How Many Questions Are on the Iowa Life & Health Exam? Format, Time Limit and Passing Score (2026)

Iowa has no combined Life & Health exam, so there is no single question count. Pearson VUE gives two separate exams, and you sit the one for each line you want to hold:

• Life (12-IA-01): 87 items, of which 77 are scored and 10 are pretest.
• Accident & Health (12-IA-02): 90 items, of which 80 are scored and 10 are pretest.

Each exam allows 2 hours and costs $44. Together the two exams carry 157 scored items.

Both exams use the same two-part design: a general-knowledge section and an Iowa section. The pretest items sit inside those sections, so the counts below include them.

Because the pretest items are inside the sections, treat every item as though it counts.

Pearson VUE's content outline (effective January 1, 2026) splits the 50 general-knowledge items four ways:

• Types of policies (whole life, universal, variable and indexed life, term, annuities, combination plans): 15
• Policy riders, provisions, options and exclusions: 15
• Completing the application, underwriting and delivering the policy: 12
• Retirement and other insurance concepts: 8

The 27 Iowa items are 15 on Iowa law common to all lines and 12 on law that applies to life insurance only: policy replacement, disclosure and solicitation, group life, individual life and annuities, and suitability.

The 50 general-knowledge items split five ways:

• Types of policies (disability income, AD&D, medical expense, Medicare supplement, group, long-term care, other): 16
• Policy provisions, clauses and riders: 15
• Social insurance (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security): 6
• Other insurance concepts: 5
• Field underwriting procedures: 8

The 30 Iowa items are 15 common to all lines and 15 on accident and health only: individual and group health, Medicare supplement, long-term care, the HAWK-I and HIPIOWA programs, the Affordable Care Act and the No Surprises Act.

The 15-item "common to all lines" block covers the Commissioner's and the Division's powers, licensing, unfair and deceptive practices, the Iowa Insurance Fraud Act, producer responsibilities, the Guaranty Association and definitions. It is printed identically in both outlines, so a candidate who sits both exams is tested on it separately each time.

Two hours across 87 items is about 83 seconds an item on Life; across 90 items it is exactly 80 seconds on Accident & Health. The exams are in English only and are not offered as translated exams. The one accommodation for non-native speakers is extra time: an approved English as a Second Language request gives 1.5 times the standard time, so a 2-hour exam becomes 3 hours. It needs pre-approval and a letter from an instructor or employer.

The Candidate Handbook says the passing score is determined by the Iowa Insurance Division. It states no percentage and no cut score, and neither Iowa Code chapter 522B nor the Division's rules in IAC chapter 191-10 sets one. So we cannot tell you how many of the 77 or 80 scored items you need, or whether the standard is applied to a raw count or a converted score.

One round-number percentage gets repeated on third-party sites. We could not trace it to any Iowa source, so we do not repeat it. Treat any figure that does not cite the Division as a rumor, and prepare for a comfortable margin instead.

Life only, Accident & Health only, or both: Iowa tests each line separately, so a one-line goal means one exam. Each is its own reservation and its own $44, and a pass is valid for 90 days from the test date, so if you plan both, schedule them close enough that neither result expires before you apply for the license.

Start with how hard the exams really are and the plan to pass on the first try, then try LanePrep's free Iowa Life & Health preview. If an attempt does not go your way, the retake rules are short.