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Home > Agents > Step By Step Guide To: Getting Your NC Life Insurance License

Step By Step Guide To: Getting Your NC Life Insurance License

Getting your insurance license is the first step to becoming an insurance agent in North Carolina. Life insurance and all other insurances require a license to sell in any state in the US or its territories.

Read this in its entirety. Then follow this step-by-step: DO NOT SKIP ANY STEPS.

  • Insurance Pre-License Education: You must now take your North Carolina insurance pre-license education courses. These courses are created specifically to give you the skills you need to pass the test.
    • North Carolina requires twenty(20) hours of pre-license education for LIFE ONLY.
    • North Carolina requires twenty(40) hours of pre-license education for LIFE/HEALTH.
    • Visit Family First Life’s Pre-Licensing private site: prepare2pass.com/ffl
      • Click enroll now then find Insurance English Pre-Licensing Bundle courses
      • Click on North Carolina and select NC Life Pre-licensing by clicking “$199.00”
      • Click Go To Cart and then apply discount code: fflaria-AFKM8a
      • Click Proceed To Checkout and then click Sign up
      • Create a New Student Account and only enter the Required student information.
      • Review & Verify the student information, this will complete the registration process.
      • A welcome email is sent instantly to help get started.
    • You will receive a certificate upon completion of the course. Keep this certificate, as you will need it when taking your exam.
    • In North Carolina, you have ninety (90) days to pass the insurance license exam after completing your pre-license education. If it’s more than ninety (90) days, you will need to retake the pre-license course.
  • License Application: Once you have completed your pre-licensing education, you are now ready to apply for your license.
    • The fee for an online application is $50 per line, plus a $44 application fee, the $38 fingerprint fee, and a $6 NIPR fee for a total cost of $138.
    • Fill out your online application on the NIPR North Carolina
    • These fees must be paid when you submit your application and before you get your fingerprints done.
  • Fingerprinting and Background Check: North Carolina requires that all insurance license applicants provide fingerprints prior to licensing.
    • Giving your fingerprints will initiate a background check. If you have any prior misdemeanors or felonies, this may affect the outcome of your licensing efforts.
    • For more information on this topic, call the North Carolina Department of Insurance at (919) 807-6800 or email the License Department.
    • Schedule your fingerprinting appointment with any of the approved vendors in this North Carolina Fingerprint Provider PDF.
      • Please read the instructions on this PDF, as some providers may not provide the fingerprint information directly to the Department of Insurance, and you will have to do this manually.
      • The providers generally require an additional small processing fee that is not included in the state fingerprint fee.
      • You will need to take this fingerprint form with you.
  • North Carolina Insurance License Exams: The next step after submitting your application and having your fingerprints taken is to pass the insurance exam.
        • You should receive an email from Pearson VUE after applying with a “candidate ID”, “reservation number”, and/or “applicant ID” to take the exams.
        • You may register to take your exams and find more information on the Pearson VUE North Carolina Exams
        • You have ninety (90) days from the time you completed your pre-licensing course to the time you pass the exam. If you do not pass the exam in this time period, you will need to retake the pre-licensing education course.
          • There is also a five (5) test maximum until you would need to retake the education.
        • This is a proctored test, so you will be in a controlled environment with a person watching you.
          • For people who haven’t tested in a situation like this; they should work on taming their nerves prior to sitting for the exam.
        • The fee for each attempt at the exams is $45.
          • When you show up, you must have a photo ID and any other documentation that Pearson VUE requires you to have.
        • Each LIFE ONLY exam contains 55 multiple-choice questions.
        • To explain the scoring of this exam, we will quote the Pearson VUE North Carolina Insurance Licensing Examination Candidate Guide:
          • SCALED SCORE: The North Carolina Department of Insurance set the passing score of an examination (with Pearson VUE) after they completed a comprehensive study for each examination. They convert raw scores into scaled scores that can range from 0 to 100. To avoid misuse of score information, they only report numeric scores to failing candidates. The scaled score that is reported to you is neither the number of questions you answered correctly nor the percentage of questions you answered correctly. With a passing score of 70, any score below 70 shows how close the candidate came to passing, rather than the actual number or percentage of questions the candidates answered correctly. – Pearson VUE
        • Insurance license tests are intentionally difficult, but not impossible by any means. You should study to the point of comfort with the information before you attempt the test.
          • Failing the exam isn’t the end of the world, but keep in mind that you will need to pay the fee each time you attempt the test.
  • Application Review: Once you have submitted your application and have filled all the other requirements, your license application will be reviewed by the state.
    • Your background check will also be reviewed.
    • If everything is acceptable, then they should issue your license within three to five (3-5) business days.
    • If there are any items from your background check that need to be reviewed, it may slow down the process of issuance.
    • If this is the case, the state may contact you to provide context to the issues they have run into.
    • You will receive an email from Pearson VUE regarding your license acceptance. This email will also have a link to print your license.
  • Congratulations: You’ve done the work, put in the time and effort, and now hold the key to your own success! We’re proud of you! Take five (5) minutes, celebrate, and let us know so we can get you contracted!

 

Prices and info are subject to change based on state regulations.

For the latest info, please go to the DOI website.