- What the CA-PC Certification Actually Covers
- How the Combined Property & Casualty Exam Is Structured
- Domain Breakdown: Property and Casualty Components
- Registration, Fees, and Scheduling
- 2026 Prelicensing Education Changes
- Who Hires CA-PC Licensees
- Passing Score and What Recent Data Shows
- Scheduling Your Study Time Around the Nine Domains
- Keeping Your License Active After You Pass
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The combined exam has 150 questions split evenly: 75 Property (Domains 1-5) and 75 Casualty (Domains 6-9).
- Each attempt costs $98 total - a $55 California exam fee plus PSI's $43 convenience fee.
- You need 60% correct across 150 questions in 3 hours to pass, administered by PSI for the CA Department of Insurance.
- Property Personal Lines Insurance is the single largest domain at 19% of the exam.
What the CA-PC Certification Actually Covers
The California Property & Casualty Insurance Exam (CA-PC) is the state licensing test administered on behalf of the California Department of Insurance, delivered through PSI at test centers or via remote online proctoring. Passing it is the gateway to becoming a licensed property and casualty insurance producer in California - the credential agents, brokers, and captive insurance representatives need before they can legally sell homeowners, auto, commercial property, and liability coverage in the state.
If you're still confirming what the letters stand for or how this exam fits into your career path, our companion pieces on What Is CA-PC? and CA-PC Meaning walk through the basics before you dive into exam mechanics here. For a broader orientation to the credential itself, see What Is CA-PC Certification?.
How the Combined Property & Casualty Exam Is Structured
The CA-PC exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions administered in a single 3-hour session. You need a score of 60% or higher to pass. There is no separate pass/fail threshold for the Property and Casualty halves individually - your overall score across all 150 questions determines the outcome, though the two components are weighted equally within that total.
- Format: 150 multiple-choice questions, single sitting
- Time allowed: 3 hours
- Passing score: 60%
- Delivery: PSI test center or remote online-proctored (OPP)
- Objectives version: Current content outline effective January 1, 2026
For a deeper walkthrough of exactly how the score is calculated and what counts toward the 60% threshold, read CA-PC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass. If you're weighing how tough this exam actually is compared to other producer licenses, How Hard Is the CA-PC Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 breaks that down in more detail.
Domain Breakdown: Property and Casualty Components
The 150-question exam is built from nine domains split into two components of 75 questions each. Domains 1 through 5 make up the Property component; Domains 6 through 9 make up the Casualty component. The displayed weighting gives each component equal footing in the overall exam, but individual domains within each half carry different emphasis.
Domain 1: General Insurance (Property Component)
Foundational insurance concepts, licensing law, and contract principles that apply across both property and casualty lines.
- Basic insurance terminology and legal principles
- Producer licensing and regulatory framework
Domain 2: Property Insurance
Core property coverage forms, perils, and policy structure candidates must recognize on sight.
- Named-peril vs. open-peril policy structures
- Property valuation methods
Domain 3: Personal Lines Insurance (Property)
The largest single domain on the exam at 19% - expect the most questions from this area within the Property half.
- Homeowners policy forms (HO-1 through HO-8 equivalents)
- Dwelling and personal property coverage limits
Domain 4: Commercial Insurance Coverages (Property)
Business property exposures, including commercial package policies and business income coverage.
- Commercial property forms and endorsements
- Business interruption and extra expense coverage
Domain 5: Pet Insurance
A narrower but distinct domain covering pet coverage products sold alongside standard property lines in California.
- Pet policy structure and covered conditions
- Exclusions common to pet insurance products
Domain 6: General Insurance (Casualty Component)
Casualty-side foundational law and liability principles, mirroring Domain 1 but applied to the casualty half.
- Liability theory and negligence standards
- Regulatory requirements specific to casualty lines
Domain 7: Casualty Insurance
Core casualty coverage forms and the structure of liability policies.
- Auto liability and physical damage coverage
- General liability policy triggers and exclusions
Domain 8: Personal Lines Insurance (Casualty)
Weighted at 17.5%, this domain covers personal auto and umbrella liability products.
- Personal auto policy (PAP) structure
- Personal umbrella and excess liability
Domain 9: Commercial Insurance Coverages (Casualty)
Also weighted at 17.5%, covering commercial liability exposures and package policy structures.
- Commercial general liability (CGL) forms
- Workers' compensation and umbrella/excess liability
For the complete percentage breakdown of every domain plus subtopic detail, see CA-PC Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 9 Content Areas.
| Component | Domains Included | Question Count |
|---|---|---|
| Property | 1-5 (includes Personal Lines at 19%, largest domain overall) | 75 questions |
| Casualty | 6-9 (Personal Lines and Commercial Coverages each 17.5%) | 75 questions |
| Combined Exam | All nine domains, equal component weighting | 150 questions total |
Registration, Fees, and Scheduling
Every attempt at the CA-PC exam costs $98 total: a $55 California examination fee plus PSI's $43 convenience fee. This fee applies whether you sit for the exam at a physical PSI test center or use remote online proctoring from home. That $98 is a per-attempt cost - if you don't pass on your first try, you pay it again to retake the exam.
Key Takeaway
Because the fee resets with every attempt, treating your first sitting as your real shot - rather than a "practice run" - saves both money and time. Build in enough preparation before you schedule your first exam date.
Once you pass, licensing itself carries a separate cost: a $188 filing or renewal fee paid to the California Department of Insurance. For a full accounting of every dollar involved from prelicensing education through renewal, read CA-PC Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. If you're trying to nail down testing windows or how far in advance to schedule with PSI, CA-PC Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling covers the logistics in detail.
2026 Prelicensing Education Changes
California made a meaningful change to prelicensing requirements effective January 1, 2026: the former 20-hour line-specific prelicensing course requirement was eliminated. Candidates no longer need to complete that separate block of line-specific coursework before sitting for the exam.
What remains is a 12-hour Ethics and California Insurance Code education requirement, which must be completed before license issuance (not necessarily before the exam itself). That 12-hour block includes 1 hour specifically dedicated to insurance fraud. This is a much lighter education lift than the old structure, but it also means the exam itself - with its current objectives effective January 1, 2026 - carries more weight as the primary knowledge checkpoint.
Who Hires CA-PC Licensees
A CA-PC license opens the door to producer roles at independent agencies, captive insurance companies, and brokerages operating throughout California. Typical hiring paths include:
- Independent agency producer roles selling both personal and commercial lines
- Captive agent positions with a single carrier's homeowners, auto, and commercial book
- Commercial lines account executive and broker-support roles at mid-size brokerages
- Underwriting support and customer service positions that require an active producer license
Because the exam covers both Property and Casualty domains equally, license holders are qualified to sell across a wide range of personal and commercial products rather than being restricted to a single line. For a closer look at career trajectories and how employers value the license, see CA-PC Jobs and CA-PC Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis. If you're still deciding whether the licensing process is worth the time investment, Is the CA-PC Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 lays out the tradeoffs.
Passing Score and What Recent Data Shows
The passing standard is fixed at 60% of the 150 questions, regardless of which domains those questions come from. For the January through June 2026 testing window, the English-language first-attempt pass rate was 53%, while the repeat-attempt pass rate dropped to 39%.
That gap between first-attempt and repeat-attempt performance is worth sitting with. It suggests that candidates who don't pass on the first try often struggle to close knowledge gaps effectively before retesting - likely because they retake the same weak domains without a structured review of the nine content areas. A deliberate, domain-by-domain review before a retake matters more than simply re-registering and hoping for a different outcome.
Key Takeaway
Given the drop-off between first-attempt and repeat pass rates, prioritize thorough first-attempt preparation over a "test and adjust" strategy - each retake costs $98 and carries lower odds of success.
For the complete pass-rate context and how it compares across recent testing periods, see CA-PC Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Scheduling Your Study Time Around the Nine Domains
Rather than studying in the order the domains are listed, allocate time proportional to each domain's weight and question count. Since Property Personal Lines Insurance (Domain 3) is the single largest domain at 19%, and Casualty Personal Lines Insurance and Casualty Commercial Insurance Coverages (Domains 8 and 9) each carry 17.5%, these three domains deserve the largest blocks of review time.
Property Foundations
- Domain 1: General Insurance principles and licensing law
- Domain 2: Property Insurance coverage forms and perils
Property Personal & Commercial Lines
- Domain 3: Personal Lines Insurance - the 19% domain, review homeowners forms in depth
- Domain 4: Commercial Insurance Coverages and Domain 5: Pet Insurance
Casualty Foundations
- Domain 6: General Insurance (casualty-side liability law)
- Domain 7: Casualty Insurance coverage structures
Casualty Personal & Commercial Lines Plus Full Review
- Domain 8 and Domain 9 - both weighted at 17.5%, run full practice sets
- Timed full-length practice exam under 3-hour conditions
Run at least one full 150-question timed simulation before test day so the 3-hour pacing feels familiar. For a structured week-by-week plan with more detail on daily targets, see CA-PC Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and keep a condensed reference nearby with CA-PC Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts. You can also build exam-day comfort with realistic practice questions at our practice test platform, which mirrors the domain distribution described above.
Keeping Your License Active After You Pass
Passing the exam is not the end of the compliance timeline. Resident licensees must complete 24 continuing-education hours during each two-year license term, including 3 hours of ethics with 1 hour specifically covering insurance fraud. The license itself requires a $188 filing or renewal fee.
- 24 CE hours required per two-year renewal term
- 3 of those hours must be ethics-focused
- 1 hour within the ethics block must cover insurance fraud specifically
- $188 filing/renewal fee due at renewal
Building CE compliance into your calendar early - rather than scrambling near your renewal date - keeps your license active without last-minute stress. If you're comparing formal training providers to help meet these CE and prelicensing requirements, CA-PC Training covers what to look for. And if you're brushing up on exact terminology before diving into any of these requirements, What Does CA-PC Stand For? and What Is A CA-PC? are useful quick references.
Frequently Asked Questions
The combined exam has 150 multiple-choice questions and allows 3 hours to complete, covering both the Property component (75 questions, Domains 1-5) and the Casualty component (75 questions, Domains 6-9).
Each attempt costs $98 total: a $55 California examination fee plus PSI's $43 convenience fee. This applies to both test-center and remote online-proctored sittings, and the fee is charged again for any retake.
No. Effective January 1, 2026, California eliminated the former 20-hour line-specific prelicensing requirement. Candidates still need 12 hours of Ethics and California Insurance Code education, including 1 hour on insurance fraud, completed before license issuance.
You need 60% correct across the 150 combined questions. There's no separate passing threshold for Property versus Casualty - it's one overall score.
Resident licensees complete 24 CE hours per two-year term, including 3 hours of ethics with 1 hour on insurance fraud. Renewal also requires a $188 filing fee.