tested30 days for long-term care (24-A M.R.S. § 5052-A); 30 days for Medicare supplement (§ 5007)
- Required nonforfeiture options testedCash surrender value, reduced paid-up insurance, extended term insurance
- Registrations required to sell variable products testedThe Life line plus FINRA securities registration; Variable Life and Variable Annuity is a separate Maine line
- Does the state regulate viatical/life settlements? testedYes — the Maine Viatical and Life Settlements Act
- Viator's rescission window testedThe EARLIER of 30 days after the contract is executed OR 15 days after the viator receives the payment
- Has the state adopted the NAIC best interest standard? testedYES — adopted the NAIC best interest standard (Rule Chapter 917), effective January 1, 2022. A producer recommending an annuity must act in the consumer's best interest.
Health 15 facts
Health coverage rules — continuation, prompt pay, mandates, public programs.
- Has the state expanded Medicaid under the ACA? testedYES — Maine expanded Medicaid, approved by a 2017 ballot initiative, with coverage beginning January 2019 (up to 138% of the poverty level)
- Effective date of expansion, if expanded testedJanuary 2019 (via the 2017 ballot initiative)
- Agency administering Medicaid testedMaineCare — Maine's Medicaid program, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services
- Federal marketplace or state-based exchange testedA STATE-BASED marketplace — CoverME.gov. Maine launched its own exchange for plan year 2022 under the Made for Maine Health Coverage Act.
- Name of the state CHIP program testedCub Care — Maine's CHIP (delivered alongside MaineCare)
- Clean-claim payment deadline, electronic tested30 days from proof of loss to pay or dispute a clean claim (Maine applies the same 30-day rule to electronic and paper)
- Clean-claim payment deadline, paper tested30 days — the same deadline as electronic claims
- Does the state distinguish electronic vs paper claims? testedNo split — a single 30-day clean-claim deadline for both paper and electronic claims
- Interest / penalty on late claim payment tested1.5% per month interest after the due date (18% per year) on an overdue clean claim
- Is the IRO's external review decision binding on the plan? testedYES — Maine runs a binding external review through a Bureau-contracted Independent Review Organization; request within 12 months, decision within 30 days (72 hours expedited), binding on the carrier
- Employer size at which federal COBRA applies testedFederal COBRA applies at 20+ employees; Maine's continuation is triggered by events (layoff, work injury) rather than an employer-size threshold
- Employer size range covered by state continuation testedMaine's continuation is not a size-based small-employer mini-COBRA — it is available on specified triggers (temporary or permanent layoff, or a work-related injury) after at least 6 months of coverage
- Duration of state continuation coverage testedUp to 12 months from the last day of work (elect within 31 days)
- Election period for state continuation testedElect within 31 days
- Max premium as % of group rate testedUp to 102% of the group rate
Auto 11 facts
Auto insurance — minimum limits, fault system, required coverages.
- Fault-based (tort) or no-fault testedFault-based (tort). Maine has no no-fault system and no mandatory PIP, but it DOES require medical payments coverage ($2,000).
- 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, plus mandatory medical payments of $2,000 and towing/storage of $500
- Uninsured motorist: mandatory / must be offered & rejectable / not required testedMANDATORY — uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage must be provided equal to the bodily injury liability limits, unless the insured expressly rejects the higher amount in writing (never below the statutory minimum)
- Underinsured motorist status testedMandatory, matched to the UM limits (24-A M.R.S. § 2902)
- Personal injury protection status testedNo PIP — Maine is a tort state. But medical payments coverage of $2,000 is MANDATORY.
- Contributory / pure comparative / modified comparative negligence testedModified comparative negligence — a 50% bar. A claimant found EQUALLY at fault with the defendant recovers nothing. Below that, the jury reduces the damages 'to such extent as the jury thinks just and equitable' having regard to the claimant's share — a reduction stated as a DOLLAR amount rather than a strict percentage.
- The bar percentage, if modified comparative tested50% bar — a claimant equally at fault (or more) recovers nothing
- Assigned risk / residual market plan for auto testedThe Maine Automobile Insurance Plan (assigned risk), for drivers who cannot obtain coverage voluntarily
CE & Renewal 7 facts
Continuing education and renewal rules — the numbers the exam loves.
- How long a license lasts before renewal testedThe producer license is PERPETUAL (it stays in force as long as the biennial fee is paid and CE is met). CE runs on a two-year cycle ending the last day of the birth month.
- What the renewal date keys off (flat term / birthday / birth year) testedBiennial — CE due the last day of the birth month (odd or even year), with the biennial fee on a fixed billing date by license type
- CE hours per renewal period, standard case tested24 credit hours of Maine-approved CE every two years
- CE hours if holding multiple license types (if different) testedStill 24 total — holding multiple lines does not multiply the hours
- Ethics hours required per period testedAt least 3 hours of ethics, within the 24
- What happens if CE is not completed (fine / expiry / cancellation) testedA license may not be continued until CE is satisfied; an uncontinued license lapses
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) testedNonresidents licensed on a reciprocal basis are treated as compliant under their home state's CE (no separate Maine CE)
Property 6 facts
Property insurance — rate regulation, residual markets, catastrophe exposure.
- Rate regulation system (file-and-use / prior approval / use-and-file) testedCOMPETITIVE FILE-AND-USE with prior filing — rates are filed at least 30 days before their effective date and take effect unless the Superintendent acts within 30 days. Rates must not be excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory.
- Is insurance credit scoring permitted in personal lines? testedPermitted but restricted in personal lines: an insurer may not use race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, income, address, ZIP code, or marital status, may not decline, cancel, nonrenew, or set a renewal rate SOLELY on credit, and must use a report no more than 90 days old.
- Does the state have a FAIR Plan? testedNO — Maine has NO FAIR Plan or property insurance underwriting association. The residual mechanism is a market assistance program: a voluntary program, plus a mandatory STANDBY program that activates only if the Superintendent finds insufficient voluntary participation (maximum dwelling coverage $300,000; requires two declinations).
- Dominant catastrophe perils in the state testedWinter storms and nor'easters, coastal wind, ice storms, and river and coastal flooding are Maine's dominant perils — the exposure is weather-driven, not hurricane-frequent.
- What license you must already hold to write surplus lines testedAn active Maine property and casualty producer license, plus a separate Surplus Lines broker license
- Is a diligent-effort search of the admitted market required first? testedYes — a diligent effort to place the risk in the admitted market first
Guaranty 10 facts
The safety nets when an insurer fails — and their limits.
- Name of the life & health guaranty association testedMaine Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association
- Life death benefit limit tested$300,000
- Life cash surrender / withdrawal value limit tested$100,000 net cash surrender value
- Annuity benefit limit tested$250,000 present value of annuity benefits (and $250,000 for a structured settlement)
- Health benefit limit tested$500,000 for a major-medical health plan; $300,000 for basic health, disability income, and long-term care
- Aggregate per-individual cap, if any tested$300,000 aggregate per life — except up to $500,000 where health-plan benefits are involved; a single owner of multiple policies is capped at $5,000,000
- Does the state follow the standard NAIC model limits? testedYes — standard NAIC model limits, with tiered health
- Name of the P&C guaranty association testedMaine Insurance Guaranty Association
- Per-claim cap testedCovered claims up to $300,000 per claim (a cyber claim up to $500,000). Workers' compensation claims are paid in full; unearned premium refunds are capped at $25,000 per policy, over a $50 threshold (the first $50 is not paid).
- Is using the guaranty association as a sales inducement prohibited? testedYes — using the existence of the guaranty association in a sale or advertisement is prohibited
Workers Comp 6 facts
Who must carry workers' compensation and what it pays.
- Is workers' compensation mandatory for private employers? testedYes — essentially all private employers (and all governmental bodies) with employees must secure workers' compensation coverage
- Employee count at which coverage is required testedOne or more employees — Maine requires coverage from the first employee. Domestic-service workers and certain seasonal/casual agricultural and aquacultural laborers (with alternative liability coverage) are excepted.
- Agency administering workers' compensation testedThe Maine Workers' Compensation Board
- Temporary total disability wage replacement rate testedTwo-thirds of the gross average weekly wage, capped at 125% of the state average weekly wage (for injuries on or after January 1, 2020)
- Deadline to file a claim testedGive the employer notice within 60 days of the injury (for injuries on or after January 1, 2020); file a claim within 2 years of the injury (or the employer's first report), or within 6 years of the last payment if benefits were paid
- Ways an employer may comply (insure / self-insure / group) testedInsure with a licensed carrier, or qualify as an approved self-insurer
Regulator 5 facts
Who regulates insurance here and what powers the office holds.
- Name of the state insurance regulator testedThe Maine Bureau of Insurance, within the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation
- Title of the person who heads it testedSuperintendent of Insurance (Maine uses 'Superintendent,' not 'Commissioner')
- How the commissioner is chosen: elected / appointed by governor / appointed by other body testedAppointed by the Governor, subject to legislative review and confirmation, for a five-year term — not elected
- Where the state's insurance law is codified testedTitle 24-A of the Maine Revised Statutes (the Insurance Code), with regulations in Chapter rules of the Code of Maine Rules, 02-031 (Bureau of Insurance)
- Does the regulator sit somewhere unusual (e.g. inside a constitutional commission)? testedNo — a conventional Bureau of Insurance within the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, headed by an appointed Superintendent
Cancellation 7 facts
When and how policies can be canceled or nonrenewed — heavily tested.
- Initial window during which an insurer may cancel more freely tested60 days — the auto cancellation-control restrictions do not apply to a policy in effect fewer than 60 days (property/homeowners uses a 90-day window)
- Notice days to cancel a homeowners policy inside the initial window tested20 days' notice to cancel homeowners (10 days for nonpayment); a reason is required unless the policy has been in effect fewer than 90 days
- Notice days to cancel a personal auto policy inside the initial window testedAt least 20 days' notice to cancel auto; 10 days for nonpayment. The notice must state the reason and the right to a hearing.
- Notice days for cancellation for nonpayment tested10 days for nonpayment of premium (auto and homeowners)
- Notice days for cancellation for other permitted causes tested20 days for permitted causes (auto)
- Notice days required for nonrenewal testedAt least 30 days' advance notice of nonrenewal for both auto and homeowners, and an EXPLICIT reason must be stated (vague terms like 'underwriting reasons' are not acceptable), with notice of the right to a hearing
- Must the reason be stated proactively, on request, or not at all? testedYes — an explicit, specific reason must be stated for cancellation and nonrenewal (auto and homeowners), with a hearing-right notice
Licensing 19 facts
How you get and keep the license — exams, fees, applications, background checks.
- Is there a standalone life license/exam? testedYes — a Life line with its own exam
- Is there a standalone health license/exam? testedYes — an Accident and Health or Sickness line with its own exam
- Is there a combined life+health license/exam? testedYes — Maine offers a combined Life & Health exam (12-ME-01, $85) as well as the individual Life and Accident & Health lines
- Is there a personal lines license/exam? testedYes — a Personal Lines line with its own exam
- Is P&C one combined license, or split into Property and Casualty? testedBoth — Maine licenses Property and Casualty as separate lines of authority, and Pearson VUE offers Property and Casualty as individual exams OR a COMBINED Property & Casualty exam (167 questions, 210 minutes), plus a narrower Personal Lines line.
- Does the life license cover annuities? testedYes — annuities are sold under the Life line (Variable Life and Variable Annuity is a separate line that also requires FINRA registration)
- Does the P&C license already include personal lines authority? testedNo — Personal Lines is its own line, but holding Property and Casualty covers personal-lines risks
- Full list of exam-based agent license types testedOne Maine producer license listing any of: Life · Accident and Health or Sickness · Property · Casualty · Personal Lines · Variable Life and Variable Annuity — plus limited lines (Credit, Travel, Title, and others)
- Exam administrator (Prometric / PSI / Pearson VUE) testedPearson VUE (formerly Promissor) — at a physical test center only; online proctoring ended May 2025
- Exam fee tested$85 for the combined Life & Health exam; see the Pearson VUE schedule for other lines
- License application fee tested$30 for the resident producer license (the maximum set by statute)
- Fee per insurer appointment tested$30 per appointment (per insurer), at issuance and biennially
- Passing score tested70% (scaled)
- Minimum age to be licensed tested18
- Is pre-licensing education required? testedNO — Maine does NOT require pre-licensing education. Only the Pearson VUE exam is required.
- Pre-licensing hours and any exceptions (e.g. Title, adjusters) testedNone — no pre-licensing course is required. Candidates study the Pearson VUE content outlines and sit the exam directly.
- Fingerprints, state police report, or none testedA background review is conducted through the license application; Maine does not require fingerprinting for a resident producer license
- Who takes the prints / issues the report testedMaine Bureau of Insurance, via the NIPR application
- Where you apply (Sircon / NIPR / state portal) testedNIPR (nipr.com)