IDOI Licensing Exam Changes

By Randall Evans, Deputy Commissioner Indiana Department of Insurance

The Indiana Department of Insurance (IDOI) provides licenses for over 198,500 individual agents with an average of 600 new resident producer licenses issued each month. As a requirement of insurance producer licensing, most applicants are required to complete an applicable pre-licensing course and pass a corresponding state producer licensing exam before a license is approved and issued by the IDOI.

Although there are a number of approved education providers offering pre-licensing courses in classroom or online settings, the IDOI contracts with a single vendor to administer and maintain its 12 producer licensing exams. Effective May 30, 2019, Pearson Vue (PV) has become the new exam vendor for the IDOI. PV has over 80 years of experience in education and testing, with over 33 years of experience in the insurance industry. PV works with 25 jurisdictions of state departments of insurance to write, administer, and maintain insurance exam data. PV has been a state approved vendor in Indiana for over 30 years with nearly 1000 employees state-wide, providing exam services and support to the Professional Licensing Agency.

Pearson Vue was introduced at the 2019 IDOI Industry Day. The event was free and open to education providers and insurance producers interested in learning more about PV and the changes pertaining to the new vendor. Some of those changes include: reduced exam fees, increased number of test center locations, expanded testing hours and added seating capacity. IDOI licensing exams will continue to be offered at Ivy Tech College locations, in addition to six PV owned test centers, expanding in-state test center availability from 29 locations to 35. Additionally, 21 test centers in neighboring states will be accessible for Indiana producer license exams allowing Indiana producers who live in border cities more availability and convenience for scheduling, while driving shorter distances to sit for exams.

PV also affords military service members and veterans the opportunity to take state producer insurance exams at 130 designated military bases and installations across the U.S and abroad. This service will allow military service members preparing to retire or rotate back to civilian life to get a head start to re-enter the workforce.

PV has published an Indiana examination handbook and provides live online-chat services for test scheduling assistance. Candidates can also view scheduling availability prior to making payment. 

PV began exam registration on its website via an IDOI landing page for dates on or after May 30, 2019. The prior vendor, Performance Assessment Network (PAN) began blocking registration for exam dates after May 29, 2019.  Candidates who prepaid PAN exam registration fees but did not schedule an exam by May 29, 2019 will receive a refund for their registration fee. Refunds will be processed and mailed to the registrant and address used during preregistration. However, a candidate that was a “no-show” for a scheduled exam will not receive a refund.

If you have questions, please visit www.in.gov/idoi or call 317-232-2385. Also, be sure to bookmark the Agency Services Important Notices webpage at www.in.gov/idoi/2611.htm, and connect with the Department on Facebook or Twitter.