Study guidenational general block
Coverage parts19
Concepts15
Property and casualty study guide
This property and casualty study guide covers the general block shared by the state P&C exams we checked, laid out by blueprint share: foundations, personal lines, commercial lines. All nineteen coverage parts and their concept pages follow, then the exam facts by state, the licensing path and the comparisons.
How a state P&C exam is built
Every state exam we checked has two blocks. The general block tests insurance concepts and the standard ISO policy forms, and its outline changes little from state to state. The state block tests that state's insurance code. Texas splits its combined exam into 100 general and 30 Texas items (Pearson VUE Texas content outline, effective September 1, 2026), while Illinois sets a separate General and State exam for each line (Pearson VUE Illinois handbook, checked October 8, 2026).
This guide, its drills and the P&C practice test stay inside the general block. For the state block, use your state's candidate handbook. Sourced basics for three large states are on the Texas P&C license, the Florida 2-20 license and the California P&C license pages.
Blueprint by coverage part
Shares come from our reading of the content outlines of eight states (TX, GA, FL, IL, NC, PA, NY and CA), compiled in September 2026 and rounded. Your own state's outline will differ by a few points.
- Foundationsabout 36%
- Principles of insurance6%
- The insurance contract9%
- The insurance transaction4%
- Insurers and regulation6%
- Property insurance basics6%
- Liability insurance basics5%
- Personal linesabout 26%
- Dwelling policy3%
- Homeowners insurance10%
- Personal auto policy8%
- Umbrella, flood and floaters5%
- Commercial linesabout 38%
- Inland and ocean marine2%
- Commercial package policy2%
- Businessowners policy4%
- Commercial property7%
- Commercial general liability7%
- Commercial auto4%
- Commercial crime2%
- Workers compensation5%
- Specialty commercial coverages5%
Shares of the national general block, rounded. Each state adds its own state-law block on top.
The three lines at a glance
| Line | Share | Parts | Forms behind the parts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundations | about 36% | 6, from principles of insurance to liability basics | Contract law, agency, regulation; the 1943 Standard Fire Policy behind the property forms |
| Personal lines | about 26% | 4, from the dwelling policy to umbrella, flood and floaters | DP 00 01/02/03; HO 00 03 05 11; PP 00 01 09 18; NFIP |
| Commercial lines | about 38% | 9, from inland and ocean marine to specialty coverages | IL 00 17; CP 00 10; BP 00 03; CG 00 01; CA 00 01; CR 00 20; workers comp |
Look-alike pairs on one screen
- Moral vs morale hazard
- Moral hazard is dishonesty, such as inflating a claim. Morale hazard is indifference: carelessness because the loss is insured. More: moral vs morale hazard.
- Insurable interest
- A financial stake in the subject of the policy. In property insurance it must exist at the time of the loss. More: insurable interest.
- Aleatory contract
- An unequal exchange that turns on chance: a modest premium against a payment that may be far larger, or nothing. More: aleatory contract.
- Subrogation
- After paying a loss, the insurer takes over the insured's right to recover from whoever caused it, so the insured is not paid twice. More: subrogation.
- Admitted vs non-admitted insurer
- An admitted insurer holds a certificate of authority in the state. A non-admitted one is reached through a surplus lines placement. More: admitted vs non-admitted insurers.
- ACV vs replacement cost
- Actual cash value (ACV) is replacement cost less depreciation. Replacement cost (RC) pays for like kind and quality with no deduction for wear. More: actual cash value vs replacement cost.
- Named vs open perils
- Named perils covers only the causes of loss listed. Open perils covers direct physical loss unless the form excludes it. More: named perils vs open perils.
- DP-1, DP-2, DP-3
- DP-1 is basic perils at ACV; DP-2 adds broad perils and RC on the dwelling; DP-3 is open perils on the dwelling, broad on contents. More: DP-1 vs DP-2 vs DP-3.
- HO-3 vs HO-5
- Both are open perils on the dwelling. The HO-3 names the perils for personal property; the HO-5 opens them for personal property too. More: HO-3 vs HO-5.
- Collision vs other than collision
- Under the 2018 PAP, contact with a bird or animal and falling objects are other than collision (OTC) even though something hit the car; glass breakage is OTC too, unless a collision broke it and the insured elects collision. More: collision vs other than collision.
- Umbrella vs excess
- An umbrella can drop down over a self-insured retention where underlying policies do not respond. Excess follows the underlying form. More: umbrella vs excess liability.
- Coinsurance
- Carried ÷ required, times the loss, then the deductible. The penalty comes first and the deductible after it. More: the coinsurance formula.
- Claims-made vs occurrence
- An occurrence policy responds to injury during its period. Claims-made responds to a claim first made during it, back to the retro date. More: claims-made vs occurrence.
- Business auto symbols
- Numbers that say which autos a coverage applies to: 1 any auto, 2 owned autos, 8 hired, 9 non-owned. More: business auto symbols.
- Surety vs fidelity bond
- A surety bond has three parties: principal, obligee and surety. A fidelity bond has two and covers employee dishonesty. More: surety vs fidelity bonds.
An order of study
Foundations first
Everything later leans on the contract, insurable interest and the property and liability basics. Begin with the insurance contract, the largest foundations part.
Personal lines next
The HO-3 and the PAP teach the layout (declarations, insuring agreement, conditions, exclusions) that the commercial forms reuse.
Commercial lines by share
Commercial property and general liability carry the most weight in this line; crime, marine and the package policy the least.
Close with a timed sitting
Take the timed P&C mock exam and send each weak line back to its part. The 4-, 8- or 12-week study plan spaces the parts by weight.
Every coverage part and concept
Parts run in blueprint order inside each line; each concept page sits under the part it belongs to.
Foundations6 parts
Personal lines4 parts
Commercial lines9 parts
Exam facts by state
Every number on these pages names its state, its source and the date we checked it. If you are sizing up the work, start with what the P&C exam actually tests.
- Number of questions
It depends on the state: 125 to 160 scored items on the combined exams we checked.
- Passing score
Most checked states use 70, but scaled and percent are not the same.
- License cost
Exam fee, license fee and fingerprints are separate bills, set by each state.
- Time limit and format
Two and a half to three hours on the combined exams we checked, four options per question.
- Retake rules
Waiting periods and attempt limits differ by state: next-day rebooking in Texas, 14 days in Georgia.
- What the exam tests
A general block plus state law, four options per question, and look-alike terms worth keeping apart.
- Time to get licensed
None to 200 course hours in the states we checked, then the exam, fingerprints and a review NIPR puts at typically 7–10 days.
Getting licensed
From pre-licensing education, which ranges from none in Texas (Texas Department of Insurance steps) to 200 hours in Florida (Florida DFS 2-20 requirements), both checked October 8, 2026, to the carrier appointment that lets you sell, how long the whole route takes and renewing the license with continuing education.
- How to get licensed
Course where required, exam, fingerprints, application, appointment.
- Pre-licensing education
None in Texas, 40 hours in Ohio and New Jersey, 200 in Florida (states we checked).
- Renewal and CE
In most states we checked: 24 hours every two years, 3 of ethics; New York is 15 credits.
- Agent salary
BLS median for insurance sales agents, with the pay spread.
- Texas P&C license
Pearson VUE General Lines exam, no pre-licensing hours, fingerprints, then apply.
- Florida 2-20 license
Apply to DFS first, 200-hour course or an alternative, then the Pearson VUE exam.
- California P&C license
12 hours of ethics and code, the PSI exam at 60%, and the 2026 change.
Comparisons
The P&C license beside the life and health, adjuster and personal lines licenses, and prep courses side by side with dated prices.
- P&C vs life and health
Different lines, different exams, and what holding both takes.
- P&C agent vs adjuster
Selling coverage vs settling claims, and the public adjuster on the other side.
- P&C vs personal lines
Auto and home only, or the commercial lines too.
- Exam prep compared
Prices, access windows and formats, each with the date we saw it.
Three questions about this guide
Is there a P&C cheat sheet to review from?
The look-alike pairs above fit on one screen, and the property and casualty flashcards turn the same distinctions into a deck you can flip.
Does the guide cover my state's insurance law?
No. State-law items differ by state and come from your state's candidate handbook. The state pages listed under Getting licensed carry the sourced basics.
Why might my state's outline show different shares?
The shares above are rounded from eight states' outlines. Your state weights the parts its own way and adds its law block on top, so take the exact split from its outline and use these shares for the order of study.