Sample practice questions

A few real questions from this free bank, with full explanations. Use the practice tool above for the whole set.

1. 1. General Insurance Concepts

   For a life insurance policy to be valid, when must the policyowner have an insurable interest in the insured?

   • a.At the time of the insured's death
   • b.Continuously for the entire life of the policy
   • c.At the time the policy is applied for and issued
   • d.Only if the beneficiary is not a family member

   Answer: c

   Explanation: In life insurance, insurable interest must exist at the inception of the contract (when the policy is applied for), not at the time of loss. This differs from property insurance, where insurable interest must exist at the time of the loss. Requiring it continuously is incorrect: for example, a business may keep key-person coverage even after buying the policy, and a divorced spouse's policy can remain valid. Making it depend on the beneficiary's relationship confuses insurable interest (a relationship between owner and insured) with the separate question of who receives the proceeds.

2. 2. General Insurance Concepts

   A statement an applicant makes on an insurance application that is believed true to the best of their knowledge, rather than guaranteed to be literally true, is a:

   • a.Warranty
   • b.Waiver
   • c.Concealment of a known material fact
   • d.Representation

   Answer: d

   Explanation: A representation is a statement the applicant believes to be true to the best of their knowledge; it need only be substantially true, and only a material misrepresentation gives grounds to void the policy. A warranty is a statement guaranteed to be literally and absolutely true. Concealment is the deliberate withholding of a known material fact. A waiver is the voluntary giving up of a known right. Application statements in life and health insurance are treated as representations, not warranties.

3. 3. Life Insurance Policies

   Under Option B (the increasing death benefit option) of a universal life policy, the total death benefit is equal to:

   • a.The face amount reduced by the cash value as it steadily accumulates
   • b.The face amount plus the accumulated cash value
   • c.The accumulated cash value alone
   • d.A level face amount that never changes

   Answer: b

   Explanation: Option B pays the policy's face amount plus the accumulated cash value, so the total death benefit grows as the cash value builds, at a higher cost than the level option. Subtracting cash value from the face amount is not how any standard option works. The cash value alone is not the death benefit. A level face amount that never changes describes Option A. Option B's defining feature is that the death benefit increases with the cash value.

4. 4. Annuities

   Under a 'cash refund' life annuity option, if the annuitant dies before receiving payments equal to the amount paid in, the beneficiary receives:

   • a.The difference between the amount paid in and the total payments already made, in a lump sum
   • b.Double the original deposit
   • c.Lifetime income equal to the annuitant's own payments, which is not what a cash refund option provides
   • d.Nothing, because payments stop at death

   Answer: a

   Explanation: A cash refund option pays the annuitant for life, and if the annuitant dies before the sum of the payments equals the amount paid in, the beneficiary receives the remaining difference in a lump sum, ensuring at least the purchase amount is returned. It does not pay nothing (that would be straight life), does not double the deposit, and does not grant the beneficiary lifetime income. The refund feature guarantees the principal is not lost to an early death, at the cost of a smaller payment.

5. 5. Health Insurance Basics

   The term 'usual, customary, and reasonable' (UCR) charge refers to:

   • a.The amount a plan treats as appropriate for a service based on the prevailing fees charged in that geographic area
   • b.The flat copayment due at a visit
   • c.The plan's annual deductible
   • d.The monthly premium the insured pays for the coverage, a fixed cost unrelated to how a plan decides a reasonable charge for a service

   Answer: a

   Explanation: A UCR charge is the amount an insurer considers reasonable for a given service, determined by the usual fee the provider charges, the customary fees of similar providers in the same area, and what is reasonable for the situation; the plan bases reimbursement on this figure, and the insured may owe amounts a provider bills above it. UCR is not the deductible, premium, or copay. UCR limits how much a plan will recognize for out-of-network or fee-for-service charges.

6. 6. Health Policy Provisions, Clauses & Riders

   The optional provision addressing 'other insurance in this insurer' is concerned with:

   • a.The size of the medical deductible
   • b.Situations where an insured holds multiple policies with the same insurer, limiting total benefits to prevent overinsurance
   • c.The insured's separate life insurance policies held with other companies, which is unrelated to holding duplicate health policies with the same insurer
   • d.The length of the elimination period

   Answer: b

   Explanation: This optional provision applies when an insured has more than one policy of the same kind with the same insurer; it lets the insurer limit the total benefits payable (often refunding the premium for the excess coverage) so the insured cannot be overinsured and profit from a loss. It does not concern separate life insurance, the deductible, or the elimination period. The provision reflects the principle that health coverage should reimburse loss, not create a gain from duplicate policies.

7. 7. Life Policy Provisions, Riders, Options & Exclusions

   Adding a level term rider to a whole life policy lets the owner:

   • a.Permanently reduce the base policy's face amount
   • b.Permanently eliminate the base policy's cash value accumulation in exchange for the additional term protection
   • c.Add temporary extra coverage (for example on a spouse or for a set period) at relatively low cost
   • d.Avoid all future underwriting on the base policy

   Answer: c

   Explanation: A term rider layers inexpensive, temporary coverage on top of permanent insurance, often to cover a spouse or a period of higher need. It does not shrink the base face amount, remove cash value, or waive future underwriting.

8. 8. General Insurance Concepts

   In insurance, a 'replacement' occurs when a new policy is purchased and an existing policy is:

   • a.Renewed with the same insurer at the same terms
   • b.Lapsed, surrendered, forfeited, or reduced in value in connection with the new sale
   • c.Reinstated after a lapse using the same insurer and the policy's original issue-age premium rate
   • d.Kept fully in force with no change

   Answer: b

   Explanation: Replacement means the new purchase causes an existing policy to be terminated or materially reduced. Keeping, reinstating, or simply renewing a policy is not replacement.

9. 9. Health Policies

   Individual disability income benefits are usually limited to roughly 60 to 70% of earned income so that:

   • a.The insurer can earn a larger profit
   • b.The insured retains a financial incentive to return to work, avoiding overinsurance
   • c.The premium can be set higher
   • d.The disability benefits would automatically become fully taxable to the insured once they exceed half of prior income

   Answer: b

   Explanation: Capping benefits below full income prevents overinsurance and keeps a return-to-work incentive, since being disabled should not pay better than working. It is not about insurer profit, premium level, or taxation.

10. 10. Group Insurance, Social Insurance & Senior Products

    A key advantage of the group life conversion privilege is that the departing employee:

    • a.Keeps the employer's premium contribution
    • b.Receives a lower premium than the group rate
    • c.Converts the group coverage to an individual term policy at no cost to the employee for the first full year
    • d.Does not have to prove insurability, which is valuable for someone in poor health

    Answer: d

    Explanation: The conversion privilege's main value is guaranteed insurability, no medical exam, which matters most for someone whose health has declined. The individual premium is usually higher, and the employer no longer contributes.