Do You Need a Pre-Licensing Course for the South Carolina Life & Health Exam? (2026)

No. South Carolina does not require a pre-licensing course for the Life, Accident and Health producer license. The path is: pass the examination, apply for the license, and complete the background check. There is no classroom-hour requirement to meet first.

The answer rests on four current sources that agree:

1. The statute. South Carolina Code Section 38-43-100 conditions licensure on passing an examination that tests knowledge of the lines of authority applied for, the duties and responsibilities of an insurance producer, and the insurance laws and regulations of the State, plus payment of a nonrefundable examination fee. The section contains no course-of-study clause.
2. The current Code. Section 38-43-105, historically the pre-licensing education section, does not appear in the chapter listing on the official South Carolina legislature site: the numbering runs from 38-43-102 to 38-43-106.
3. The regulation. Regulation 69-23 provides that an applicant for licensure as a resident producer shall stand a written examination, with exemptions tied to designations or existing out-of-state licenses. It contains no pre-licensing coursework clause.
4. The agencies. The South Carolina Department of Insurance Producer page and the Pearson VUE candidate handbook both describe the path as exam, then application, with no classroom-hour prerequisite for Life, Accident and Health.

• Pass the exam. The fee is $59 per attempt. The combined Life, Accident and Health exam is one attempt at $59. Two single-line exams are $59 each, $118 in total.
• Apply for the license. The Department's application fee is $25, including the combined Life, Accident and Health qualification.
• Submit fingerprints. Resident applicants are fingerprinted for a statewide criminal background check with SLED and a national check with the FBI. Prints stay valid once on file, with no resubmission for renewals. The Department's Producer page states no dollar figure, so confirm the current fee when you schedule.
• Be appointed. Passing the exam does not guarantee a license, and a producer may not transact business or receive commission until appointed by an insurer.

Excluding fingerprinting, the combined exam plus the application fee comes to $84 ($59 plus $25). Two separate exams plus the application fee come to $143 ($59 plus $59 plus $25). The full breakdown is in our license cost guide.

Continuing education applies after licensing: 24 hours every two years for producers licensed in life, accident and health or in property and casualty (Section 38-43-106), with up to 18 hours able to carry forward. A producer who holds both property and casualty and life, accident and health authority must take at least one third of the hours in each category.

Because the state requires no course, the exam is the only gate, and it is a real one: the first-time pass rate on the combined exam was 56.3% in 2025 on NAIC data. LanePrep is exam preparation, not a mandated course. It gives you audio lessons for the commute and practice questions that follow the 12-section outline, so you walk in knowing the format and the state-law block. You do not need it to get licensed, but you do need to pass.

Start with the free practice question hub, read how the exam is built, or open the course preview.