TEST DAY · PEARSON VUE TEXAS · UPDATED OCTOBER 9, 2026
Can you take the Texas exam online? No. Here is what happens at Pearson VUE instead.
From the Texas Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook (publication 124400) and Pearson VUE's Texas notices. Read the current handbook before you go; this is the short version, with the one question everyone asks answered first.
NoONLINE OPTION SINCE MARCH 2024
$49PER ATTEMPT
2SIGNED IDS, ONE WITH PHOTO
145QUESTIONS, 150 MINUTES
Online testing: what changed and why the forums are wrong
Until early 2024 you could sit the Texas insurance exams from home through Pearson VUE's OnVUE service. That ended on March 8, 2024. The notice to the industry read: "Effective immediately, OnVUE online proctored exams will no longer be offered as a supplemental testing option for Texas Department of Insurance candidates. Exams will continue to be offered at designated/authorized Pearson VUE test centers in and outside the state of Texas. Previously scheduled OnVUE exams through March 31 will be honored."
So:
Test centers only, in Texas or in another state. If you live far from a center, you may need to travel; book early, because the busy months (June to September) fill up.
No walk-ins. You reserve online or by phone, pay at reservation, and get a confirmation. Turning up without one gets you nothing.
Old answers are stale. Reddit threads and school FAQs from 2021–2023 still say "yes, online." Pearson VUE's own Texas page lists "Online testing" in its menu because the company offers it for other programs, not for Texas insurance. The monthly pass-rate reports stopped listing online-proctored sittings after October 2023. Pearson VUE gave no public reason for ending the option.
Before you book
Fee: $49 per attempt for Life, Accident & Health, $39 for Life Agent, paid by card or voucher when you schedule. Non-refundable except under the handbook's cancellation rules. Every fee, with sources ›
No pre-licensing course is required in Texas for Life, Accident & Health. Fingerprints (IdentoGO) and the license application (TDI, within one year of passing) are separate steps.
Book at least 24 hours ahead. Pearson VUE will not let you reschedule or cancel for free inside its cutoff; check the current window in the handbook.
Spanish version: ask for it when you book; you can switch any question to English during the test. Extra time for English as a second language needs a separate form, approved before you book. How the Spanish exam works ›
What to bring
Two forms of current ID with signatures, the primary one a government-issued photo ID (driver license, passport, military ID, state ID). Names must match your registration exactly, including middle initials.
An expired ID is refused, and a candidate turned away for ID forfeits the exam fee.
Nothing else goes into the room. Phone, watch, notes, food, bag go in a locker. Scratch material and calculator are provided on screen or by the center.
On the day
Arrive 30 minutes early for check-in: ID, photo, signature, palm scan at many centers, locker.
An on-screen tutorial runs before the exam and does not count against your time.
145 questions, 150 minutes. 100 scored general plus 10 unscored pretest, then 30 scored Texas-law plus 5 pretest. You cannot tell which are pretest, so treat every question as scored.
Flag questions and come back. Only correct answers count and there is no penalty for a wrong one, so never leave a question blank.
The pass mark is a scaled score of 70, not 70% correct. The scaling adjusts for the difficulty of your form.
Your score report is printed on site. Pass or fail, you leave knowing. A fail report shows performance by section.
If you do not pass
You can retest the next day; Texas sets no attempt limit, and each attempt is another $49. Retakes pass only about 40% of the time, against 57% for first-timers, mostly because people retake the same way they first took it. Start where the score report says you lost the most, and give Texas law the time of a full section. The retake plan ›
The last three days
Three days out: one timed mock, 30 questions, on material you have not seen. Below 70%? Move the date; the fee is cheaper than a retake.
Two days out: your misconceptions only: questions you were sure about and got wrong. Read every explanation.
The day before: 15 light questions, print your confirmation, lay out both IDs, stop by 8 pm. Sleep beats cramming by more than people believe.
Questions people ask
Can I take the Texas life and health insurance exam online?
No. Pearson VUE stopped offering OnVUE online-proctored exams for Texas Department of Insurance candidates on March 8, 2024; appointments already booked were honored through March 31, 2024. Since then the Texas insurance exams are given only at Pearson VUE test centers, in Texas or in other states. Forum answers saying "yes, online" are from before the change.
How much is the Texas insurance exam and how do I book it?
$49 per attempt for the Life, Accident & Health exam ($39 for Life Agent), paid by card or voucher when you reserve online or by phone with Pearson VUE. The fee is non-refundable except under the handbook's cancellation rules and cannot be paid at the test center. No walk-ins.
What ID do I need for the Pearson VUE insurance exam in Texas?
Two forms of current, valid ID with signatures, the primary one a government-issued photo ID. The name must match your registration exactly. An expired ID is refused, and a candidate turned away for ID forfeits the exam fee.
How long is the Texas Life and Health exam?
150 minutes for 145 questions: 100 scored general questions plus 10 unscored pretest, and 30 scored Texas-law questions plus 5 pretest. The on-screen tutorial before the exam is not timed. You can flag questions and return to them.
When do I get my Texas insurance exam results?
Immediately. Your score report is printed at the test center before you leave. If you did not pass, it shows your performance by section, which is where your retake prep should start.
How soon can I retake the Texas insurance exam if I fail?
The next day. The handbook says a candidate who failed can schedule a new exam within one day, and Texas sets no limit on attempts. Each attempt costs the exam fee again.
The exam-day checklist lives in the app, with a cram mode for the last three days: one clean mock, your misconceptions, and sleep.