West Virginia Insurance Exam Guides
Pick the license you're studying for. Each guide covers West Virginia-specific requirements, fees, and official links — plus a free practice exam. Then scroll down to explore the West Virginia exam's state-law material, mapped.
Free study resource
What's actually tested on the West Virginia exam — the state regulations, mapped
Every West Virginia insurance exam reserves a block of questions for West Virginia-specific law — the fees, deadlines, limits, and rules that generic national study guides gloss over. This is that material: 116 facts from the TESTivity West Virginia 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 life policy is incontestable after it has been in force during the insured's lifetime for 2 years (except for nonpayment of premium)
- Grace period for individual life tested31 days for any premium after the first, during which the policy stays in force (a claim during the grace period is paid less the unpaid premium)
- Window to reinstate a lapsed policy testedWithin 3 years after the date of premium default, with evidence of insurability and payment of overdue premiums (unless the policy was surrendered for cash value)
- Max interest chargeable on reinstatement, if capped testedOverdue premiums are paid with interest at the rate stated in the policy — West Virginia does not fix a separate statutory reinstatement-interest cap
- 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
- Free look for individual life testedAt least 10 days to return an individual life policy for a refund (longer on a replacement)
- Free look for annuities testedAt least 10 days for an annuity (longer on a replacement under West Virginia's replacement rules)
- Free look when a policy is being replaced testedWest Virginia's replacement rules extend the right to return when a life policy or annuity replaces existing coverage (commonly a longer period than a new sale)
- Free look for long-term care tested30 days for long-term care, from policy delivery
- Required nonforfeiture options testedCash surrender value, reduced paid-up insurance, and extended term insurance, under West Virginia's Standard Nonforfeiture Law
- Registrations required to sell variable products testedVariable life and variable annuities require the West Virginia Life line plus a variable qualification and FINRA registration (a Series 6 or 7 with a Series 63) and a CRD number — they are securities
- Does the state regulate viatical/life settlements? testedYes — West Virginia regulates viatical and life settlements; providers and brokers must be licensed by the OIC
- Viator's rescission window testedThe owner has a statutory right to rescind a life-settlement contract within the period fixed by West Virginia law (commonly within a set number of days after execution or receipt of proceeds)
- Has the state adopted the NAIC best interest standard? testedYES — West Virginia adopted the NAIC best interest annuity standard by rule: a producer recommending an annuity must act in the consumer's best interest, and must complete a one-time 4-hour annuity training
Health 15 facts
Health coverage rules — continuation, prompt pay, mandates, public programs.
- Has the state expanded Medicaid under the ACA? testedYES — West Virginia EXPANDED Medicaid under the ACA (effective January 1, 2014); it covers adults up to 138% of the federal poverty level
- Effective date of expansion, if expanded testedEffective January 1, 2014, with West Virginia's ACA implementation
- Agency administering Medicaid testedThe West Virginia Department of Human Services, Bureau for Medical Services, which administers Medicaid
- Federal marketplace or state-based exchange testedA FEDERALLY-FACILITATED marketplace (HealthCare.gov) — West Virginia did not build a state exchange
- Name of the state CHIP program testedWest Virginia CHIP (WVCHIP) — the state Children's Health Insurance Program
- Clean-claim payment deadline, electronic tested30 days to pay or deny a clean claim submitted electronically
- Clean-claim payment deadline, paper tested40 days to pay or deny a clean claim submitted manually (on paper)
- Does the state distinguish electronic vs paper claims? testedYes — West Virginia splits electronic (30 days) from paper (40 days) clean claims
- Interest / penalty on late claim payment testedInterest at 10% per year accrues on a clean claim not paid within the statutory period (accruing after the 40-day period)
- Is the IRO's external review decision binding on the plan? testedYES — West Virginia provides an independent external review of adverse health benefit determinations, and the external review decision is binding on the insurer
- Employer size at which federal COBRA applies testedFederal COBRA applies at 20+ employees; West Virginia continuation reaches smaller groups
- Employer size range covered by state continuation testedWest Virginia continuation applies to group health policies of employers not subject to federal COBRA (fewer than 20 employees)
- Duration of state continuation coverage testedUp to 18 months of continued group coverage (West Virginia continuation parallels the federal COBRA 18-month period for a small employer)
- Election period for state continuation testedElected after a qualifying event that ends group coverage; the individual pays the premium
- Max premium as % of group rate testedThe individual pays the premium for continued coverage
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. West Virginia does not mandate PIP, so it is not a no-fault state.
- 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
- The memorizable shorthand (e.g. 30/60/25) tested25/50/25
- Uninsured motorist: mandatory / must be offered & rejectable / not required testedMANDATORY — every West Virginia auto policy must include uninsured motorist coverage at limits no less than the 25/50/25 minimums (UM includes bodily injury and property damage)
- Underinsured motorist status testedUnderinsured motorist coverage must be OFFERED (up to the insured's liability limits) but is optional; the insured may accept or decline it in writing
- Personal injury protection status testedNot required — West Virginia does not mandate PIP; medical payments (MedPay) coverage is optional
- Contributory / pure comparative / modified comparative negligence testedMODIFIED COMPARATIVE NEGLIGENCE — a claimant recovers only if their fault is NOT GREATER THAN 50% (the combined fault of the others); at more than 50% they recover nothing. Recovery is reduced by the claimant's share.
- The bar percentage, if modified comparative testedA claimant who is more than 50% at fault is barred; one who is 50% or less at fault still recovers (reduced by their share)
- Assigned risk / residual market plan for auto testedThe West Virginia Automobile Insurance Plan (the assigned-risk plan, administered through AIPSO) — a producer submits an application on the driver's behalf when voluntary coverage cannot be found
- Any alternative to buying liability insurance (e.g. VA's UMV fee) testedWest Virginia requires proof of financial responsibility; most comply by buying auto insurance, though a bond or cash deposit is available under the Financial Responsibility framework (W. Va. Code ch. 17D)
CE & Renewal 10 facts
Continuing education and renewal rules — the numbers the exam loves.
- How long a license lasts before renewal testedA West Virginia producer license runs on a two-year (biennial) term
- What the renewal date keys off (flat term / birthday / birth year) testedRenew by the last day of the producer's birth month, biennially — the even/odd renewal year follows the year the license was originally issued
- 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 regardless of how many lines you hold
- Ethics hours required per period tested3 hours of ethics within the 24
- Limits on who may provide CE credits testedUp to 6 excess credit hours may be carried forward into the next license term (excess ethics credits carry over as general credit); courses must be OIC-approved
- Initial long-term care training requirement testedLong-term care: producers must complete LTC training before selling LTC. Annuities: a one-time 4-hour annuity training is required before selling, soliciting, or negotiating annuities.
- What happens if CE is not completed (fine / expiry / cancellation) testedA producer who fails to complete CE by the birth-month renewal deadline cannot renew, and the license lapses
- Late renewal / reinstatement tiers testedA lapsed license may be reinstated within the statutory window on completion of CE and payment of a penalty; after that, reapplication (and re-examination) may be required
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) testedProducers licensed only for pre-need burial or scripted telemarketing products complete only 6 hours (3 ethics); nonresidents generally satisfy West Virginia CE by meeting their home-state requirement
Property 8 facts
Property insurance — rate regulation, residual markets, catastrophe exposure.
- Rate regulation system (file-and-use / prior approval / use-and-file) testedPRIOR APPROVAL — West Virginia requires property & casualty insurers to file rates and forms with the OIC and, for many lines, obtain approval before use. Rates may not be excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory.
- Is insurance credit scoring permitted in personal lines? testedPERMITTED with restrictions — West Virginia allows credit-based insurance scoring in personal-lines underwriting and rating, subject to the consumer-protection limits of its insurance-scoring law (a credit score may not be the sole basis for an adverse action)
- Does the state have a FAIR Plan? testedYES — West Virginia HAS a FAIR Plan: the West Virginia Essential Property Insurance Association, which assures essential property insurance for owners who cannot obtain it in the voluntary market
- Name of the FAIR Plan, if any testedThe West Virginia Essential Property Insurance Association — the state's FAIR Plan (Fair Access to Insurance Requirements)
- Coastal windstorm pool, if any (e.g. TWIA) testedNone — West Virginia is landlocked and has no coastal wind pool or beach plan; the FAIR Plan is its property residual mechanism
- Dominant catastrophe perils in the state testedFLOODING and flash flooding (West Virginia's most common and severe hazard — the June 2016 floods were catastrophic), LANDSLIDE and mudslide, coal MINE SUBSIDENCE (a West Virginia-specific peril in coal country), and severe winter storms and windstorm. Flood and mine subsidence are handled outside the standard homeowners policy.
- What license you must already hold to write surplus lines testedA West Virginia surplus lines broker license (its own exam), held to place business with nonadmitted insurers on top of property & casualty authority
- Is a diligent-effort search of the admitted market required first? testedYes — before placing coverage with a nonadmitted insurer, the surplus lines broker must make a diligent search of the admitted market and document that the risk could not be placed with admitted insurers
Guaranty 10 facts
The safety nets when an insurer fails — and their limits.
- Name of the life & health guaranty association testedThe West Virginia Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association
- Life death benefit limit tested$300,000 in life insurance death benefits per insured 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 the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and withdrawal values
- Health benefit limit tested$500,000 for basic hospital, medical, and surgical or major medical health insurance; $300,000 for disability income and long-term care; $100,000 for other health coverage
- Aggregate per-individual cap, if any tested$300,000 aggregate per individual life for all coverages ($500,000 where basic hospital/medical/surgical or major medical health insurance is involved)
- Does the state follow the standard NAIC model limits? testedYes — West Virginia uses the standard NAIC model limits: $300,000 death benefit, $100,000 cash value, $250,000 annuity, and a $300,000 aggregate ($500,000 for major-medical health)
- Name of the P&C guaranty association testedThe West Virginia Insurance Guaranty Association (WVIGA, the property & casualty guaranty fund)
- Per-claim cap testedUp to $300,000 per covered claim, never more than the policy limit; workers' compensation claims are paid in full
- Is using the guaranty association as a sales inducement prohibited? testedYes — using the existence of the guaranty association to sell or induce the purchase of insurance is prohibited, and a disclaimer notice is required
Workers Comp 7 facts
Who must carry workers' compensation and what it pays.
- Is workers' compensation mandatory for private employers? testedYes — a covered West Virginia employer must secure workers' compensation. Coverage is now bought in a COMPETITIVE private market (West Virginia privatized its formerly monopolistic state fund; the market fully opened to private carriers on July 1, 2008).
- Employee count at which coverage is required testedCoverage is generally required for any employer with one or more employees, with limited exemptions (certain agricultural, domestic, casual, and specific small employers)
- Agency administering workers' compensation testedThe West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner, which regulates the now-privatized workers' compensation market (claims are handled by private carriers)
- Temporary total disability wage replacement rate testedTwo-thirds (66 2/3%) of the employee's average weekly wage, subject to a statutory maximum tied to the state average weekly wage and a minimum
- Maximum TTD duration testedTemporary total disability is generally limited to a maximum of 104 weeks; the maximum weekly benefit is tied to the state average weekly wage
- Deadline to file a claim tested2
- Ways an employer may comply (insure / self-insure / group) testedBuy a policy from a private carrier (the market is competitive since 2008), or qualify as an approved self-insurer — West Virginia no longer has a monopolistic state fund
Regulator 5 facts
Who regulates insurance here and what powers the office holds.
- Name of the state insurance regulator testedThe West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC)
- Title of the person who heads it testedInsurance Commissioner
- How the commissioner is chosen: elected / appointed by governor / appointed by other body testedAPPOINTED by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, to a six-year term (not elected)
- Where the state's insurance law is codified testedChapter 33 of the West Virginia Code (Insurance), with producer licensing in Article 12/12B and rules in Title 114 of the Code of State Rules
- Does the regulator sit somewhere unusual (e.g. inside a constitutional commission)? testedNo — a standalone Offices of the Insurance Commissioner led by a Commissioner appointed by the Governor (the mainstream appointed-commissioner model). Note the OIC also administers workers' compensation regulation (W. Va. Code ch. 23).
Cancellation 8 facts
When and how policies can be canceled or nonrenewed — heavily tested.
- Initial window during which an insurer may cancel more freely testedAfter 60 days an auto policy may be canceled only for the specified statutory reasons (nonpayment, license/registration suspension, and similar); within the first 60 days a new policy may be canceled more freely
- Notice days to cancel a homeowners policy inside the initial window testedProperty/homeowners: at least 30 days' written notice of cancellation or nonrenewal, with the specific reason stated (W. Va. Code §33-17A-4)
- Notice days to cancel a personal auto policy inside the initial window testedAuto: at least 30 days' written notice to cancel (14 days for nonpayment of premium; 10 days for nonpayment of the initial premium)
- Notice days for cancellation for nonpayment testedAt least 14 days' notice for a cancellation based on nonpayment of premium (10 days for nonpayment of the initial premium)
- Notice days for cancellation for other permitted causes testedA cancellation for a permitted cause other than nonpayment takes at least 30 days' written notice stating the reason
- Notice days required for nonrenewal testedNonrenewal takes at least 30 days' written notice before expiration, accompanied by the specific reason (auto §33-6A; property §33-17A)
- Must the reason be stated proactively, on request, or not at all? testedYes — a West Virginia cancellation or nonrenewal notice must state the actual reason, and midterm cancellation is limited to statutory grounds
- Restrictions on nonrenewing because of claims (e.g. weather claims excluded) testedAfter the initial underwriting window, a West Virginia personal-lines policy may be canceled midterm only for the grounds allowed by statute (nonpayment, material misrepresentation, substantial change in the risk, license/registration suspension, and similar) — not merely because a claim was filed
Licensing 27 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 — West Virginia does NOT offer a combined Life & Accident/Health exam. Life and Accident and Health (or Sickness) are separate exams and separate lines of authority.
- Is there a personal lines license/exam? testedYes — a Personal Lines exam and line, covering property and casualty sold to individuals for personal, noncommercial purposes
- Is P&C one combined license, or split into Property and Casualty? testedBOTH — West Virginia offers a combined Property and Casualty exam AND standalone Property and Casualty exams; a narrower Personal Lines exam is also offered
- Does the life license cover annuities? testedYes — the Life line covers life insurance and annuities. VARIABLE life and variable annuities require the Life line plus FINRA registration (they are securities).
- Does the P&C license already include personal lines authority? testedYes — holding the Property and Casualty lines (or the combined P&C exam) covers personal-lines risks; standalone Personal Lines is a narrower, personal-only line
- Full list of exam-based agent license types testedWest Virginia offers separate Life · Accident and Health (or Sickness) · Property · Casualty · Personal Lines exams — with a combined Property & Casualty exam available — plus Surplus Lines, Variable (with FINRA registration), Title, Surety, and Adjuster. There is NO combined Life & Health exam.
- Exam administrator (Prometric / PSI / Pearson VUE) testedPearson VUE administers West Virginia producer exams (at a test center or via remote proctoring) on behalf of the OIC
- Exam fee tested$84 per examination, paid to Pearson VUE at reservation (nonrefundable, nontransferable)
- License application fee tested$50 for a resident producer license, paid through NIPR (plus a small NIPR transaction fee)
- Fee per insurer appointment testedAppointments are filed by the insurer through NIPR; West Virginia charges a per-appointment fee paid by the appointing insurer
- Passing score tested70% (West Virginia producer exams are scored; 70% is the passing standard)
- Minimum age to be licensed tested18
- Is pre-licensing education required? testedYES — West Virginia DOES require pre-licensing education: you must complete a Commissioner-approved pre-licensing course for the major lines before you may be licensed
- Pre-licensing hours and any exceptions (e.g. Title, adjusters) testedA Commissioner-approved pre-licensing course is required for the major lines (Life, Accident & Health, Property, Casualty, Personal Lines); the completion certificate is part of the application
- Fingerprints, state police report, or none testedFingerprint-based criminal background check — every applicant is fingerprinted through IdentoGO for a state and federal (FBI) criminal history check
- Who takes the prints / issues the report testedFingerprints are captured through IdentoGO (about $45.75) and used for a state and FBI criminal history check
- How long the background report stays valid testedFingerprints are submitted with the initial application; a producer who stays continuously licensed is not re-fingerprinted at renewal
- Deadline to apply after passing the exam testedApply through NIPR after passing your exam; West Virginia exam results are valid for 12 months
- How long a passed exam remains valid testedExam results are valid for 12 months from the date passed
- Waiting period before retaking a failed exam testedYou must wait 24 hours after a failed attempt before rescheduling, and pay the $84 fee each attempt
- Limit on number of attempts, if any testedWest Virginia does not publish a fixed cap on attempts; you re-register and pay the fee for each attempt
- Notice required to reschedule/cancel without forfeiting the fee testedChange or cancel an exam reservation at least 24 hours (generally two business days) in advance under Pearson VUE's policy to avoid forfeiting the fee
- 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 — West Virginia provides temporary producer licenses in limited business-servicing situations (such as the death or disability of a producer), not as a general 'work while you study' license
- Temporary license duration and training requirement testedIssued without an exam to service an existing insurance business (for example after a producer's death or disability); the Commissioner may limit its authority and duration (commonly up to 180 days)