PassProfessor’s Washington program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog. The 8,855-question Washington practice bank is built and audited, and enrollment opens soon. Join the notify list and we will email you when enrollment opens — then use this guide to plan your path to the exam.
This program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog — join the notify list and we’ll email you when enrollment opens.
The Washington P&C exam, in one paragraph
The Washington Property and Casualty Producer Combo exam is the licensing exam for Washington’s combined property and casualty producer authority, administered by PSI Services LLC for the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC). PSI’s content outline lists 150 items in 195 minutes — 45 of them on Washington laws, rules, and regulations — and you pass by getting 70% correct. Washington no longer requires pre-licensing education for producers, so the path is direct: pass the exam, submit your license application, complete electronic fingerprinting for a background check, and finish every application requirement within 180 days of passing.
Who can take the Washington P&C exam?
Washington’s front door is short, but every step on it is mandatory. Under the PSI candidate bulletin, a Washington resident seeking an insurance license must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Be trustworthy and competent — the bulletin’s general qualification for any Washington insurance license.
- Pass the examination for each line of authority needed. The Combo exam covers the property and casualty lines together in one sitting. Washington also offers the lines separately — a Property Producer exam and a Casualty Producer exam, each 100 items in 150 minutes for a $38 fee — for candidates who need only one line.
- Complete no pre-licensing education. This point deserves its own paragraph, because older materials get it wrong.
The pre-licensing education change — read this before you buy any course
Washington used to require pre-licensing education (PLE) before the producer exams. It does not anymore. A 2023 law — House Bill 1061, effective July 23, 2023 — abolished the PLE requirement, and the OIC followed with rulemaking (R 2023-04) removing the PLE language from its rules “to follow a 2023 law that abolished the PLE requirement.” The OIC’s current education page says it in one line: “PLE is no longer required for producers.”
So no course completion certificate gates your exam appointment, and no provider’s course is a licensing requirement. Study is still how people pass — the exam tests Title 48 law, policy forms, and contract concepts that few candidates know cold without preparation — but preparation is voluntary, and the form it takes is your choice. One caution: PSI’s candidate bulletin, even in its August 2026 revision, still contains a sentence describing pre-license education as required for a full-line license. That sentence conflicts with the OIC’s own pages and with the 2023 statute the OIC administers. The regulator’s current position controls: no PLE is required. If you are ever in doubt on exam day logistics, confirm with the OIC’s licensing unit at (360) 725-7144 or licinfo@oic.wa.gov.
Two related cases:
- Moving to Washington with a license. A producer licensed for the same lines in another state who applies within 90 days of cancelling that license — or who is currently licensed in good standing there — is not required to complete pre-licensing education or the Washington examination for those lines. A producer who moves to Washington must apply within 90 days of establishing legal residence to use this route.
- Non-residents apply without Washington fingerprinting (the fingerprint requirement below is for resident applicants) and generally without this exam, under the same good-standing framework. This guide follows the resident first-time path, which is the one most readers are on.
The exam, piece by piece
The Combo is a single combined sitting built from PSI’s Washington content outline (effective April 1, 2026). The outline’s sections, with PSI’s published item counts, are:
| Outline section | Items | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Laws and Regulations | 2 | Federal prohibited-persons law for insurance (18 USC §§1033–1034, including the waiver requirement) and flood insurance education under the National Flood Insurance Program |
| Washington Laws, Rules, and Regulations | 45 | Title 48 RCW and Title 284 WAC — detailed below |
| General Insurance Concepts | 17 | Risk and methods of handling it, insurable-risk elements, insurer classifications, contract elements, producer authority and agency law, and legal interpretations such as indemnity, good faith, warranties, and representations |
| Property and Casualty Insurance Basics | 21 | Insurable interest, compensatory vs. punitive damages, liability types, underwriting, rate development, hazards and perils, loss valuation, negligence, and policy structure — declarations through endorsements |
| Dwelling Policy Concepts | 2 | Dwelling policy purpose and eligibility, perils, Coverages A–D, conditions, exclusions, endorsements, and the personal liability supplement |
| Homeowners Policy Concepts | 14 | The HO forms (HO-2, HO-3, HO-4, HO-5, HO-6, HO-8), Section I property coverages, Section II liability coverages, exclusions, conditions, and endorsements |
| Personal Automobile Policy | 14 | PAP definitions, liability, medical payments, UM/UIM, coverage for damage to your auto, duties after an accident, and endorsements — including personal injury protection |
| Commercial Automobile Policy | 5 | Commercial auto coverage forms, covered/hired/non-owned autos, physical damage, exclusions, conditions, and selected endorsements |
| Commercial Property Policies | 10 | The commercial package policy, building and business personal property forms, builders risk, business income and extra expense, causes of loss, commercial crime, inland marine, and farm coverage |
| Commercial General Liability | 10 | CGL components, bodily injury and property damage, personal and advertising injury, medical payments, occurrence vs. claims-made triggers, and premises/products-completed operations and contractual liability exposures |
| Businessowners Policy | 6 | BOP characteristics, Section I property coverage and conditions, and Section II liability coverages, exclusions, and who is an insured |
| Other Types of Property and Casualty Insurance | 4 | Specialty liability (directors and officers, professional/E&O, employment practices, employee benefits, cyber), surety contracts and the parties to a bond, umbrella and excess policies, mobile home, earthquake, flood, and watercraft |
| Total | 150 | In 195 minutes |
The 45-item Washington section, in detail
PSI subdivides its Washington-law section three ways, and the subdivision is the study map:
- Common to property and casualty insurance — the largest subsection. The Commissioner’s broad powers and examination of records; Title 48 terms and concepts (insurance, insurer, insurance transaction, authorized vs. unauthorized insurers and certificates of authority); licensing — who must be licensed, producer, temporary, and nonresident licenses, exemptions, appointments and terminations, penalties, suspension and revocation, fines, and unlicensed activity; maintenance of the license — renewal, continuing education, late renewal and reinstatement, reporting of actions, the licensing process, and the designated responsible licensed person; marketing practices — unfair practices and frauds under RCW 48.30, trade practices, producer compensation disclosure, rebating and inducements, twisting, misrepresentation, defamation, discrimination, advertising, and producer responsibilities for policy delivery, premium accountability, and separate accounts; cancellation and nonrenewal rules; credit scoring adverse action; homeowners cancellation and nonrenewal; applications and binders; required records, place of business, and address changes; and the Washington Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association.
- Pertinent to property insurance only — overinsurance, and the fair access to insurance requirements plan (the FAIR Plan) under WAC 284-19.
- Pertinent to casualty insurance only — automobile insurance in depth: total loss, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage for bodily injury and property damage, stacking, insurer insolvency, and limits; liability and financial responsibility law (Titles 46 and 48); renewal, nonrenewal, and cancellation of auto policies; assigned risk plans; and the personal injury protection (PIP) endorsement and its benefits.
Three structural facts that shape how you should prepare:
- Washington law is 45 of 150 items — 30% of the exam, and the single largest block PSI publishes. It is also the most concrete material tested: statute-driven duties, named Washington institutions, and rules that differ from national defaults. A candidate who studies only national material is underprepared for nearly a third of the test.
- The personal-lines policy families carry real weight. Homeowners (14), personal auto (14), and dwelling (2) total 30 items, before the commercial sections are counted. Policy forms — what each covers, excludes, and conditions — are the general half’s center of gravity.
- There is one sitting and one result. The Combo does not produce separate property and casualty scores you must each clear; the bulletin states a single standard — 70% correct — for the examination. Depth in one area can carry a thinner area, which is an argument for breadth, not for skipping the Washington section.
Experimental items. In addition to the outlined items, PSI’s bulletin says a small number of experimental items — one to ten, generally approximately 10% of the number of questions — may be administered during the examination. They are not scored, but they do count against your examination time, and there is no way to identify them. PSI describes them as an essential step in developing future licensing examinations. The only correct strategy is to treat every item as scored.
The passing standard, explained
You pass by getting 70% correct.
Washington’s standard is refreshingly literal compared with states whose vendors convert results to a scaled score. PSI states the rule directly in its score-reporting section: “You must get 70% correct to pass the examination.” There is no scale to decode and no conversion table to guess at — the practical consequences are simpler, and worth stating plainly:
- Practice percentages mean what they say. If your full-length practice exams sit comfortably above 70% across every outline section — not just on average — you are practicing above the line the real exam draws. If one section, especially the 45-item Washington section, sits below it, the average can hide the risk.
- Your result is immediate. Your score is displayed on screen at the end of the examination, and a score report is emailed to you. A passing report is marked “pass”; candidates who do not pass receive diagnostic information — the bulletin describes strengths and weaknesses by examination type — which is the starting point for a retake plan.
- Duplicates are available. If your emailed report does not arrive, PSI directs remote candidates to make sure they ended both the exam and survey portions, and any candidate may request a duplicate score report from PSI’s score-report address with their name, candidate ID, and confirmation number (allow up to 72 hours, per the bulletin).
Neither PSI nor the OIC publishes a Washington pass rate in the sources this guide relies on, so this guide states none. Any website quoting a precise Washington first-time pass percentage is quoting something other than a current PSI or OIC publication — treat it accordingly, and let your own full-length practice results be your calibration instead.
Fees and registration, step by step
Keep the payments separate in your mind — they go to different places at different times, and mixing them up is how candidates under-budget or miss a step.
| Payment | Amount | Paid to | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam fee | $55 | PSI | When you schedule the Combo exam |
| License application | $55 | The State of Washington (via the OIC or NIPR) | After you pass, when you submit your application |
| Fingerprinting | $49 | IDEMIA–IdentoGO | After your application is submitted, when you attend your fingerprint appointment |
The license figure is the state fee NIPR lists for a Washington resident Insurance Producer application; NIPR notes its figures are state fees only and do not include NIPR transaction fees. Exam fees are not refundable or transferable, per the bulletin.
The sequence, in order:
- Create your PSI account and schedule. Go to PSI’s Washington OIC program page (test-takers.psiexams.com/waoic), view the available tests, and register — or call PSI at (855) 205-5825. Your first and last name must match your current, valid, government-issued ID exactly. At scheduling you choose your format: a PSI test center, or remote proctoring. PSI lists Washington test centers including Arlington, Bremerton, Ellensburg, Everett, Olympia, Richland, Bellevue (Seattle), Spokane Valley, Tacoma, Vancouver, and Yakima, and notes the exam may also be taken at PSI centers in other regions.
- Pay the $55 exam fee as part of scheduling. Veterans should know the bulletin flags a separate benefit: Washington insurance exams have been approved for qualifying veterans to receive reimbursement of exam fees through the VA — PSI directs candidates to the VA’s test-fee reimbursement page for eligibility.
- Mind the change rules. You may cancel and reschedule the same examination without forfeiting your fee if your cancellation notice is received 2 days before the scheduled date — for a Monday appointment, notice must arrive the previous Saturday. Voicemail is not an acceptable cancellation; use the PSI website or speak to a representative. Miss the window, arrive late, fail to appear, or arrive without proper identification, and the fee is forfeited.
- Take the exam (test-day rules are below). Your score appears on screen when you finish; your score report follows by email.
- Apply for the license — after passing. Submit the online application, including the $55 license fee, through the OIC at insurance.wa.gov, or — for full lines — through NIPR at nipr.com. Completing this step before fingerprinting is not a preference; it is the required order (see the next section).
- Get fingerprinted through IDEMIA–IdentoGO as the next section describes, and supply any conviction documentation the application requires. The 180-day clock in the retakes section covers all of it.
Exam accommodations. PSI centers provide access under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and candidates who need alternative arrangements request them through PSI’s accommodations process. The bulletin also describes an English-as-a-second-language provision — time and one-half — approved when the candidate includes a letter from an English instructor or sponsoring company, on letterhead, certifying that English is not the candidate’s primary language. Request accommodations before you schedule, not after.
After you pass: application, fingerprints, appointment
Passing is the middle of the process, not the end of it. The bulletin and the OIC prescribe a specific order, and the order matters:
- Submit the online application first. Complete the application and pay the license fee through the OIC’s site or NIPR (full lines). PSI’s bulletin is explicit about what “complete” means: if you do not submit all application requirements — application and fees, fingerprints, and conviction documentation — within 180 days of passing the examination, you will be required to retake it.
- Then schedule fingerprinting. Washington requires resident applicants to submit fingerprints electronically for a background check; non-resident applicants have no fingerprint requirement. Candidates do not need to be fingerprinted before the exam. Per FBI requirements, you submit your application before scheduling a fingerprint appointment. The OIC explains the mechanics: you cannot schedule until the OIC has received your application; you will need either your OIC or NIPR transaction number — found in your application confirmation email or your NIPR Licensing Center order history — and NIPR advises allowing 36–48 hours after applying before scheduling, so your information is in the system.
- Attend an IDEMIA–IdentoGO appointment. Select the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner as the state agency to receive your prints. IdentoGO transmits them electronically to the Washington State Patrol, which forwards the background results directly to the OIC’s licensing unit. You do not receive a copy of the background check, and you do not need to send the OIC anything yourself. The OIC lists the cost as $49 — the background-check fee plus IdentoGO’s rolling (service) fee — and notes there are more than 30 IdentoGO locations in Washington. Prints taken for another purpose or another agency do not satisfy this requirement; NIPR adds that fingerprints submitted to the OIC for an insurance license application within the past 12 months do not need to be repeated.
- Wait for the background results. The OIC is direct: “We can’t issue you your license until we receive the results of your background check.” A passed exam plus a paid application is not a license until the check clears.
- Get appointed or affiliated. A license gives you the authority; an appointment is what lets you act as a particular insurer’s direct representative. The bulletin draws the line: if you transact business as a direct representative of an insurer and solicit on its behalf, you must be appointed by that insurer. If you represent a business entity, the entity should be licensed and should affiliate you. Your insurer or business entity assists with the appointment or affiliation after you are licensed — it follows licensure, it does not precede it.
Retakes and score validity
- No retake limit. PSI states there is no limit to the number of times a candidate may retake an examination to pass it, and each attempt carries the $55 exam fee.
- But not the same day. It is not possible to book a new appointment on the same day you have taken an examination, because of score processing and reporting. PSI’s example: a candidate who tests unsuccessfully on a Wednesday can call Thursday and retest as soon as Friday, depending on space availability.
- Use the diagnostic report. The score report emailed after a failed attempt includes diagnostic information on your strengths and weaknesses. PSI notes candidates may use it as a guide for studying before the next administration — rebuild the plan around the sections it flags rather than re-reading everything.
- Score validity is 180 days. A pass is not a permanent credential. The 180-day window above — application, fees, fingerprints, and conviction documentation all submitted — is the whole of it. Let it lapse, for any reason, and the examination must be retaken, whatever your score was.
- A word on renewals, for orientation only. The bulletin notes individual licenses expire on the last day of the licensee’s birth month plus one year, and every two years thereafter, with a renewal notice sent about two months ahead — but renewal, including its continuing-education rules, is a post-licensing topic governed by the OIC’s current pages, not by this exam guide.
Test day
At a test center:
- Arrive 30 minutes early for sign-in, identification, and familiarization. Arrive after the start time and you may not be admitted — and the fee is forfeited.
- Bring one form of primary identification from PSI’s list: a state-issued driver’s license, a state-issued identification card, a U.S. government-issued passport, a U.S. government-issued military ID, a U.S. government-issued alien registration card, or a Canadian government-issued ID. It must carry your photo, be valid and unexpired, and match the name you scheduled with.
- Expect security screening. You must review and agree to PSI’s Security Agreement. At check-in you may be asked to empty and turn out your pockets; proctors inspect eyeglass frames and similar items. You will be given scratch paper and a pencil, which you return at check-out.
- Leave prohibited items outside the testing room — reference materials; electronic devices of every kind, including phones, smart watches, earbuds, and handheld calculators; hats and headgear not worn as religious apparel; bulky outerwear; and personal items from backpacks and purses to food, drinks, and wallets. Secure storage is provided for items found at check-in, but PSI is not responsible for their security. Guests may not wait in the examination center or on its property.
- During the exam, you may leave the room only for the restroom and only with proctor permission — with no extra time. A tutorial of up to 15 minutes precedes the exam and does not count against your 195 minutes; one question appears on screen at a time, a minutes-remaining display runs at the top, and you may return to any question and change your answer while time remains. You may also flag comments on individual questions through the Comments link; PSI reviews substantive comments with the state, though it does not respond to individuals.
Remote proctoring — different rules, read them before you choose it:
- You launch your test within 30 minutes of your booked time, and by not starting within 15 minutes after it, you forfeit your fee or eligibility. Run PSI’s audio/video, webcam, and system compatibility checks in advance.
- The bulletin states that, beginning August 3, 2026, all remote-proctored tests for the Washington OIC require a smartphone as a second camera security device; a check-in specialist guides the setup.
- No scratch paper is allowed remotely, breaks are not allowed at all — PSI advises candidates who cannot complete the exam without a break not to register for remote testing — and your hands, eyes, and workspace stay under proctor observation throughout.
Results are immediate in both formats — on screen at the end, with the emailed report to follow — provided remote candidates end both the exam and the survey portions, which PSI requires before results are released.
How to study for this exam
PSI publishes exactly what the exam covers, section by section, and the item counts above are the syllabus — not suggestions. A plan built on that structure:
- Start with the Washington section, and budget for its real size. Forty-five items — 30% of the exam — come from Title 48 and Title 284, and they reward direct study of concrete material: who must be licensed and how appointments work, what counts as rebating, twisting, and misrepresentation, how cancellation and nonrenewal differ for homeowners and auto, what the Guaranty Association does when an insurer fails, what the FAIR Plan is for, and how Washington’s UM/UIM, stacking, assigned-risk, and PIP rules fit together. This is the highest-yield block on the exam and the one national materials underweight.
- Learn the policy families comparatively. Homeowners, dwelling, personal auto, commercial auto, commercial property, CGL, and BOP sections together account for 65 items. Learn each form against its neighbors: what it covers, what it excludes, which conditions control after a loss, and which endorsements change the answer. Comparison is what the exam’s scenario questions actually test.
- Ground the concepts sections in the basics sections. General Insurance Concepts (17) and Property and Casualty Insurance Basics (21) supply the vocabulary — risk, hazard, peril, insurable interest, negligence, valuation, coinsurance, policy structure — that every other section’s questions are written in. Definitions learned inside questions stick; definitions learned off a list leak.
- Do the small sections on purpose. Federal law is only 2 items — §§1033–1034 and the NFIP — and dwelling is 2 items. Small sections are cheap points for candidates who spend an hour on them and free losses for candidates who skip them entirely.
- Practice at full length, against the clock. 150 outlined items in 195 minutes is about a minute and twenty seconds per item, and experimental items may consume time on top of that. Full generated practice exams at the real outline weights build pacing and knowledge together; short quizzes build only one.
- Read every explanation, especially for questions you got right. A right answer from a wrong reason is a wrong answer waiting for a differently-worded question. Explanations are where scenario knowledge actually forms.
- Schedule when your simulations say so — consistently above 70% on full-length practice, with the Washington-law block no longer your weakest section — and schedule promptly, so the post-pass steps above start from a position of calm rather than a deadline.
This program’s Washington practice bank (8,855 questions, including 1,361 on Washington laws, rules, and regulations) is organized by content area across the same ground this outline covers. The Washington Insurance Exam Prep program page shows the full coverage table — and the notify list there will email you when enrollment opens.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Washington P&C exam? PSI’s outline lists 150 items for the Property and Casualty Producer Combo, in 195 minutes. PSI may also administer a small number of experimental items — one to ten, generally about 10% — in addition; those are unscored but count against your time.
What is the passing score for the Washington insurance exam? 70% correct. PSI states the standard directly: you must get 70% correct to pass. Your score is displayed on screen at the end of the exam, and your score report is emailed to you.
Does Washington require pre-licensing education for a P&C license? No. A 2023 law (House Bill 1061, effective July 23, 2023) abolished the producer pre-licensing education requirement, the OIC removed the PLE rules that implemented it, and the OIC’s education page confirms PLE “is no longer required for producers.” Preparation is voluntary. Note that PSI’s candidate bulletin still carries an older sentence describing pre-license education as required — the OIC’s current pages and the 2023 law control.
How much does the Washington P&C exam cost? The Combo exam fee is $55, paid to PSI when you schedule. After you pass, the license application fee is $55, paid to the state through the OIC or NIPR (NIPR transaction fees, where they apply, are additional), and fingerprinting through IDEMIA–IdentoGO costs $49.
How do I register for the Washington insurance exam? Register through PSI’s Washington OIC program page (test-takers.psiexams.com/waoic) or by calling PSI at (855) 205-5825. The name on your account must match your government-issued ID exactly, and you choose at scheduling between a PSI test center and remote proctoring.
Can I take the Washington insurance exam online? Yes — PSI offers remote online proctoring as well as test centers. Remote testing carries its own rules: a compatibility check in advance, a smartphone as a second camera (per the bulletin, for tests from August 3, 2026), no scratch paper, and no breaks. Read the bulletin’s remote-testing section before you book that format.
What happens after I pass the Washington P&C exam? Submit your license application online (OIC or NIPR) with the $55 fee, then schedule fingerprinting with IDEMIA–IdentoGO using the transaction number from your application. All application requirements — application and fees, fingerprints, and any conviction documentation — must be submitted within 180 days of passing. The OIC cannot issue the license until it receives your background-check results, and you arrange insurer appointment or agency affiliation after licensure.
How long is my Washington exam score valid? 180 days from passing — the window for completing every application requirement. Miss it and the examination must be retaken.
If I fail, how soon can I retake the Washington exam? Not the same day — score processing prevents a same-day rebooking. PSI’s example is a Wednesday failure, a Thursday call, and a retest as early as Friday, subject to availability. There is no limit on the number of retakes, and the $55 exam fee applies to each attempt.
Do I need to be fingerprinted before the exam? No. The bulletin is explicit: candidates do not need to be fingerprinted before taking an exam. Fingerprinting comes after you pass and after you submit your license application — per FBI requirements, the application must be submitted before you schedule the fingerprint appointment.
Can I take property and casualty separately instead of the Combo? Yes. PSI offers a Property Producer exam and a Casualty Producer exam separately — each 100 items, 150 minutes, $38. The Combo (150 items, 195 minutes, $55) covers both lines in one sitting and one result.
What Washington-specific topics does the exam cover? The 45-item Washington section covers Title 48 and Title 284 law: the Commissioner and licensing, appointments, marketing practices and unfair practices, cancellation and nonrenewal, the Washington Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association, the FAIR Plan, assigned risk plans, and Washington’s uninsured/underinsured motorist, stacking, and personal injury protection rules.
What identification do I need on exam day? One form of primary, government-issued photo identification from PSI’s list — for example a state driver’s license or ID card, a U.S. passport, or a U.S. military ID. It must be valid and unexpired, and the name must match the name you scheduled with.
Disclaimer
PassProfessor is an independent exam-preparation provider and is not affiliated with the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner, PSI Services LLC, or any state agency or exam vendor. This guide is general information about the Washington licensing exam, current as of October 2026; OIC and PSI publications govern if anything here differs from them.