Exam vs examP&C vs personal lines
Full P&C license or a personal lines license?
A personal lines license lets you sell auto and homeowners coverage to individuals and families; a full P&C license adds everything sold to businesses: commercial property, general liability, business auto, workers compensation and the rest. New York, Michigan, California and Pennsylvania test personal lines on an exam of its own.
What each license lets you write
| Coverage | Full P&C | Personal lines | ≠ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal auto | Yes | Yes | same |
| Homeowners | Yes | Yes | same |
| Commercial property and BOP | Yes | No | differs |
| General liability (CGL) | Yes | No | differs |
| Business auto (BAP) | Yes | No | differs |
| Workers compensation | Yes | No | differs |
| Exam | One combined exam, or Property and Casualty separately | A personal lines exam where the state offers one | differs |
marks a row where the two differ. Each state words its line of authority itself; the personal lines scope above is auto and homeowners as described in the bulletins we read.
What the commercial side adds to your study
- Inland and ocean marine2%
- Commercial package policy2%
- Businessowners policy4%
- Commercial property7%
- Commercial general liability7%
- Commercial auto4%
- Commercial crime2%
- Workers compensation5%
- Specialty commercial coverages5%
Approximate share of the general block per commercial part, from our synthesis of the state outlines we read. Together these parts come to 38%, the material a full P&C candidate covers beyond auto and home.
Personal lines exams in the states we checked
| State | Personal lines | Full P&C | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | Exam 17-54; 40 h pre-licensing | Exam 17-56; 150 items, 2.5 h; 90 h pre-licensing | PSI New York bulletin (updated 2023-04-28) checked October 8, 2026 |
| Michigan | 100 items, 2 h, 75% to pass | Exam 16-81: 150 items, 2.5 h, 74% to pass | PSI Michigan candidate bulletin checked October 8, 2026 |
| California | 90 items, 2 h | 150 items, 3 h, 60% to pass | CDI exam times and questions checked October 8, 2026 |
| Pennsylvania | Exam 16-16, $45 | Exam 16-06: 150 items, 170 min, $55 | PSI Pennsylvania candidate booklet checked October 8, 2026 |
| Florida | 20-44 license | 2-20 general lines: 200 h course or an experience route | Florida DFS 2-20 license requirements checked October 8, 2026 |
Household desk or business clients
A personal lines license fits a desk that only ever quotes auto and home for households. The exam is narrower: in Michigan it is 100 items in 2 hours against 150 in 2.5 hours for the combined P&C exam (PSI Michigan bulletin, checked October 8, 2026), and in New York the pre-licensing requirement is 40 hours against 90.
The full license fits any job where a business can walk in. Independent agencies see it constantly: the homeowner who also runs a landscaping crew needs a business auto policy and probably workers compensation, and a personal lines license cannot write either. If you are not sure what the job will bring, the full license leaves no client you have to hand off.
The same split runs through the coverage forms you study. An LLC, a contractor or a store as the insured belongs to a commercial form such as the CGL, the BOP or the business auto policy; a family member, a resident relative or a newly acquired private passenger auto belongs to the PAP or a homeowners form.
Moving up later
Upgrading is possible, but each state sets the route. Florida spells one out: a year licensed as a 20-44 personal lines agent plus a 40-hour course is one way to qualify for the 2-20 general lines license, in place of the 200-hour course (Florida DFS 2-20 requirements, checked October 8, 2026). The general order of steps is on how to get a P&C license.
Two other comparisons cover the remaining choices. If you are weighing property and casualty against selling life policies, read P&C vs life and health. If claims work interests you more than sales, the producer vs adjuster license comparison covers that.
Personal lines questions
Is a personal lines license a P&C license?
It is a slice of one. It covers the personal auto and homeowners business that the full property and casualty license also covers, and stops there. Commercial forms such as the CGL, the BOP and workers compensation need the full license.
Is the personal lines exam shorter?
Where we could compare, yes. Michigan's personal lines exam is 100 items in 2 hours and its combined P&C exam is 150 items in 2.5 hours; California's is 90 items in 2 hours against 150 in 3 hours (state sources in the table above, checked October 8, 2026).
Do I study the same homeowners and auto material for either license?
The forms are the same: the HO-3 and the personal auto policy are what both exams draw on. Your state's personal lines outline decides how much of the foundations material comes with them, so read it before you plan. The homeowners insurance study page covers the form part by part.