The Virginia Insurance Exam Decoded: Prometric Format, Sections, and Test Day Guide

The Virginia insurance licensing exam is administered by Prometric — a detail that matters from the moment you register, because Prometric's platform, scheduling system, and test center logistics are different from the PSI and Pearson VUE systems used by many other states. Virginia candidates schedule at prometric.com/virginia/insurance or by calling (866) 891-6396. The exam is available at physical Prometric test centers — including six locations in Virginia — or via Prometric's remote ProProctor platform. Every candidate who walks into exam day understanding exactly what the test looks like, how it is scored, and how the two-section structure works performs better than candidates who read the summary and assume the rest. This post covers every structural detail of the Virginia insurance exam.

The Two-Section Structure: The Most Important Thing to Understand

Every Virginia insurance licensing exam consists of two scored sections delivered together in one sitting:

Section 1 — National/General Content: Tests standard insurance product knowledge, policy mechanics, underwriting principles, and federal regulations that apply across all states. For the Life, Annuities & Health exam (Series 11-01), this section has 100 scored questions. For the P&C exam (Series 11-03), it also has 100 scored questions.

Section 2 — Virginia State Law Content: Tests Virginia-specific statutes, regulations, and Bureau of Insurance rules. For Series 11-03, this section has 35 scored questions broken down as: approximately 23 questions on Virginia-specific P&C law, 14 on common statutes and regulations, and 8 on licensing and producer regulation. For Series 11-01, this section has 40 scored questions.

Critical scoring rule: You must score 70% or higher on each section separately. The two scores are not averaged together. A candidate who scores 90% on the national section and 65% on the state law section fails the exam and must retake the entire thing — both sections — from the beginning. There is no partial credit or section carryover.

This two-section structure means that state law preparation is not an afterthought — it is half the pass/fail equation. Candidates who study only national content and skip Virginia-specific material are structurally at risk of failing even if their general insurance knowledge is strong.

Exam Series and Structure

The pretest questions are unscored experimental items distributed throughout the exam. They are not labeled as pretest — you cannot tell which questions count and which do not. Answer all questions as if they count. Do not skip any question on the assumption that it might be a pretest item.

The Question Format

All questions are four-option multiple-choice. Prometric designs questions to test knowledge and comprehension, not pattern recognition or test-taking tricks. Three question formats are used:

Standard question: A direct question with one clearly correct answer among four options.

"Best answer" question: Multiple options may be partially correct, but one is more complete or accurate than the others. These require knowledge depth, not just familiarity.

Scenario/application question: Presents a brief client situation, policy detail, or regulatory scenario and asks how the rule applies. These are common in the state law section and require understanding principles well enough to apply them.

Questions and topics are randomly distributed throughout the exam — national and state content are mixed together, not grouped by section. You cannot tell from the sequence of questions where you are relative to your state law score.

Scheduling at Prometric

Online: prometric.com/virginia/insurance — fastest and most flexible; available 24/7 Phone: (866) 891-6396 Payment: MasterCard, Visa, money order, company check, or cashier's check — personal checks not accepted; pay at time of registration Fee: $35 per exam

You may take your exam at any Prometric test center in the United States — not just in Virginia. Virginia has six test center locations across the Commonwealth. The Prometric network has more than 300 locations nationwide.

Rescheduling/Cancellation: To cancel and avoid forfeiting any portion of your fee, contact Prometric at least three calendar days before your appointment. Cancelling within three days forfeits $40 of the original exam fee.

Test Day: In-Person Protocol

Arrive 30 minutes before your appointment for check-in. The process includes identity verification, biometric intake (digital fingerprint or palm scan at the center), and a review of testing center rules.

What to bring:

Two forms of valid government-issued ID — primary must have photo and signature; secondary must have signature

Your name must match your registration exactly

What is prohibited:

Cell phones, electronic devices, calculators, smartwatches

Food and drink

Bags, wallets, or personal items (stored outside the testing room)

Study materials of any kind

The proctor cannot answer any questions about exam content. If you encounter a question you don't understand, answer it to the best of your ability and continue. No breaks are permitted during the exam.

Results

Your score appears on screen immediately upon completing the exam. A score report is emailed to you. If you pass, the report reads "pass" with no numeric score disclosed. If you fail, the report shows your numeric score and section-by-section performance breakdown — use this diagnostic to target your retake preparation.

Prometric transmits results to the Bureau of Insurance within approximately two business days.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean that Virginia has a two-section exam with separate passing scores?

It means you must achieve 70% or higher on both the national general content section and the Virginia state law section independently. Performing well on one section does not compensate for underperformance on the other. For the P&C exam (Series 11-03), the state section has 35 scored questions — you need to answer at least 25 correctly (71%) to pass that section. For the L/A/H exam (Series 11-01), the state section has 40 scored questions — you need at least 28 correct (70%) to pass. Candidates who skip state law study often fail the exam while scoring comfortably above 70% on national content. The score report from a failed attempt shows section-level results, so you can see exactly which section cost you if you don't pass.

Can I take the Virginia insurance exam at any Prometric location, or only in Virginia?

You can take the Virginia insurance licensing exam at any Prometric test center in the United States — not just Virginia locations. This is a significant benefit for candidates who live near a state border, are temporarily out of state, or find a more convenient scheduling option at a center in a neighboring state. Virginia has six test center locations within the Commonwealth, but Prometric operates more than 300 centers nationally. When you schedule at prometric.com/virginia/insurance, you can select any location. You can also take the exam remotely via Prometric's ProProctor platform from your home or office if your computer is compatible with the ProProctor software.

What happens if I don't understand a question on the exam?

Answer it to the best of your ability and continue. Prometric test center proctors are explicitly prohibited from answering any questions about exam content. If you encounter a question that is unclear, confusing, or covers material you don't recognize, make your best guess from the four options and move forward. Do not skip questions — unanswered questions count as wrong. One useful technique: eliminate the options you know are incorrect, then choose the best remaining answer. A well-prepared candidate will recognize most questions. For the few that are genuinely unfamiliar, the four-option format always gives you at least a 25% chance by guessing, and elimination improves those odds. Unscored pretest questions are mixed throughout — a question that seems completely foreign to you may be a pretest item and not affect your score at all.

How long does the entire Prometric exam session take, including check-in?

For the combined Series 11-01 (Life, Annuities & Health), the exam session is 150 minutes of testing time. Add 30 minutes of check-in and setup before the exam and you are at the test center for approximately three hours total. For the P&C exam (Series 11-03), the exam is 135 minutes; with check-in, roughly 2.5 hours total. The check-in process includes identity verification and a brief tutorial on the computer testing interface — you can practice navigating the software before the exam begins, but the tutorial does not count toward your exam time. Most candidates report finishing the scored content with time remaining; do not rush, but do not linger over any single question long enough to jeopardize time for later ones.

What should I do the day before the Virginia insurance exam?

Do not cram the night before. If you are not prepared by the evening before your exam, a final night of memorization is unlikely to change the outcome and may increase anxiety. Instead: review your weakest topics lightly using flashcards or a condensed review sheet, confirm your Prometric appointment details and test center address (or verify ProProctor compatibility if testing remotely), prepare your two forms of ID, set an alarm that gives you time to arrive 30 minutes early, and get a full night of sleep. Your performance on an exam this length is significantly affected by fatigue — candidates who are well-rested consistently outperform those who are not, at every knowledge level. The exam is 150 questions of purely factual recall; your brain's ability to access what you already know is optimized by rest, not by last-minute reading.

The Virginia insurance exam is not designed to surprise prepared candidates. It is designed to be challenging for unprepared ones. Understand the two-section scoring structure, prepare both national and Virginia state law content thoroughly, and walk into the Prometric test center knowing exactly what to expect from the first question to the score report.

Visit JustInsurance to enroll today and prepare for your Virginia Prometric exam with a state-approved course built to the current content outline.