Failed the Arizona Life & Health Exam? Retake Rules, Waiting Periods and Fees (2026)

If you do not pass, you can try again quickly. Arizona sets no fixed waiting period between attempts. What it does set is a ceiling: four attempts per line of authority within a 12-month period, followed by a mandatory one-year wait before you may attempt that line again (A.R.S. § 20-284(H)). The practical question is therefore not how long to wait, but how to make sure the next attempt is not wasted.

PSI's Candidate Information Bulletin does not impose a waiting period, but it describes a practical delay. You cannot make a new examination appointment on the same day you have taken an examination. The Bulletin gives an example: a candidate who tests unsuccessfully on a Wednesday can call the next day, Thursday, and retest as soon as Friday, depending on space availability. Seat availability, at the test centers or online, decides how soon a slot is actually open.

The exam fee is valid for one year from the date of payment. If you pay and do not use the appointment, the fee does not last indefinitely. If you need to move an appointment, cancel or reschedule at least 2 calendar days before the scheduled date, or you forfeit the fee.

A passing result does not last forever. Under A.R.S. § 20-284(A), you must use it to submit a license application within one year after you pass. Passing the exam also does not guarantee a license: the Department still reviews your application, fingerprints and fees.

The retake clock and the application clock run side by side. The exam fee you paid is valid for one year from payment, and a passing result is good for one year toward your application. If you are working toward a start date at an agency, build in room for a second or third attempt, but do not plan on using the full allowance. A candidate who has used four attempts on a line is out of the exam for a full year.

The four-attempt cap applies per line of authority, and Life and Accident and Health or Sickness are separate lines. Because the cap leads to a full year of waiting, the fourth attempt should never be a casual one. Plan so that you are not spending attempts to learn what the exam looks like.

Resist the urge to rebook for the next available seat unless you know what went wrong. A better routine:

1. Write down what you remember the same day: which topics felt unfamiliar, and where you ran short on time.
2. Map those topics to the outline weights. If the miss was in Basics (17%) or Policy Provisions (15%), that is where the marks are. Our Basics set and Policy Provisions set target those blocks.
3. Drill by topic until you are above 70% on mixed questions, not only on the topics you like.
4. Rebook only then. The fee is small compared with a lost attempt.

For the numbers behind first-time results, see how hard the exam is. For a plan that avoids a second fee, see how to pass on the first try. You can also try the course preview.