What This License Is
A West Virginia Personal Lines license lets you sell property and casualty coverage to individuals and families — homeowners, renters, personal auto, and similar non-commercial risks in West Virginia. It is issued by the West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner.
Licensing runs through the same process as every West Virginia producer line — the difference is the focused Personal Lines exam. Note that West Virginia requires 20 hours of pre-licensing education for this line before you can sit for the exam.
Exam Options & Format
The Personal Lines exam is Personal Lines Producer (InsWV-Pers55): 120 total (incl. unscored pretest) questions, 2 hr 30 min, $84 per attempt. Passing standard: 70%.
West Virginia also offers the combined exam (Property & Casualty Producer (InsWV-PC03): 150 questions, 3 hr 30 min, $84), which licenses both lines in one sitting. If there is any chance you will sell commercial products later, the combined exam is usually the better value.
Pre-Licensing Education: 40 Hours for P&C
West Virginia requires 20 hours of approved pre-licensing per line, and because Property and Casualty are two lines, the combined P&C license requires 40 hours of pre-licensing education.
You finish the approved course, pass a proctored certification exam at 70% or higher, and get a Certificate of Course Completion valid for six months. Your state exam must fall inside that six-month window.
Bring the paper certificate (or PL 789E) to the test center - electronic copies are not accepted and you will be turned away without it.
TESTivity recommends [Achievable](https://app.achievable.me/study/insurance-personal-lines/purchase#a_aid=getthelicense) to satisfy your West Virginia pre-licensing requirement. Achievable is an approved provider, its insurance courses were built by the same subject-matter expert behind TESTivity, and completing the Achievable course earns you the certificate of completion West Virginia requires.
One important distinction: TESTivity is not an approved pre-licensing provider in West Virginia and does not issue certificates of completion. The TESTivity learning tools and study packages will absolutely help you pass the exam — but treat them as a supplement to your Achievable course, not a substitute for it.
Disclosure: TESTivity has a partnership with Achievable and may earn a commission if you enroll through links on this page.
Property and Casualty Exam Content
Expect a roughly even split between property topics and casualty topics on the general-knowledge side, with policy provisions and contract law (declarations, insuring agreement, conditions, exclusions, subrogation, the elements of a contract) woven throughout both.
The casualty side leans heavily on auto and liability - know your split limits vs. combined single limit, who is an insured, and the difference between occurrence and claims-made coverage.
The property side rewards understanding loss valuation (ACV vs. replacement cost), coinsurance, and the structure of the homeowners and dwelling forms. Apply the concepts to scenarios; the state warns that rote memorization isn't enough.
West Virginia Property & Casualty Law You Must Know
Auto is the single biggest WV state-law block (about 8 questions). West Virginia's minimum auto liability is 25/50/25 - $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage. Uninsured motorist coverage is mandatory at those same limits; underinsured (UIM) must be offered but can be declined in writing (WV Code 33-6-31, 17D-4-2).
Mine subsidence (WV Code 33-30) is a distinctive West Virginia topic - coverage for damage from the collapse of underground mines. Expect a question or two; few other states test it.
Other WV-specific items: the Essential Insurance Coverage Act / FAIR Plan (33-20A) as the property coverage of last resort, valued policy law (33-17-9), comparative negligence (55-7-13a-d), the WV Insurance Guaranty Association (33-26), surplus lines / Nonadmitted Insurance Act (33-12C), homeowner's declination and termination disclosure (33-17a), and the WV Automobile Insurance Plan (assigned risk).
Fingerprinting, Background Check, and Applying
After passing, schedule fingerprinting with IdentoGo (identogo.com or by phone) and report West Virginia OIC service code 228NS5 so the OIC can pull your results. The fee is $45.75 ($12.50 fingerprint + $20.00 WVSP + $13.25 FBI).
Fingerprints are valid for 60 days; let them expire and you pay and reprint. You'll receive a 12-digit TCN number on your receipt that's required on the license application.
Apply online through NIPR (www.nipr.com) with your passing score report, pre-licensing certificate, TCN, and the $50 license fee. You must be licensed within one year of passing or you complete pre-licensing and retest.
Renewal and Continuing Education
West Virginia P&C producers renew every two years on the last day of their birth month, completing 24 hours of approved CE including 3 hours of ethics each period.
If you sell flood coverage, complete the one-time 3-hour National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) course by the end of your first renewal period.
There's no grace period for late renewal, and CE can take up to 30 days to post after you finish a course - so wrap up your hours with margin to spare before your birth-month deadline.
Quick Reference
Official Links
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