California Life & Health Exam Day: What to Expect at PSI (2026)

The California Life, Accident and Health exam is delivered by PSI Services. It has 150 questions and a 195-minute limit, and you need 60% to pass. You can test at a PSI test center (there are about 20 in California), at the CDI test center in Los Angeles, or by PSI remote proctoring. You learn your result as soon as you finish.

You schedule through PSI, either online at test-takers.psiexams.com/cadi or by phone at (833) 518-7456. Your name when you register must match your government ID exactly. A mismatch is the most avoidable way to lose an appointment.

The fees are the CDI exam fee of $55 and a PSI convenience fee of $43 for a test center or remote session. At the CDI Los Angeles site the convenience fee is $0. You can reschedule or cancel for free if you do it at least two business days before your appointment. Later changes and no-shows forfeit the fee.

Bring one unexpired government-issued photo ID with your signature. If you plan to test remotely, note that remote testing does not accept out-of-state ID cards, so check yours before you choose a remote appointment.

PSI publishes the full rules on identification and personal items in its Candidate Information Bulletin. Read it a few days ahead rather than at the door.

Plan to arrive 30 minutes early. Check-in takes time, and you want to start calm. Before the exam, there is a 15-minute tutorial on the exam software, and that time is not counted against your 195 minutes.

For a remote exam, set up and test your space and equipment early, following PSI's instructions, and have your ID in hand when the proctor asks for it.

You answer on a computer. The clock runs for 195 minutes, which averages about 78 seconds per question. Some questions take 20 seconds and some take two minutes, so the average works only if you do not stall. If a question has used up its share and you are still unsure, make your best choice and move on.

Remember that 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions may be mixed in, with extra time added. You cannot tell which they are, so treat every question as scored.

The 60% raw passing score means 90 correct answers out of 150. You do not need perfection. You need to stay steady through a long exam, which is why timed practice matters.

Your result appears on screen at the end and is emailed to you. A failing report shows the number of questions you answered correctly, which is useful for deciding how much work a retake needs. See the retake rules for what happens next. There is no waiting period.

After you pass, the exam is valid for one year, so move on to your application, your Live Scan fingerprints and the 12-hour ethics course without letting it lapse. This page explains what is required.

PSI offers remote proctoring for this exam, with the same fee structure as a test center sitting. The practical differences are the ID rule above (no out-of-state ID cards), and that you are responsible for your own space and connection. Do a trial of your setup well before the appointment rather than on the morning, and have a plan if something goes wrong, such as the PSI phone line at (833) 518-7456.

If you would rather not manage any of that, a test center removes the variables. Either way, the exam content, the time limit and the passing score are identical.

Confirm the appointment time and place, check your ID against your registration, and stop studying at a reasonable hour. A last-minute cram does less for you than a night of sleep, and a 195-minute exam rewards stamina.

For a deeper look at what you are walking into, read how hard the exam is and the full format and weights. To get ready with timed practice, start the free preview.