California Life and Health Exam Overview: Format, Path, and Next Steps

This is the map of the California Life & Health insurance exam path for a resident producer. Details change at the edges, so treat CDI and PSI pages as the final word when something conflicts with a blog.

License types and exams

Life-Only Agent (LO) and Accident and Health Agent (AH) are separate license types. You can sit a 75-question exam for one, or the combined Life, Accident and Health or Sickness exam with 150 scored questions in 195 minutes.

Passing score: 60 percent. Vendor: PSI. Schedule: https://test-takers.psiexams.com/cadi. English and Spanish exams are available for these lines, and CDI also offers additional language versions for many producer exams.

Education rules after AB 943

Effective January 1, 2026, AB 943 removed the 20-hour prelicensing course for Life and Accident and Health applicants. You still must complete 12 hours of Ethics and California Insurance Code study, including 1 hour on insurance fraud, from a CDI-approved provider before the license can be issued.

You may sit the exam before finishing that 12-hour course. The course is not optional for issuance. GetLicensedCA is exam prep only and does not satisfy the ethics requirement.

Suggested order

1. Choose Life-Only, A&H-Only, or combined. Guide: getlicensedca.com/articles/life-vs-life-and-health-california.

2. Study the matching License Examination Objectives. Outline: getlicensedca.com/articles/california-life-health-exam-content-outline.

3. Complete or schedule the 12-hour Ethics and Code course with an approved provider.

4. Pass PSI.

5. Apply on Sircon (or NIPR where available) and pay $188. Select both license types on the first filing if you want both for one fee.

6. Complete Capital Live Scan fingerprints after the application is submitted ($74).

7. Wait for CDI to issue. Then get appointed before you solicit ($32 Action Notice of Appointment is the common carrier filing).

Exam validity

Insurance Code section 1676(a) makes a passed exam valid for one year from the pass date. Finish application and fingerprints inside that year.

Pass rates worth knowing

CDI's October 15, 2026 Curriculum Board packet shows English combined Life/Accident/Health first-time pass rates around 59 percent for January through August 2026. Spanish-language first-time results across exams in early 2026 were much lower overall. Prep like the exam is earned, not assumed.

What GetLicensedCA covers

Free timed practice test: getlicensedca.com/diagnostic (no card).

Paid prep: course modules at getlicensedca.com/course, study hub at getlicensedca.com/study, 1,000+ PSI-style questions, Full Exam Simulator (150 questions, CA format), AI Study Tutor, English and Spanish.

3-day free trial then $12.99 a month, or $69 lifetime. Pass or your money back: hello@getlicensedca.com within 14 days. getlicensedca.com/pricing

Exam-day checklist: getlicensedca.com/free-exam-day-checklist.

What "California Life & Health insurance exam" means in plain speech

People say Life and Health as one phrase. CDI issues Life-Only and Accident and Health as license types. The combined PSI exam is how most candidates earn both in one sitting. When this site says California Life & Health insurance exam, it means that combined path unless a section is clearly about a single-line exam.

English and Spanish

CDI and PSI offer English and Spanish versions of Life, Accident and Health, and the combined exam with the same question counts and times. CDI also offers additional languages for many producer exams under Insurance Code section 1677 updates. Pick the language you can think in under time pressure, not the one that sounds impressive.

Where people get lost after a pass

A pass is necessary and not sufficient. The 12-hour ethics course, Sircon filing, Live Scan, CDI review, and appointment still sit ahead. Print the sequence and check boxes. Overview links for each step live in getlicensedca.com/articles/how-long-california-life-health-license and getlicensedca.com/articles/california-insurance-fingerprinting-livescan.

Study stack that matches PSI

Official objectives first. Timed practice second. Product deep dives for annuities and senior products third. Code and ethics fourth through the approved 12-hour course plus practice questions.

Internal guides: getlicensedca.com/articles/california-life-health-exam-content-outline, getlicensedca.com/articles/california-life-health-exam-cheat-sheet, getlicensedca.com/articles/annuities-california-life-health-exam, getlicensedca.com/articles/medicare-supplement-long-term-care-california-exam.

Fees at a glance

Exam $55, PSI convenience $43 at most centers, license filing $188, Live Scan $74, appointment notice $32. Full stack: getlicensedca.com/articles/california-life-health-license-cost.

Retake and fail limits

Re-register through PSI for each attempt. Ten fails on the same examination type can trigger a 12-month bar under Insurance Code section 1682. Details: getlicensedca.com/articles/california-life-health-exam-retake-guide.

Next reads by goal

Choosing lines: getlicensedca.com/articles/life-vs-life-and-health-california.

Question counts: getlicensedca.com/articles/how-many-questions-california-life-health-exam.

Day rules: getlicensedca.com/articles/psi-california-insurance-exam-day-rules.

Independent career: getlicensedca.com/articles/how-to-become-independent-insurance-agent-california.