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.
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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 August 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 from the date of premium default, on written application, evidence of insurability satisfactory to the insurer, and payment of all premiums in arrears and any other indebtedness with interest not exceeding 6% compounded annually.
- Max interest chargeable on reinstatement, if capped testedCapped at SIX PERCENT per annum compounded annually. W. Va. Code 33-13-12 requires payment of all premiums in arrears and any other indebtedness 'all with interest at a rate not exceeding six percent per annum compounded annually.' For policies issued on or after June 1, 1983 the indebtedness interest rate is governed by §33-13-8a.
- Suicide exclusion period tested2 years. A life policy may exclude death by suicide only 'within two years from the date of issue of the policy... while sane or insane.' Where the exclusion applies the insurer still owes the POLICY RESERVE — not merely a refund of premiums. The section does not apply to group life, accident and sickness, reinsurance or annuities.
- Free look for individual life tested10 days, and the clock runs from RECEIPT rather than delivery. The notice must be prominently printed on the first page. Where the policy is mailed under a certificate of mailing, receipt is PRESUMED 20 days after mailing; certified mail uses the noted receipt date instead.
- 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 tested30 days from DELIVERY, with an unconditional full refund of all premiums or considerations paid, including any policy fees or charges. The replacing insurer must also notify any other affected existing insurer within five business days.
- 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 viator may rescind before the EARLIER of 60 calendar days after the viatical settlement contract is executed by all parties, or 30 calendar days after the proceeds have been sent to the viator. If the insured dies during that window the contract is deemed rescinded, with repayment due within 60 days.
- 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. This is administrative rather than statutory — W. Va. Code 33-12-17(a) leaves expiration dates to the Commissioner's discretion and its own default is annual.
- What the renewal date keys off (flat term / birthday / birth year) testedRenew biennially by the last day of the producer's birth month. A new licensee's FIRST term runs anywhere from 24 to 35 months, not a clean two years.
- CE hours per renewal period, standard case tested24 CE credit hours every 2 years. Note the statute is a ceiling rather than a mandate: W. Va. Code 33-12-8(c)(1) provides that no program may be approved requiring more than 24 hours biennially, and the requirement itself is the Commissioner's program.
- 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. The word 'ethics' does not appear in W. Va. Code 33-12-8 at all — the requirement is administrative.
- Limits on who may provide CE credits testedUp to 6 excess credit hours carry forward into the next biennium, but ethics hours carry forward as GENERAL credit only — three fresh ethics hours are due every cycle. Courses must be OIC-approved, and providers have 30 days from completion to file credits.
- Initial long-term care training requirement testedLong-term care: an initial one-time course of not less than 8 hours before selling, then not less than 4 hours in each mandatory CE biennium. Annuities: a one-time 4-hour annuity training course before selling, soliciting or negotiating annuities.
- What happens if CE is not completed (fine / expiry / cancellation) testedThere is no grace period after the due date. An unrenewed license is expired or suspended and APPOINTMENTS ARE CANCELLED. NIPR verifies CE compliance before it will accept the renewal transaction.
- Late renewal / reinstatement tiers testedLate renewal is the $50 base plus a $50 penalty, $100 in total, available for ONE YEAR after expiration. CE reinstatement costs $5.00 for each hour completed after the expiration date. Past one year you reapply for a new license meeting all licensing requirements.
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) testedProducers licensed ONLY for credit, surety, travel, title, crop and car rental — or any combination of those lines — are not required to complete continuing education. Preneed burial and telemarketing-only producers are capped at six hours by statute. Nonresidents are exempt where their home state has a mandatory CE law. There is no exemption based on age or years licensed.
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 separate West Virginia surplus lines license with its own exam and a $200 fee. The handbook requires the applicant to be currently licensed as a WV resident agent and to have 3 consecutive years of property and casualty SALES EXPERIENCE immediately preceding application, one year of it as a licensed WV agent. The OIC License Types footnote instead says holding a P&C LICENSE for three consecutive years. W. Va. Code 33-12C-8 requires neither duration.
- Is a diligent-effort search of the admitted market required first? testedYes — a diligent search among insurers admitted to transact and ACTUALLY WRITING that particular type of insurance in this state. The statute sets NO number of declinations; the common 'three declinations' rule is not West Virginia law. The search is not required for an exempt commercial purchaser who received the required disclosure and subsequently requested the placement in writing.
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 EXCEPT deliberate intention claims, which are capped at $300,000 per claim. Unearned premium returns are capped at $10,000 per policy, and all claims arising out of bodily injury or death to any one person count as a single claim.
- 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. Coverage is bought in a competitive private market, and the transition took three dated steps: the enabling legislation in 2005, the employers' mutual insurance company beginning operation on January 1, 2006, and the state opening to a private competitive market on July 1, 2008. Saying West Virginia privatized 'in 2005' or 'in 2006' is wrong.
- Employee count at which coverage is required testedGenerally one or more employees. Two exemptions carry different numbers and must not be merged: employers of FIVE OR FEWER FULL-TIME employees in agricultural service, and casual employers — a four-part test requiring not more than THREE employees and employment that is temporary, intermittent and sporadic in nature and does not exceed 10 calendar days in any calendar quarter.
- 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, or qualify as an approved self-insurer. An employer declined by at least two UNAFFILIATED insurers may go to the assigned risk plan administered by the Insurance Commissioner, in which all private carriers must participate as a condition of their authority to transact business in this state.
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 and rules in Title 114 of the Code of State Rules. Note Article 12B is the ADJUSTER article, not the producer one.
- 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: the statute prescribes 30 days for NONRENEWAL and states NO advance-notice period for cancellation — §33-17A-4(b) requires only writing, delivery or first-class mail to the last known address, the effective date and a written explanation of the specific reasons. The operative cancellation period comes from the 1943 New York standard fire policy that §33-17-2 adopts as the West Virginia standard fire policy.
- 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 testedProperty: at least 30 days before the end of the policy period, with the specific reasons (§33-17A-4(c)). Auto: at least 45 DAYS advance notice of the insurer's election not to renew (§33-6A-4), with the hearing cost assessed against the losing party and capped at $75.
- 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) testedA property policy in force at least four years may not be cancelled or nonrenewed solely because of ONE first-party property damage claim within 36 months from wind, hail, lightning, wildfire, snow or ice, or TWO first-party claims within 12 months arising from state-of-emergency events. Separately, nonrenewals under the alternative method are capped at 1% per year statewide and 1% per county.
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 on behalf of the OIC, IN PERSON ONLY. There is no remote-proctored option — confirmed against the June 2026 handbook, Pearson VUE's West Virginia page, the OIC Licensing page, and the OIC's own 2025 exam-volume report, which records 6,976 exams with no delivery-modality category.
- 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 testedA SCALED SCORE OF 70 — not 70 percent. The candidate handbook states that the scaled score reported to you 'is neither the number of questions you answered correctly nor the percentage of questions you answered correctly.' Only the Bail Bond exam is reported as a true percentage, at 80%.
- 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) tested20 hours per line of authority — Life, Accident & Sickness, Property, Casualty, Personal Lines. You must bring a PAPER copy of the Certificate of Course Completion or the PL 789E to the test center. The June 2026 handbook says certificates are valid six months; the OIC's Adding a Line of Authority document says 120 days.
- 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 using OIC service code 228NS5 for a state and FBI criminal history check. The fee is $47.25 on the OIC fee schedule updated 8/19/2026; the June 2026 handbook still prints the older $45.75.
- How long the background report stays valid tested60 days from the date the prints are taken, per the OIC and the Fingerprinting FAQs. Note the handbook's next sentence warns that if the process is not completed within 30 days and the prints expire, the process must be repeated and the fees paid again. Prints are taken AFTER passing the exam and before applying.
- Deadline to apply after passing the exam testedYou must be LICENSED within one year of passing, not merely have applied — the handbook states in capitals that applicants not licensed within one year must complete pre-licensing and retake the examination. Apply through NIPR after passing and after fingerprinting.
- 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 testedEIGHT attempts. W. Va. Code 33-12-5(e) provides that an individual who fails to pass examination 'is limited to seven additional attempts to pass the examination' — the first attempt plus seven more. The handbook applies the cap per line of authority; the OIC's 2025 Pass/Fail Report footnote says per exam type.
- Notice required to reschedule/cancel without forfeiting the fee testedCall Pearson VUE at least 48 HOURS before the exam to change or cancel without forfeiting the fee. Separately, a reservation must be made at least 24 hours before the desired exam date, and walk-in examinations are not available.
- 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 — W. Va. Code 33-12-16 provides temporary producer licenses for limited business-servicing situations such as the death or disability of a producer. It is not a 'work while you study' license. The OIC publishes no page, form or fee for them.
- Temporary license duration and training requirement testedIssued without examination for a period NOT TO EXCEED 180 DAYS, to the surviving spouse or court-appointed personal representative of a producer who dies or becomes disabled, to the designee of a producer entering active military service, or where the Commissioner considers the public interest best served. The Commissioner may limit its authority and require a sponsor, and it may not continue after the business is disposed of.