How to Get an West Virginia Insurance License

1. Schedule and Pass a Licensing Exam

Making Exam Reservations

Licensing exams are provided by Pearson VUE. An exam fee must be paid at the time of reservation by credit card, debit card, voucher or electronic check. You can make an exam reservation through the following methods:

• Online:  Make an online reservation at http://www.pearsonvue.com/wv/insurance at least 24 hours before the desired exam date or 5 days in advance if paying by electronic check
• Phone: (800) 274-2614
  • Before you call, you must have the following:
    • Legal name, address, Social Security number, daytime phone number, and date of birth
    • Name of the exam
    • Preferred  exam date and test center location

What to Bring

Two forms of current signature identification:

• A primary ID (photograph and signature, not expired) such as a Driver’s License or Passport
• A secondary ID (signature, not expired) such as a Debit or Credit card

You will be required to supply a copy of your Certificate of Completion in order to be admitted to the exam.

Exam Procedures

• Report to the test center 30 minutes before the exam to verify identification and be photographed for the score report.
• No personal items are allowed in the testing room such as cell phones, watches, wallets, or purses.
• Studying is not allowed in the test center.
• The test administrator will provide you with materials to make notes or calculations. You may not write on these items before the exam begins or remove these items from the testing room.
• You will have the opportunity to take a tutorial that will not reduce the exam time.

Exam Format

• Each major line exam is given in a multiple-choice format.
• The exam consists of two parts:
  1. The general section deals with basic insurance product knowledge
  2. The state section deals with insurance laws, rules, and regulations, and practices that are unique to West Virginia.
• Each exam contains “pretest” questions that are mixed in with the scored questions and are not identified. Pretest questions may not be covered in your educational materials and do not affect your final score!
• The passing score required on each exam is 75%.
• When you complete the exam, you will receive a score report marked “pass or fail”.
• Candidates who fail will receive a score report that includes a numeric score, diagnostic and re-testing information.

2. Get Fingerprinted

Effective June 1, 2015, West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner will begin requiring all individuals applying for an initial resident insurance license or those adding a line of authority to an existing license to be fingerprinted.  This applies to resident applicants who are applying or amending the following lines of authority:  Life, Accident & Sickness, Property & Casualty, Personal Lines, Surplus Lines, Viatical Settlement Brokers.

Fingerprints will be captured by MorphoTrust at an IndetoGo Center, which electronically captures and transmits the digital fingerprints to the West Virginia State Police (WVSP) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for a criminal history and a federal background check.

Applicants are required to schedule the Fingerprinting appointment AFTER the examination has been passed. Register for fingerprinting at www.indentogo.com or by calling at 1-855-766-7746.  Applicants need to indicate the fingerprinting results are to be returned to the WV Insurance Commission.  Fingerprinting fees are $43.60 and are due at the time of scheduling.  Fingerprints are valid for 30 days from the date taken; after this time, the applicant must be re-fingerprinted.

After the fingerprinting process has been completed, the IndetoGo center will provide the applicant with a receipt that contains a 12 digit TCN number that is identifiable to each individual.  The TCN number will be entered on the license application.

3. Apply for a License

After passing the exam and fingerprinting, apply for your license by completing an application at http://www.nipr.com.