What This License Is
The combined path gives you two lines of authority — Life at ORC 3905.06(B)(1) and Accident and Health at (B)(2) — earned in a single sitting. Life covers life insurance and fixed and indexed annuities; Accident & Health covers major medical, disability income, Medicare supplement and Medicare Advantage business, dental and vision, and long-term care.
The economics favour doing it at once. Series 11-35 costs $49, exactly what the single-line 11-44 or 11-45 costs, so the exam fee for the second line is free. What is not free is the coursework: 40 hours, 20 per line, with a separate certificate for each. Adding the second line later means paying $49 again, sitting another exam, and paying another $10 line-of-authority fee, so the only real question is whether you want both lines within the next couple of years.
Variable products sit outside both lines. Variable life and variable annuity authority is ORC 3905.06(B)(6), and Ohio asks for no pre-licensing and no exam for it — the examination requirement at ORC 3905.04(B) reaches the (B)(1)–(5) lines plus title and surety bail bonds, and variable sits outside that list — but ORC 3905.05 requires your CRD number, so FINRA registration does the work the exam would have done.
One caution about the certificate rule, because it catches career-changers: the combined exam requires both certificates on the day. There is no partial credit at the test-center door, and no way to sit 11-35 on the strength of 20 hours.
Exam Options & Format
Series 11-35, "Ohio Life, Accident and Health Insurance Agent" — 150 scored questions in 2 hours 30 minutes, delivered by PSI at a test center. Ohio adds 1 to 10 unscored experimental items on top of the scored count; they do not affect your score but they do consume your time. (The bulletin also describes those items as "approximately 10% of the number of questions," which cannot be true at the same time as "one to ten" on a 150-question paper. It is PSI boilerplate carried across states — plan for a handful.)
The passing standard is 70%, and it is a percentage. Ohio does not scale. The bulletin says outright that "the minimum passing score is 70%," and none of the scaled-score language other states use appears in the document.
Testing is in person only. The notice is on the bulletin's cover: effective 3/13/2026, remote proctored examinations are no longer available.
Register at test-takers.psiexams.com/ohins with at least 24 hours' notice, by phone on (855) 807-3995, by fax with four business days' notice, or by mail. Payment is credit card, company check, money order or cashier's check; personal checks are refused. The fee stays valid one year from payment — but your certificates die at 180 days, which is the constraint that actually plans your calendar.
Choosing between the combined and the single-line papers. 11-35 is 150 questions for two lines; 11-44 or 11-45 is 100 questions for one. Per line of authority earned, the combined exam is 75 questions and the single-line route is 100, so the combined paper is the better trade if you genuinely want both — and a worse one if you are adding a second line you will never use, because it also doubles your coursework.
Most Tested Topics on the Ohio Life & Health Exam
Because this paper spans both lines, its Ohio-specific content clusters around the material both halves share: the guaranty association in ORC Chapter 3956, the replacement rules in OAC 3901-6-05, and the free-look periods scattered across four different authorities. Every row is verified against the section cited:
| Concept | The Ohio rule |
|---|---|
| Guaranty cap, life death benefit | $300,000 (ORC 3956.04(D)(2)(a)(i)) |
| Guaranty cap, life net cash surrender or withdrawal | $100,000 — a sub-limit inside the $300,000, not a separate bucket (ORC 3956.04(D)(2)(a)(i)) |
| Guaranty cap, health that is not a health benefit plan, DI or LTC | $100,000 (ORC 3956.04(D)(2)(a)(ii)) |
| Guaranty cap, disability income | $300,000 (ORC 3956.04(D)(2)(a)(iii)) |
| Guaranty cap, long-term care | $300,000 (ORC 3956.04(D)(2)(a)(iv)) |
| Guaranty cap, health benefit plan coverage | $500,000 — learn Ohio's statutory phrase, not "basic hospital, medical or major medical" (ORC 3956.04(D)(2)(a)(v)) |
| Guaranty cap, annuity present value | $250,000, including net cash surrender and withdrawal values (ORC 3956.04(D)(2)(a)(vi)) |
| Guaranty cap, unallocated annuity | $5,000,000 per contract holder (ORC 3956.04(D)(2)(c)) |
| Guaranty cap, aggregate per individual | $300,000 across all coverages, rising to $500,000 where health benefit plan coverage is involved — and it sits in an unlettered flush paragraph inside (D)(2), applying across (a), (b) and (d) but not across the unallocated annuity cap at (c) |
| How every cap is measured | The lesser of the insurer's contractual obligation (D)(1) or the scheduled amount (D)(2) — never simply the scheduled figure |
| Net worth exclusion | None on the life and health side. The $50,000,000 net-worth exclusion belongs to the property and casualty association (ORC 3955.01(D)(2)(h)) — see the Property & Casualty guide |
| Using the guaranty association to sell | Prohibited. The member insurer must deliver a superintendent-approved summary with a clear and conspicuous disclaimer naming the association, warning of substantial limitations and exclusions, and stating that agents may not use it to sell (ORC 3956.18(A)(1), (B), (C)) |
| Free look, replacement transaction | 30 days from delivery for an unconditional full refund of all premiums, including policy fees and charges (OAC 3901-6-05(G)(1)(d)) |
| Insurer duties in a replacement | The replacing insurer must notify the existing insurer within five business days, and the existing insurer's duties run on the same clock — note the unit changes inside a single rule, where the free look is plain "days" and these are business days. Agents' duties are in paragraph (E) and run on no such clock (OAC 3901-6-05(G)(1)(b), (H)(2)) |
| Free look, individual sickness and accident | 10 days from receipt, no reason needed (ORC 3923.31(A)(1)) |
| Free look, long-term care | 30 days from delivery, using 3923.31's procedures (ORC 3923.44) |
| Free look, annuity — conditional | 15 days, only where the Buyer's Guide and disclosure document were not delivered at or before application, running concurrently with any other free look (OAC 3901-6-14(E)(4)) |
| Free look, ordinary individual life | None mandated — the ten days in the life disclosure rule are a condition on Buyer's Guide delivery timing, not a return right |
| Continuing education headline | 24 hours per renewal period including 3 ethics hours — one requirement covering both lines (ORC 3905.481) |
The guaranty rows reward precision about where the numbers live. Every cap is in ORC 3956.04(D), every one is a "lesser of" against the insurer's actual obligation, and the aggregate ceiling is in a paragraph with no letter of its own — sitting between (b) and (c), which is exactly why candidates cite the wrong subsection or miss it entirely. Two figures are worth over-learning because they are Ohio-specific: $500,000 for health benefit plan coverage and $5,000,000 for an unallocated annuity per contract holder.
The free-look rows are the other reliable source of lost marks, because Ohio's periods belong to products rather than to a general rule. Build the matrix once and keep it: ordinary life gets nothing; a replacement gets 30 days; variable life gets 10; an annuity gets 15 only if the disclosure was late; individual health gets 10; long-term care gets 30. Read every stem for the product and for the word replacement — a life policy sold as a replacement is answered by the replacement rule, not by the life rule.
One structural point worth carrying into the exam: Ohio flags business days expressly whenever it means them. In the replacement rule the insurers' notification duties run on "five business days" while the free look runs on plain "days," in the same rule, deliberately. Unqualified days in Ohio insurance regulation are calendar days.
Ohio's 20-Hour Rule — Per Line, and What the Certificate Has to Look Like
Ohio requires 20 hours of superintendent-approved pre-licensing education for each line of authority you apply for. It is in the statute at ORC 3905.04(C)(1)(c) and restated line by line in OAC 3901-5-09: Life 20, Accident and Health 20, Property 20, Casualty 20, Personal Lines 20, Surety Bail Bond 20. For the combined Life & Health exam that means 40 hours and two certificates.
The requirement is live, not vestigial. Several states repealed their pre-licensing rules in 2024 and 2025 and left stale pages behind, so it is worth stating what Ohio actually did: OAC 3901-5-07 was re-promulgated effective 11/14/2024 and OAC 3901-5-09 effective 3/27/2025, both carrying the 20 hours; the March 2026 bulletin prints the 20-hour column; and ODI's own pre-licensing page currently instructs applicants to complete a 20-hour course. Nothing repealed it.
What counts as an hour. OAC 3901-5-07 defines a course hour as no less than sixty minutes of instruction. Reasonable testing time counts; breaks, study preparation and non-instructional activity do not. Classroom, distance learning, online and self-study are all permitted formats — ODI approves the provider and the course, and its course-finder tool is the authoritative list.
The 180-day clock, and where it starts. Certificates and education waivers are valid 180 calendar days. The bulletin dates that from issuance; the rule dates it from completion of the course or from passing the provider's self-study examination — and the rule governs. Providers must deliver the certificate within three calendar days of completion, so the two dates are close, but if you finish on a Friday and the certificate arrives Monday, your clock started Friday. Miss the window and you do not merely rebook the exam: you retake the course.
The certificate is a physical document and its formalities are enforced. The bulletin is blunt: "Course Completion Certificates must be paper copies. Electronic copies will not be accepted." It must be signed and dated by both the provider and you. Acceptable signatures are an original wet signature, a digital signature that duplicates the original, or DocuSign carrying its label and alphanumeric verification code. A computer-generated typed name is not a signature. Altered certificates are refused outright.
Disclose the conflict, then follow the bulletin. OAC 3901-5-07 permits providers to distribute certificates electronically if formatted to prevent alterations. The bulletin refuses electronic copies at the test center. Both are current. The rule governs what your provider may transmit; the bulletin governs what the proctor will accept — so print it, bring the paper, and do not argue the regulation at the door. A candidate who arrives with a PDF on a phone is turned away and forfeits $49.
Waivers. A qualifying professional designation or an insurance degree can replace the coursework — but never the exam — on ODI form INS3276, and the approved waiver behaves exactly like a certificate: 180 days, original paper, presented on test day. Anyone who has surrendered a license, or had one suspended, inactivated, canceled for nonrenewal or revoked, is permanently barred from using any pre-licensing exemption. The Health guide walks the three designation lists and the disqualifier in full.
Two lines that work differently. Title requires an exam but no pre-licensing (ORC 3905.04(C)); variable requires neither, needing a CRD number instead; limited lines require neither; and surety bail bond pre-licensing cannot be waived at all.
Exam Day in Ohio — Check-In, ID and the Security Rules
Arrive 30 minutes before your appointment. That is PSI's published instruction, and the consequence of ignoring it is specific: "If you arrive late, you may not be admitted to the examination center and you will forfeit your examination registration fee." Ohio forfeits the $49 for arriving after the start time, for not appearing, and for cancelling with less than 2 days' notice.
Bring one photo ID — but make sure it is the right one. Ohio asks for one (1) form of valid, non-expired, signature-bearing photo identification. Acceptable: a state-issued driver's license, state ID card, state-issued interim driver's license or interim ID document, a US government-issued passport, military ID or alien registration card, or a Canadian government-issued ID. If you are relying on an interim license or ID, plan to bring your old license or a further form of identification with it.
The name has to match exactly. "Your name as shown during registration must exactly match the name on the photo I.D. used when checking in." Newly married, recently divorced, or registered with a middle initial your license does not carry — fix the registration before the day, not at the counter.
Your certificates are part of check-in. Paper originals, signed by both provider and candidate, one per line of authority. Without them you are turned away and the fee is gone.
Prohibited items, and the rule that surprises people. Barred from the testing room: reference materials of any kind; cellular phones, cameras, computers of any type including laptops and tablets, earbuds, electronic games, electronic watches and handheld calculators; hats or headgear not worn for religious reasons; bulky or loose clothing or coats — open sweaters, cardigans, shawls, scarves, vests, jackets; and personal items including backpacks, briefcases, chewing gum, drinks, food, good-luck items, notebooks, paper or anything to write on, pens, pencils, purses and wallets. The rule that catches people is the scope: no prohibited item may be within the candidate's reach or line of sight. A silent phone in your pocket is a violation.
Nobody is guarding your belongings. PSI states plainly that it "will not be responsible for the security of any personal belongings or prohibited items." Note the attribution: this is the vendor's policy printed in a state-hosted document, not an ODI instruction. The practical answer is to leave everything in the car and walk in with your ID and your certificates.
During the exam. Your score appears on screen when you finish and a score report is emailed to you. A failing report carries a diagnostic breakdown by content area — the Personal Lines guide owns score reporting and retake strategy.
One consequence worth knowing before you sit. OAC 3901-5-05(D) lets the superintendent refuse additional examination attempts or deny licensure altogether for cheating, unauthorised materials, or an unauthorised telecommunication device during an exam. Ohio does not cap retakes — but it can take them away.
Immediately after you pass, the bulletin describes applying from the kiosk at the examination center. If your background check is already running, that is the shortest path from a passing score to an issued license; otherwise apply through NIPR, which the Life guide walks step by step.
What It Costs
$49 for Series 11-35 — the same fee as a single-line exam, which is the strongest argument for the combined route — up to $72.25 for the National WebCheck background check, and $20 in application fees, being $10 per line of authority for Life and Accident & Health. That is roughly $141 on a first-time pass. ODI's fee chart dated 16 April 2026 and ORC 3905.40(C) agree on the $10.
The 40 hours of pre-licensing are the real budget line, and they are two separate courses at provider pricing. If you hold a designation on ODI's Life list (CLU, ChFC, CFP, CIC, CEBS, FLMI, LUTCF) or its Accident & Health list (RHU, CEBS, REBC, HIA), the INS3276 waiver removes the corresponding 20 hours — and CEBS is the one designation that reaches both lists.
Ongoing, renewal is $25 by statute and waived for resident individual agents who have met CE. Retakes are $49 each with no limit on attempts.
Eligibility Requirements
At least 18 (ORC 3905.06(A)(1)(a)); 40 hours of ODI-approved pre-licensing, 20 per line, or approved waivers; a pass on Series 11-35; the ORC 3905.051 National WebCheck criminal records check; and the NIPR application, with $10 per line, filed inside 180 calendar days of passing (OAC 3901-5-09).
The application carries a sworn declaration of truthfulness under ORC 3905.05 and your consent to the records check. A criminal record is not an automatic bar in Ohio; an undisclosed one is a different matter, since BCI and FBI results go straight to the Department.
If you are moving to Ohio already licensed elsewhere for these lines, stop before you buy 40 hours of coursework: ORC 3905.041(A) waives the education and the examination for a producer who applies within 90 days of establishing residence or a principal place of business here and is in good standing for the lines requested. The Property & Casualty guide covers that route in detail.
Keeping Your License Active
Important CE details: 24 hours per two-year renewal period including 3 hours of ethics — one requirement covering both lines, not two. Annuity best-interest training (one-time, 4 credits) and long-term care training (8 hours initial plus a 4-hour refresher each period) both count inside the 24 rather than on top of it.
24 hours every two years including 3 hours of ethics (ORC 3905.481) — one requirement covering both lines, not one per line. It must all be complete before the renewal is filed, and renewal is due by the last day of your birth month. The $25 fee is waived for resident individual agents who have met CE (ORC 3905.40(E)(1)).
Both halves of this license carry product training, and every hour of it counts inside the 24: annuity best interest, a one-time 4-credit course before your first annuity sale (OAC 3901-6-13(G)(2)(a)); long-term care, an 8-hour course before your first LTC sale plus a 4-hour refresher every renewal period; and, if you ever write flood, a one-time 3-hour NFIP course by the end of your first renewal period.
Two rules about the annuity training that get missed. Being FINRA-registered does not exempt you — the state training is required regardless. And training completed in another state under a substantially similar standard makes you compliant in Ohio but earns you no Ohio CE credit for those hours; you are compliant and still short on the 24.
Carryover is 50% of the next period's requirement — 12 hours — as general credit only, so it cannot cover ethics or the LTC refresher. Credits are earned on the completion date, not the posting date, and providers have 15 days to report to the Department. The Property & Casualty guide owns the renewal mechanics: late renewal, suspension, reinstatement, inactive status and reactivation.
Quick Reference
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