How Many Questions Are on the Texas Life Agent Exam? Format, Time Limit and Passing Score (2026)

The Texas Life Agent exam is delivered by Pearson VUE under the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI). The English exam is coded InsTX-Life01 and the Spanish exam InsTX-Life21. Both have a 120-minute time limit and an exam fee of $39 per attempt.

The exam has 90 questions in total. Of those, 80 are scored and 10 are unscored pretest questions that Pearson VUE is trialling for future forms. The split follows the two parts of the exam: the general knowledge part has 50 scored questions plus 5 pretest questions, and the state-specific part has 30 scored questions plus 5 pretest questions.

Pretest items are not marked in any way, so you should answer every question as carefully as the last. They do not count toward your score, but you cannot know which they are.

The content outlines effective 1 September 2026 give the number of scored questions in each section.

General knowledge (50 scored): I. Types of policies, 15. II. Policy riders, provisions, options and exclusions, 15. III. Completing the application, underwriting and delivering the policy, including contract law, 12. IV. Retirement and other insurance concepts, 8.

State specific (30 scored): I. Texas statutes and rules common to life and health insurance, 20. II. Texas statutes and rules pertinent to life insurance only, 10.

The state-specific part is a smaller share of the exam than the general part, but it is where a general textbook does not help. The Texas rules you are tested on include the contract and policy provisions in TIC Chapter 1101, replacement under Chapter 1114, group life under Chapter 1131 and the advertising rules in 28 TAC. Our chapters 7 and 8 cover the state parts, and chapters 2 to 6 cover the general knowledge outline.

The passing score is a scaled score of 70. It is not a raw count of correct answers and not a percentage. Several forms of the exam are in use and they are equated, so a slightly harder form is scored on a scale that makes the same level of knowledge produce the same result.

The practical consequence is that you cannot work out a safe number of questions to miss. Anyone who tells you that you need a particular number correct is guessing. Aim to be comfortable across every section rather than to scrape through on your strongest ones.

For a sense of where the bar sits, Pearson VUE's reports show a first-time pass rate of 45-46% for English Life Agent candidates from July to September 2026. Our difficulty guide explains those numbers.

The Life Agent exam covers life insurance only, so there is no separate health section to study for it. The Texas questions in the shared part of the outline are about statutes and rules common to life and health insurance, and you meet them as they apply to a life agent.

Because the exam gives you two hours for 90 questions, a steady pace matters more than speed. Practise in the same format: sets of questions with the answer hidden until you commit. Our free practice questions and the course preview are built that way.

Next, read what to expect on the day in the exam day guide, and the rules that apply if you need a second attempt in the retake guide.