Rhode Island Insurance Exam Guides
Pick the license you're studying for. Each guide covers Rhode Island-specific requirements, fees, and official links — plus a free practice exam. Then scroll down to explore the Rhode Island exam's state-law material, mapped.
Free study resource
What's actually tested on the Rhode Island exam — the state regulations, mapped
Every Rhode Island insurance exam reserves a block of questions for Rhode Island-specific law — the fees, deadlines, limits, and rules that generic national study guides gloss over. This is that material: 114 facts from the TESTivity Rhode Island 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 14 facts
The life insurance rules that differ by state — free look, grace, reinstatement.
- Incontestability period tested2 years — a policy is incontestable after it has been in force for 2 years during the insured's lifetime (except for nonpayment of premium)
- Grace period for individual life tested31 days (one month) for any premium after the first, during which the policy stays in force
- Window to reinstate a lapsed policy testedGoverned by the policy — Rhode Island's individual-life standard-provisions statute (§27-4-6.2) does not fix a statutory reinstatement window, so the policy terms control (the industry norm is 3 years)
- Max interest chargeable on reinstatement, if capped testedThe rate specified in the policy — Rhode Island fixes no statutory maximum reinstatement interest rate
- Suicide exclusion period tested2 years — if death is by suicide within 2 years of issue, the insurer's liability is limited to a refund of the premiums paid (less any dividends, indebtedness, or withdrawals)
- Free look for individual life tested20 days to return an individual life policy for a full refund (the policy is void from inception)
- Free look for annuities tested15 days for an annuity when the Buyer's Guide and disclosure document were not delivered at or before application
- Free look when a policy is being replaced testedRhode Island does not fix a separate, longer free look for replacements; the 20-day individual-life free look applies
- Free look for long-term care tested30 days for long-term care, from receipt of the policy, certificate, or rider
- Required nonforfeiture options testedCash surrender value, reduced paid-up insurance, and extended term insurance, under Rhode Island's Standard Nonforfeiture Law
- Registrations required to sell variable products testedVariable life and variable annuities require the Rhode Island Life line plus a Variable Life & Variable Annuity line of authority and FINRA registration (a Series 6 or 7 with a Series 63) — they are securities
- Does the state regulate viatical/life settlements? testedYes — Rhode Island regulates viatical and life settlements under the Life Settlements Act (Chapter 27-72); providers and brokers must be licensed
- Viator's rescission window testedThe owner may rescind on or before 15 days after the settlement contract is executed by all parties; if the insured dies within the window, the contract is deemed rescinded, subject to repayment
- Has the state adopted the NAIC best interest standard? testedYES — Rhode Island adopted the NAIC 2020 best interest annuity standard (effective 2021), with the obligations of care, disclosure, conflict-of-interest, and documentation
Health 15 facts
Health coverage rules — continuation, prompt pay, mandates, public programs.
- Has the state expanded Medicaid under the ACA? testedYES — Rhode Island expanded Medicaid under the ACA (adults up to 138% of the federal poverty level), effective January 1, 2014
- Effective date of expansion, if expanded testedJanuary 1, 2014
- Agency administering Medicaid testedThe Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS); managed care is delivered through RIte Care
- Federal marketplace or state-based exchange testedA STATE-BASED marketplace — HealthSource RI, Rhode Island's own exchange, operating since 2014 (not the federal HealthCare.gov)
- Name of the state CHIP program testedRIte Care — Rhode Island's CHIP is administered within Medicaid (RIte Care is the family/children's managed-care program)
- Clean-claim payment deadline, electronic tested30 calendar days to pay a clean claim submitted electronically
- Clean-claim payment deadline, paper tested40 calendar days to pay a clean claim submitted on paper
- Does the state distinguish electronic vs paper claims? testedYes — Rhode Island uses different deadlines for electronic (30 days) and paper (40 days) clean claims
- Interest / penalty on late claim payment testedInterest of 12% per year accrues on a clean claim not paid on time (from day 31 electronic / day 41 paper)
- Is the IRO's external review decision binding on the plan? testedYES — Rhode Island's external review (independent review organization) is BINDING on the insurer, which must provide benefits without delay even if it seeks judicial review; health insurers are regulated by the separate Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC)
- Employer size at which federal COBRA applies testedFederal COBRA applies at 20+ employees; Rhode Island continuation reaches smaller groups
- Employer size range covered by state continuation testedRhode Island continuation reaches small groups not subject to federal COBRA; the continuant pays the premium directly
- Duration of state continuation coverage testedUp to 18 months
- Election period for state continuation testedElected within 30 days after the qualifying event or the notice of the right to continue
- Max premium as % of group rate testedThe continuant pays the group premium directly to the insurer or employer
Auto 12 facts
Auto insurance — minimum limits, fault system, required coverages.
- Fault-based (tort) or no-fault testedTORT (at-fault) — the at-fault driver's liability insurance pays the other party's damages. Rhode Island is NOT a no-fault state and has no mandatory PIP.
- Minimum bodily injury liability per person tested$25,000 per person
- Minimum bodily injury liability per occurrence tested$50,000 per accident
- Minimum property damage liability tested$25,000 per accident (or a $75,000 combined single limit)
- The memorizable shorthand (e.g. 30/60/25) tested25/50/25
- Uninsured motorist: mandatory / must be offered & rejectable / not required testedMANDATORY OFFER — uninsured motorist coverage must be provided at limits equal to the policy's bodily-injury liability limits; the named insured may select lower limits (or reject UM property damage) only in writing
- Underinsured motorist status testedUnderinsured motorist coverage is included within the UM requirement (uninsured motorist includes underinsured), under the same mandatory-offer and written-rejection framework
- Personal injury protection status testedNot required — Rhode Island is a tort state with no mandatory PIP (medical payments coverage is optional)
- Contributory / pure comparative / modified comparative negligence testedPURE COMPARATIVE NEGLIGENCE — a claimant's recovery is reduced by their share of fault but is NEVER barred, even at 99% fault. Rhode Island is one of the pure-comparative states.
- The bar percentage, if modified comparative testedNone — Rhode Island uses pure comparative negligence, so there is no percentage bar; a claimant recovers even if mostly at fault (damages reduced by their share)
- Assigned risk / residual market plan for auto testedThe Rhode Island Automobile Insurance Plan — the assigned-risk plan through which drivers who cannot obtain coverage in the voluntary market are assigned to insurers
- Any alternative to buying liability insurance (e.g. VA's UMV fee) testedBesides a liability policy, financial responsibility may be met by a financial security bond, a $75,000 cash/securities deposit, or qualifying as a self-insurer (approved by the DBR)
CE & Renewal 10 facts
Continuing education and renewal rules — the numbers the exam loves.
- How long a license lasts before renewal testedA Rhode Island producer license runs on a two-year (biennial) term and is renewed by paying the biennial fee and completing continuing education
- What the renewal date keys off (flat term / birthday / birth year) testedA fixed two-year (biennial) cycle — the full fee applies even if a mid-cycle license will expire in under two years, so Rhode Island uses a common biennial cycle rather than a birthday-based renewal
- CE hours per renewal period, standard case tested24 CE credit hours every 2 years
- CE hours if holding multiple license types (if different) tested24 total each cycle — not stacked per line
- Ethics hours required per period tested3 hours of ethics within the 24 (the 3 ethics hours must be earned each cycle — excess ethics credit carries forward only as general credit)
- Limits on who may provide CE credits testedCourses and providers must be approved by the DBR; up to 12 excess credit hours carry forward to the next period (excess ethics only as general credit)
- Initial long-term care training requirement testedLong-term care: a one-time 8-hour training before selling LTC, then a 4-hour ongoing course every 24 months. Annuities: a one-time 4-credit annuity best-interest training before selling annuities.
- What happens if CE is not completed (fine / expiry / cancellation) testedYou cannot renew until the CE appears on your transcript; false certification or noncompliance draws penalties under R.I. Gen. Laws §42-14-16 with hearing rights
- Late renewal / reinstatement tiers testedRenew within 30 days of expiration and pay only the renewal fee; after 30 days add a $50 reinstatement fee. A lapsed license may be reinstated without re-examination within 1 year of expiration; after one year you must re-apply as new.
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) testedExempt from CE: producers licensed continuously without lapse for 25 years who are at least age 55 at renewal; holders of no-exam limited lines (credit, crop, travel, surety, car rental, title); and nonresidents meeting their home-state CE
Property 7 facts
Property insurance — rate regulation, residual markets, catastrophe exposure.
- Rate regulation system (file-and-use / prior approval / use-and-file) testedFILE-AND-USE (competitive) — property and casualty rates must be filed at least 30 days before use and may then be used unless the Commissioner disapproves or requests supporting information; rates may not be excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory
- Is insurance credit scoring permitted in personal lines? testedPERMITTED but RESTRICTED — for personal lines an insurer may not decline a new customer based solely on an insurance score (or the absence of one), and may not cancel, nonrenew, or raise rates of an existing customer solely on a worsening score; 'extraordinary life event' protections apply
- Does the state have a FAIR Plan? testedYES — Rhode Island's FAIR Plan is the Rhode Island Joint Reinsurance Association, the property insurer of last resort (basic property insurance for applicants unable to obtain it in the voluntary market)
- Name of the FAIR Plan, if any testedThe Rhode Island Joint Reinsurance Association (RIJRA) — the FAIR Plan, writing basic homeowners, dwelling fire, and commercial property for hard-to-place risks
- Dominant catastrophe perils in the state testedCoastal hurricanes and windstorm (Rhode Island is on the Atlantic coast; Block Island carries the highest exposure), nor'easters and severe winter storms, and coastal and inland flooding
- What license you must already hold to write surplus lines testedA surplus lines broker license, which requires holding a Rhode Island property & casualty producer license first
- Is a diligent-effort search of the admitted market required first? testedYes — before placing coverage in the surplus lines market, the broker and insured must show a diligent effort: the risk was submitted to no fewer than three (3) licensed (admitted) insurers that declined it
Guaranty 10 facts
The safety nets when an insurer fails — and their limits.
- Name of the life & health guaranty association testedThe Rhode Island Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association
- Life death benefit limit tested$300,000 in life insurance death benefits per individual life
- Life cash surrender / withdrawal value limit tested$100,000 in net cash surrender or withdrawal value for life insurance
- Annuity benefit limit tested$250,000 in annuity present value (including net cash surrender/withdrawal value)
- Health benefit limit tested$500,000 for basic hospital, medical, and surgical insurance; $300,000 for disability or long-term care; $100,000 for other health coverage
- Aggregate per-individual cap, if any tested$300,000 aggregate per individual life (rising to $500,000 where basic hospital, medical, and surgical coverage is involved)
- Does the state follow the standard NAIC model limits? testedYes — Rhode Island follows the NAIC model limits ($300,000 death benefit, $100,000 cash value, $250,000 annuity, tiered health, $300,000 aggregate)
- Name of the P&C guaranty association testedThe Rhode Island Insurers' Insolvency Fund (the Rhode Island Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association)
- Per-claim cap testedUp to $500,000 per covered claim (for insolvencies on or after January 1, 2008); workers' compensation claims are paid in full, and returned unearned premium is capped at $10,000 per policy
- Is using the guaranty association as a sales inducement prohibited? testedYes — using the existence of the guaranty association to advertise or induce the purchase of insurance is prohibited
Workers Comp 7 facts
Who must carry workers' compensation and what it pays.
- Is workers' compensation mandatory for private employers? testedYes — a covered Rhode Island employer must secure workers' compensation by insuring or qualifying to self-insure
- Employee count at which coverage is required testedCoverage is required for employers with one or more employees, with few exemptions (sole proprietors, partners, and certain casual or independent workers may be excluded)
- Agency administering workers' compensation testedRhode Island Department of Labor and Training (Workers' Compensation) and the Rhode Island Workers' Compensation Court
- Temporary total disability wage replacement rate tested62% of the employee's average weekly base wages for injuries on or after January 1, 2022 (the older rate of 75% of spendable base wages applies only to injuries on or before December 31, 2021)
- Maximum TTD duration testedThe maximum weekly benefit is 125% of the state average weekly wage; total-disability benefits continue as long as the incapacity lasts, with annual cost-of-living increases after 52 weeks (the exact dollar maximum is published annually by the DLT)
- Deadline to file a claim tested2
- Ways an employer may comply (insure / self-insure / group) testedBuy a policy from a private carrier, buy from Beacon Mutual Insurance Company (Rhode Island's competitive state-created mutual and carrier of last resort), 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 Insurance Division of the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation (DBR)
- Title of the person who heads it testedThe Director of the Department of Business Regulation, with the Insurance Division led by the Superintendent of Insurance (also called the Insurance Commissioner)
- How the commissioner is chosen: elected / appointed by governor / appointed by other body testedAPPOINTED — the DBR Director is appointed by the Governor (not elected)
- Where the state's insurance law is codified testedTitle 27 of the Rhode Island General Laws (Insurance), with rules in Title 230 of the Rhode Island Code of Regulations (230-RICR); producer licensing is in Chapter 27-2.4
- Does the regulator sit somewhere unusual (e.g. inside a constitutional commission)? testedYes — insurance is one division inside the multi-industry Department of Business Regulation (which also oversees banking, securities, gaming, and more), and HEALTH insurers are regulated by a SEPARATE agency, the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC)
Cancellation 8 facts
When and how policies can be canceled or nonrenewed — heavily tested.
- Initial window during which an insurer may cancel more freely tested60 days — during the first 60 days a new auto policy (not a renewal) may be canceled more freely; after 60 days, cancellation is limited to enumerated grounds
- Notice days to cancel a homeowners policy inside the initial window testedAt least 30 days' notice is the working homeowners standard (Rhode Island regulates homeowners cancellation chiefly through R.I. Gen. Laws §27-8-11 and the 30-day material-change/reduction-in-coverage rule rather than a single dedicated homeowners day-count)
- Notice days to cancel a personal auto policy inside the initial window testedAt least 30 days' written notice to cancel a personal auto policy (except for nonpayment); applies after the 60-day window
- Notice days for cancellation for nonpayment tested10 days' written notice for cancellation for nonpayment of premium (auto), with a statement of the reason
- Notice days for cancellation for other permitted causes testedFor a permitted cause (after the 60-day window), a personal auto cancellation runs on 30 days' notice, with the specific reason stated
- Notice days required for nonrenewal testedA personal auto nonrenewal requires at least 30 days' notice before the end of the policy period, with reasons stated (homeowners follows the §27-8-11 / 30-day material-change framework)
- Must the reason be stated proactively, on request, or not at all? testedYes — cancellation, reduction-of-limits, and nonrenewal notices must state the specific reason(s) relied upon
- Restrictions on nonrenewing because of claims (e.g. weather claims excluded) testedAuto: an insurer may not nonrenew for loss occurrence alone unless there was a chargeable loss or more than two non-chargeable losses in the period, nor solely because the insured turned 65. Property: an insurer may not cancel, nonrenew, or surcharge solely for a claim inquiry, a no-payout loss, a loss under $500, or a catastrophic-event loss.
Licensing 26 facts
How you get and keep the license — exams, fees, applications, background checks.
- Is there a standalone life license/exam? testedYes — a standalone Life exam and line of authority (Life includes annuities)
- Is there a standalone health license/exam? testedYes — a standalone Accident and Health or Sickness exam and line of authority
- Is there a combined life+health license/exam? testedNo — Rhode Island does NOT offer a combined Life & Health exam; Life and Accident & Health are separate lines with separate exams
- Is there a personal lines license/exam? testedYes — a Personal Lines line (its own exam), covering property and casualty sold to individuals for personal, noncommercial purposes
- Is P&C one combined license, or split into Property and Casualty? testedSPLIT — Property and Casualty are separate lines with separate exams; Rhode Island has no single combined Property & Casualty license. A narrower Personal Lines line is also offered. First-time P&C candidates register for both the Property and Casualty exams.
- Does the life license cover annuities? testedYes — annuities are sold under the Life line (Life covers benefits of endowment and annuities). VARIABLE life and variable annuities require the Life line plus a Variable Life & Variable Annuity line of authority and FINRA registration (they are securities).
- Does the P&C license already include personal lines authority? testedYes — holding both the Property and Casualty lines covers personal-lines risks; standalone Personal Lines is a narrower, personal-only line
- Full list of exam-based agent license types testedRhode Island licenses each line separately: Life · Accident and Health or Sickness · Property · Casualty · Personal Lines — plus Variable (with FINRA registration), Surplus Lines, and Adjuster, and limited lines (credit, crop, travel) that need no exam
- Exam administrator (Prometric / PSI / Pearson VUE) testedPearson VUE administers Rhode Island producer exams under contract with the DBR
- Exam fee tested$80 per examination; when two exams are scheduled back-to-back in one session (for example Property and Casualty), the second is free
- License application fee tested$120 for a resident producer license (biennial); $130 for a nonresident. Adding a line of authority is $50.
- Fee per insurer appointment tested$15 per insurer appointment (and $15 to renew), paid by the insurer; appointments run through January 31 annually and are filed electronically via NIPR within 15 days of the first application submitted
- Passing score tested70 (a scaled score, reported on a 0-100 scale)
- Minimum age to be licensed tested18
- Is pre-licensing education required? testedNO — Rhode Island has no statutory pre-licensing education requirement; you may sit the exam without completing a required course
- Pre-licensing hours and any exceptions (e.g. Title, adjusters) testedNone — Rhode Island requires no pre-licensing hours for any line. Preparation is up to the candidate, but no course is mandated before the exam.
- Fingerprints, state police report, or none testedA state Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) background report from the Rhode Island Attorney General — a name-based check, NOT fingerprinting — submitted to the DBR by resident applicants
- Who takes the prints / issues the report testedThe Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General, Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI); the report is emailed to the DBR with your NIPR transaction number
- How long the background report stays valid testedThe BCI report must be no more than 30 days old when submitted — the DBR will not accept a report older than 30 days
- Deadline to apply after passing the exam testedApply through NIPR within 12 months of passing — Rhode Island exam scores are valid for 12 months. Results take about 3-5 days to post before you can complete the NIPR application.
- How long a passed exam remains valid testedExam scores are valid for 12 months
- Waiting period before retaking a failed exam testedYou must wait 24 hours after a failed attempt before scheduling a retake (pay the $80 fee each attempt)
- Notice required to reschedule/cancel without forfeiting the fee testedChange or cancel at least 48 hours before the exam to transfer or refund the fee; without proper notice the fee is forfeited
- Where you apply (Sircon / NIPR / state portal) testedNIPR (nipr.com) — apply online and pay the fees; exam scheduling is through Pearson VUE
- Are temporary licenses available? testedYes — but only for business-servicing situations (the death or disability of a producer, a member/employee of a producer's business entity, or a producer entering active military service); not a general 'work while you study' license
- Temporary license duration and training requirement testedUp to 180 days, with no exam, issued only to service an existing insurance business after a producer's death, disability, or military induction; the Commissioner may require a sponsoring producer and may revoke it