Oklahoma Life & Health Insurance Exam — Study Guide

How to use this chapter. Everything before this point is national content. This chapter is the other half of your exam: the Oklahoma-specific portion, drawn from Title 36 of the Oklahoma Statutes (the Oklahoma Insurance Code) and Title 365 of the Oklahoma Administrative Code (the Oklahoma Insurance Department's rules). It is where most repeat test-takers lose their attempt — and it is finite, rule-based, and highly repetitive. Learn the structure first, then the numbers.

Vocabulary, and it is tested. Oklahoma's licensing statute is the Oklahoma Producer Licensing Act, 36 O.S. § 1435.1 et seq., and its operative term is "insurance producer" — which by statutory definition also sweeps in a customer service representative and an insurance consultant. Oklahoma then draws a line the national textbooks blur: "insurance agent" means an insurance producer properly appointed by an insurance carrier (36 O.S. § 1435.2(7)). A producer is licensed; an agent is licensed and appointed. Oklahoma's regulator is the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID), and its chief executive officer is the Insurance Commissioner — not a "Director," not a "Superintendent."

A word about numbers. Oklahoma's rules are stable; the numbers attached to them are not. Fees, CE hours, license terms, filing windows, guaranty caps, and free-look days are set by statute, by rule, and by Department bulletin, and are amended by the Legislature and through rulemaking. So read the figures below in two classes. A figure followed by a dated citation was read from that named source on that date — the citation says which statute, rule, bulletin, or testing-vendor document it came from, so you can open the same page yourself. A figure still carrying a bracketed verify-current flag was not confirmed from a primary source and must be checked with the Oklahoma Insurance Department at oid.ok.gov before you rely on it professionally. In both classes the rule exists and is stated affirmatively; the flag is only ever about the number.

1. The Oklahoma Insurance Department, the Commissioner, and enforcement

Oklahoma regulates the business of insurance through the Oklahoma Insurance Department, created by 36 O.S. § 301, with the Insurance Commissioner as its chief executive officer. Unlike most states, Oklahoma's Commissioner is not appointed by the Governor: the office is a statewide elected constitutional office under Article VI of the Oklahoma Constitution, filled by the voters for a four-year term. That single fact drives several exam answers — the Commissioner answers to the electorate, reports annually to the Governor on the affairs of the office (§ 307), and cannot be removed by an insurer-friendly appointment process.

Qualifications (36 O.S. § 302). The Commissioner must be at least twenty-five (25) years of age, a resident of Oklahoma for at least five (5) years, and have at least five (5) years' experience in the insurance industry in administration, sales, servicing, or regulation. The Commissioner may not be financially interested, directly or indirectly, in any insurer, agency, insurance transaction, or other regulated entity — except as a policyholder or claimant (36 O.S. § 302, as amended by Laws 2022, SB 1245, eff. November 1, 2022; checked 2026-09-05).

Powers and duties. Section 307 charges the Commissioner with administration and enforcement of the Oklahoma Insurance Code and gives the office jurisdiction over complaints against all persons engaged in the business of insurance, heard in person, by disinterested employees, or by appointed hearing examiners. Section 307.1 authorizes the Commissioner to adopt bulletins, orders, rules, and regulations — which is why an OID bulletin (see Bulletins 6-2023 on annuity training and 2025-01 on rebating) carries real weight on your exam and in your practice.

Examinations. Sections 309.1 through 309.7 govern examinations. The Commissioner or an examiner may conduct financial and market conduct examinations of any company as often as the Commissioner deems appropriate, and at a minimum must financially examine every domestic insurer, and every foreign insurer licensed here, not less frequently than once every five (5) years (36 O.S. § 309.2(A); checked 2026-09-05). The Commissioner may accept another state's examination of a foreign insurer where that department is NAIC-accredited. Separately, § 1435.13(E) lets the Commissioner require a financial or market conduct examination of a producer during an investigation, with the cost apportioned among the producer's appointing insurers.

Investigation and discipline of trade practices. Under § 1205 the Commissioner may examine and investigate any person in the business of insurance to determine whether an unfair method of competition or unfair or deceptive act has occurred. Section 1206 requires a statement of charges and notice of hearing; § 1207 authorizes cease and desist orders; § 1208 provides judicial review; and § 1211 imposes a civil penalty of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000 for each violation of a final cease and desist order (36 O.S. § 1211; checked 2026-09-05). A separate schedule applies to an insurer that ignores the response deadlines below: not less than $100 nor more than $5,000 (36 O.S. § 1250.4(D); checked 2026-09-05).

Discipline of producers. Section 1435.13 is the producer-discipline engine (grounds in Section 2 below). Remedies are cumulative: probation, censure, suspension, revocation, refusal to issue or renew, and/or a civil fine of not more than $1,000 for each occurrence (36 O.S. § 1435.13(D); checked 2026-09-05). On a denial or nonrenewal the Commissioner must notify the applicant in writing with reasons, and the applicant may demand a hearing in writing within thirty (30) days of the date of notification, held under the Oklahoma Administrative Procedures Act (36 O.S. § 1435.13(B); checked 2026-09-05). The Commissioner keeps jurisdiction even if the license has been surrendered or has lapsed — you cannot outrun an investigation by letting a license expire.

The response clock. Section 1250.4(B) requires any person subject to the Commissioner's jurisdiction to furnish an adequate response to a Department inquiry within twenty (20) calendar days of receipt, extendable for good cause, case by case, by up to seven (7) additional calendar days; the inquiry and the response must both be delivered electronically (36 O.S. § 1250.4(B); checked 2026-09-05). Failure to respond is itself a ground for license discipline under § 1435.13(A)(15).

2. Producer licensing in Oklahoma

The license requirement. Section 1435.4: no person may sell, solicit, or negotiate insurance in Oklahoma for any class of insurance unless licensed for that line of authority. Section 1435.2 defines each verb — sell (exchange a contract for money on behalf of an insurer), solicit (attempting to sell or urging application for a particular kind of insurance from a particular company), and negotiate (conferring directly with, or advising, a purchaser about substantive benefits, terms, or conditions). Section 1435.5 lists who does not need a license, including executive/clerical employees who receive no commission, claims and underwriting personnel, plan administrators paid no commission, and volunteer counselors assisting Medicare beneficiaries with Part D enrollment who receive no compensation.

Resident application (36 O.S. § 1435.7). Applying on the NAIC Uniform Application, the applicant declares under penalty of refusal, suspension, or revocation that the statements are true. Before approval the Commissioner must find the individual:

1. is at least eighteen (18) years of age;
2. has not committed any act that is a ground for denial, suspension, or revocation under § 1435.13;
3. has paid the fees set out in § 1435.23 — currently a $60 biennial resident producer license fee ($100 for a nonresident producer), an examination fee the statute caps at not to exceed $100, and, once appointed, a $30 annual appointment fee for each producer for each appointing insurer (36 O.S. § 1435.23(A)(3), (4)(a)–(b), (5); checked 2026-09-05); and
4. has successfully passed the examinations for the lines applied for.

Subsection C adds a standard worth memorizing: the applicant must demonstrate that he or she is competent, trustworthy, financially responsible, and of good personal and business reputation. Trap: there is no fingerprint or criminal-history background check for a life and health producer, and § 1435.6(D) is not a background-check provision. What § 1435.6(D) actually requires is that, prior to completion and filing of the application, each producer applicant personally take and pass an examination as to competence to act as a licensee (36 O.S. § 1435.6(D); checked 2026-09-05). Oklahoma reserves the background check for bail bondsman candidates — the state's candidate bulletin says "Oklahoma requires that all Bail Bondsman candidates undergo a background check, which will be handled by the Oklahoma Insurance Department." A producer applicant instead answers the Uniform Application's background questions under penalty of refusal, suspension, or revocation, and "[a]pplications may be denied if a candidate has been convicted of a crime, had a judgment withheld or deferred, or are currently charged with committing a crime" (PSI/OID Oklahoma Insurance Candidate Information Bulletin, oid.ok.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1198-1.pdf; checked 2026-09-05).

Pre-licensing education. Oklahoma does not impose a statutory pre-licensing classroom-hour mandate on life and health producers the way many states do; § 1435.29 authorizes the Commissioner to certify providers and courses offered for license examination study, but the gate to licensure is the examination, not a seat-time certificate. Preparation is strongly advised and widely used — it is simply not a statutory hour count (36 O.S. § 1435.29(B)(1); checked 2026-09-05). The state's candidate bulletin confirms it from the other direction: the only Oklahoma insurance line it puts a prelicensing hour count on is bail bondsman, at 16 hours (PSI/OID Oklahoma Insurance Candidate Information Bulletin; checked 2026-09-05).

The examination (§ 1435.6). A resident individual must pass a written examination testing knowledge of the lines applied for, the duties and responsibilities of a producer, and the insurance laws and regulations of this state — which is precisely why this chapter exists. The Commissioner may contract with an outside testing service, and the exam fee is nonrefundable (36 O.S. § 1435.6(A)–(C); checked 2026-09-05).

The numbers, from the vendor's own documents. OID's current testing vendor is PSI. Its Oklahoma examination content outlines set the format: the Life producer exam is 100 scored questions plus 5 unscored, in 120 minutes; Accident and Health or Sickness is also 100 scored plus 5 unscored, in 120 minutes; and the combined Life, Accident and Health or Sickness exam is 150 scored plus 5 unscored, in 150 minutes. The fee is $38 for each of those three. The passing standard is stated as a raw percentage — "You must get 70% correct to pass" — and there is no retake cap and no waiting period: "Oklahoma Insurance examinations are open eligibility. You may test unlimited until you pass." Two statutory deadlines ride on top: the Commissioner must tell you whether you passed within ten (10) days, and you must apply for licensure within two (2) years of passing or sit the exam again (36 O.S. § 1435.6(I)–(J); PSI/OID Oklahoma Insurance Candidate Information Bulletin, oid.ok.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1198-1.pdf, and the PSI Oklahoma content outlines at proctor2.psionline.com/media/programs/OKINS/ (Life2.pdf, "Acc Heal Sick2.pdf", "Life Accident Health Sickness3.pdf"); all checked 2026-09-05).

Lines of authority (§ 1435.8). Oklahoma issues qualification in lines including Life; Accident and health or sickness; Property; Casualty; Variable life and variable annuity products; Personal lines; Commercial lines; Credit; Title; Aircraft title; and any other line the Commissioner recognizes. Two exam traps live here: Life expressly includes annuities and endowment benefits, so a fixed annuity sale rides on the Life line; but variable life and variable annuity products are a separate line of authority (and separately require federal securities registration).

Exemptions from examination (§ 1435.10). Limited lines producers are exempt, as is a title producer licensed before November 1, 2006 applying for aircraft title. The tested rule is subsection B: a producer licensed in another state who moves to Oklahoma must apply for resident licensure within ninety (90) days of establishing legal residence, and no examination or continuing education is required for lines already held in the prior state on the date legal residency was established, except where the Commissioner determines otherwise by regulation (36 O.S. § 1435.10(B); checked 2026-09-05).

Nonresident licensing (§ 1435.9). Oklahoma issues a nonresident producer license on a reciprocal basis to a producer licensed and in good standing in the home state (defined in § 1435.2(4) as the state of principal residence or principal place of business where the producer is licensed), on the Uniform Application or the home-state application, with the required fee. Section 1435.17 allows the Commissioner to waive requirements for nonresident producers whose home state extends the same privilege.

Temporary licenses (§ 1435.12). Oklahoma has a temporary license, issued without examination, for a period not to exceed one hundred eighty (180) days, where the Commissioner deems it necessary to service an insurance business: to the surviving spouse or court-appointed personal representative of a producer who dies or becomes disabled; to a member or employee of a licensed business entity on the death or disability of its designated individual; to the designee of a producer entering active military service; or in any other circumstance serving the public interest. The Commissioner may limit the licensee's authority, may require a sponsoring licensed producer or insurer who assumes responsibility for the temporary licensee's acts, and may revoke the temporary license. A temporary license terminates automatically if the applicant fails the licensing examination, and may not continue after the owner or personal representative disposes of the business. Subsection E adds the limit candidates misread: no such license is effective for more than six (6) months, the Commissioner may renew it once on proper application and for good cause, and no temporary license may issue to an applicant who has failed the required examination. So the 180-day outer bound in subsection A and the six-month cap in subsection E are the same practical window, and the renewal is once only (36 O.S. § 1435.12(A), (B), (E); checked 2026-09-05).

License term and renewal (§ 1435.36). A license continues in force not longer than twenty-four (24) months, and the Commissioner may stagger renewal dates throughout the year, notifying licensees in writing of the expiration and renewal date assigned and adjusting the biennial fee accordingly (36 O.S. § 1435.36(B); checked 2026-09-05). The renewal fee is the same as the current original license fee — $60 for a resident producer — and doubles if the renewal application is late, or incomplete on the renewal deadline (36 O.S. § 1435.23(A)(4)(a), (6), (8); checked 2026-09-05). In current OID practice, resident licenses run on a biennial cycle keyed to the licensee's birth month, with CE compliance required before renewal will process [verify the renewal-date convention with OID — it is Department administrative practice, not a figure stated in § 1435.36, and it could not be confirmed from a published OID page].

Appointment (§ 1435.15). A producer may not act as an agent of an insurer unless appointed by that insurer — but a producer who is not acting as an insurer's agent is not required to be appointed. The insurer (or its authorized representative) files a notice of appointment in the Commissioner's format within fifteen (15) days from the date the agent contract is executed, or the first insurance application is submitted, whichever triggers first, and pays an appointment fee for each producer, for each insurer — $30, annually (36 O.S. § 1435.15(B), (D); § 1435.23(A)(5); checked 2026-09-05). Trap: the license is biennial but the appointment fee is annual, and an appointment may be deemed terminated for failure to pay the renewal fee, with a civil penalty of double the unpaid fee (36 O.S. § 1435.23(A); checked 2026-09-05). On receipt the Commissioner verifies eligibility within a reasonable time not to exceed thirty (30) days, and if the producer is ineligible, notifies the insurer and its authorized representative within five (5) days of that determination (36 O.S. § 1435.15(C); checked 2026-09-05).

Termination (§ 1435.16). An insurer that terminates a producer's appointment, employment, or contract for any reason not set forth in § 1435.13 must notify the Commissioner within thirty (30) days of the effective date of termination, in the Commissioner's prescribed format; terminations for cause carry a further duty to report the underlying facts. A termination for one of the § 1435.13 reasons carries the same thirty (30) day deadline plus the duty to supply the underlying facts on request, and in either case the insurer must mail the producer a copy of the notification within fifteen (15) days (by certified mail or overnight carrier if the termination was for cause), after which the producer has thirty (30) days to file written comments that become part of the Commissioner's file (36 O.S. § 1435.16(A)–(D); checked 2026-09-05). The statute grants immunity from liability absent actual malice and makes the information confidential and outside the Open Records Act (36 O.S. § 1435.16(E)–(F); checked 2026-09-05).

Duty to self-report (§ 1435.18). A producer, applicant, or renewal applicant must report to the Commissioner:

• any administrative action taken in another jurisdiction or by another Oklahoma governmental agency, within thirty (30) days of final disposition, with the order and relevant documents; and
• any criminal prosecution in any jurisdiction, within thirty (30) days of the initial pretrial hearing date, with the complaint, order, and relevant documents.

Failure to comply results in immediate suspension of the application, license, or renewal (36 O.S. § 1435.18(A)–(C), as amended by Laws 2019, SB 1010; checked 2026-09-05). This is a favorite exam item because the criminal trigger is the pretrial hearing, not conviction.

Grounds for denial, suspension, revocation, probation, censure, or fine (§ 1435.13(A)). Sixteen enumerated causes, including: providing incorrect, misleading, incomplete, or materially untrue information in a license application; violating any insurance law, rule, subpoena, or order of this or another state's Commissioner; obtaining a license through misrepresentation or fraud; improperly withholding, misappropriating, or converting monies or property received in the insurance business; intentionally misrepresenting the terms of an actual or proposed contract or application; conviction of a felony; having committed any insurance unfair trade practice or fraud; fraudulent, coercive, or dishonest practices, or incompetence, untrustworthiness, or financial irresponsibility; having a license denied, suspended, censured, placed on probation, or revoked in another state; forging another's name on an application or insurance document; improperly using notes or reference material during a licensing examination; knowingly accepting business from an unlicensed individual; failing to comply with a child-support order; failing to pay state income tax or comply with an order to do so; failing to respond to a Department inquiry under § 1250.4; and any cause for which original issuance could have been refused.