Recently, I’ve received a number of requests for the best places to self-study for the Texas Insurance licensing exams. So, I took time to investigate for myself to determine the best places online and in-person prelicensing organizations in Texas. As a result, I developed this guideline to help you choose the best licensing organization to help you obtain your goals.
General Lines- Property Casualty Agent’s License**
The General lines’s P&C license is the one most people think about when they’re looking to become an insurance agent. This license helps you sell personal lines auto, home and umbrella as well as most commercial insurance products. Also, if you want to own your own agency, this license is the minimum requirement to be an agency owner in the state of Texas.
As for the best licensing organizations, I looked at the usual suspects. Most places offer, online pre-licensing classes online. Prices for self-study course range from $100 to $300. Of all the licensing organizations I reviewed, one stood out from the rest. The Texas Insurance Training Academy based in Dallas, Texas, really puts their money where their mouth is. They guaranty that if attend their classroom training and don’t pass the General Lines licensing exam on the first try, they’ll pay for your second test. Not only do they make this guaranty for Property and Casualty, but they offer the same guaranty for the General Lines Life Accident and Health.
Other companies to consider:
General Lines – Life, Accident, Health, and HMO**
The life, accident, and health license allows the license to sell any non-variable life insurance product available in the state of Texas. Again, the Texas Insurance Training Academy offered the best combination of pricing and guarantees. They also offered a 100% money back guaranty if you decide to follow the online prelicensing program. Also, unlike 100% of the other organizations Texas Insurance Training Academy focuses only on passing the Texas Insurance licensing exam.
**Please note, exams for all General Lines licensing exams my be taken at Prometric.
Other companies to consider:
Texas County Mutual Agent’s license
The Texas County Mutual Agent’s license allows the licensee the ability to write insurance for a county mutual company. This license is usually reserved for newbies to the insurance game that want to be a producer before they become an agency owner or general agent. As a county mutual agent, you have the ability to write auto, and home insurance written under the direction of a general agent (like me.)
In order to obtain this license, you must first find an agency that has the proper county mutual company appointment. Once you’ve found the agent, you can either self study for by going to www.cceducation.com and searching for the proper course under P&C, or finding a company that has a one day class. This is the only insurance agent’s license that will allow you to take a proctored online licensing exam or at the appropriate testing location. Either way, the abreviated tested allows you limited authority as an insurance producer. Simply put, this license is reserved for beginning producers.
Other Considerations
Kaplan Financial also offers a combination of online and in personal pre-licensing courses across the state of Texas. Similar to the Texas Insurance Training Academy, if you fail your licensing exam, they will allow you the chance to take the class 3 additional times. However, the money backed guaranty is still the best deal I’ve seen so far.
Hopefully, this will give you additional insight into becomiing an insurance agent in Texas and the best licensing organizations. Once you’ve gotten that license and are looking for an agency home, consider talking to us at TXINSURANCEPRO.COM.
Texas Insurance Pre-Licensing Links
- Texas Insurance Training Academy -online and classroom prelicensing available in Texas
- Kaplan Financial – online and classroom pre-licensing available in Texas
- Learn Insurance – online pre-licensing courses only
- Center for Continuing Education – online pre-licensing education and testing for Texas County Mutual Agents only.