FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - PRE-LICENSE TRAINING COURSES

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

What type of California insurance license can I get through these courses?
You can obtain your Fire and Casualty license (also known as Property and Casualty), Life Agent Combo license, Life only license, Accident and Health license, Limited Lines Auto license, and/or a Personal Lines license.

What is the difference between 52 hours and 40 hours?
The 12 hour difference is the California Code and Ethics portion. You are only required to complete the 12 hours of Code and Ethics once. So if you have a active license or you have completed a 52 hour course then you would only be required to complete the 40 hour course. If this is your first license then you will need the 52 hour Certificate of Completion to sit for the State exam. Also, when taking any of the 20 hour courses you will also need the 12 hour Code and Ethics course in order to obtain one of those license.

What are the state exams like? What do I need to score in order to Pass? 
The State exam for 52 and 40 hour courses contain 150 multiple choice questions. For Limited Lines Auto and Personal Lines courses the exam is 60 multiple choice questions and for Life only and Accident and Health the exam is 75 multiple choice questions. You must receive a score of at least 70% in order to pass the exam. You may retake the exam 2 consecutive times and then must wait 30 days to sit for the exam on your 3rd attempt. For your 4th attempt there is no waiting period. You must then wait 60 days before your 5th attempt and for your 6th attempt there is no waiting period. “For Life-Only Agents and/or Accident and Health Agents, Fire and Casualty Broker-Agents, Personal Lines Broker-Agents, and Limited Lines Automobile Insurance Agents only: Pursuant to Section 2182 of the California Code of Regulations if you fail or fail to appear for the examination two times, you will not be permitted to retake the examination for a period of third (30) days. If you fail or fail to appear two more times after the thirty (30) day-period, you will not be permitted to retake the examination for a period of sixty (60) days. Failure to Appear: If an examinee fails to appear at the time and place set for the examination, the examinee shall be deemed to have failed the examination (Section 1683 of the California Insurance Code).”

Do I need any type of approval or company sponsorship before taking this course?
No approval or sponsorship is required. You may take the course without knowing what company you want to work for. If you complete the course, you may sit for the exam even without company sponsorship, but note that you will not be able to conduct insurance business without a company appointment. You will have a valid insurance license, but it will be inactive until a company sends an appointment to the CA. DOI on your behalf.

When can I begin the course and how long do I have to finish it? 
You may begin immediately after filling out your registration online. Your account could be suspended if your payment does not go through, but we allow immediate access even without processing your payment. You have 12 months to complete the course

If I have an out of state license, do I have to take this course to get a California license? 
You must check with the CA Department of Insurance to verify how many required hours you will need. Some states do not require pre-licensing education, therefore to transfer your license you would still need to complete the 52 hrs of prelicensing. The D.O.I. website is www.insurance.ca.gov D.O.I. Phone # 800-967-9331

If I had a CA insurance license before but let it expire, do I have to take this course again? 
If your license and certificate of completion have both expired you will need to take the course again. A new certificate is needed to sit for the state exam. If your certificate of completion has not expired you may take it and sit for the state exam without going through the course work again. Certificates are good for 3 years.

May I take more than one course at a time? 
You may register and complete multiple courses at one time but you can only log into one course at a time. In other words, you may register for both FC and Life agent courses, but you cannot have both courses open at the same time. You have to be logged into one at a time.

THE COURSE MATERIAL

What is the length of this online course? 
The course will either be 52, 40, 20, or 12 hours. You will have 90 days to complete the required hours. If you do not complete the hours or just want extra study time, you may request an extension after 90 days. You have full access to the course for 90 days whether or not you pass the exam

Do I have to complete the entire course in one sitting? 
No. Our Online courses can be taken at your convenience, you can log on and off whenever you wish. Your progress will be tracked so you will be able to resume the course where you last left off. You can take the class in 52 consecutive hours or over the course of several days or even weeks if you prefer. You have 90 days to complete the course at which time you will need to request an extension.

Do I receive a hard copy book with these courses?
Not unless you would like to purchase one separately. If you would like a hard copy book in addition to the online virtual book then you may purchase one from our home page. The virtual book and hard copy book are the exact same material.

May I print the virtual book or any part of the online material? 
No. For security and copyright reasons, we do not allow printing or copying of our copyrighted material. However, you may purchase a hard copy book on our home page.

May I go forward and backward at any time during the course? 
No on forward and Yes on backward. You may go backward at any time for review purposes. You will be able to retake quizzes and review chapters as many times as you want within your 90 days. The left side table of contents will allow backward navigation, but will not allow forward progression thru the course. The Department of Insurance requires a timed progression forward. So, no matter how fast you read or how smart you are, you are not able to continue to the next section until the required time has counted down to zero.

I thought the DOI did not allow online courses? How do I know this course is approved by the DOI? 
A new law went into effect Jan. 1st 2007 that allows online courses for the required insurance prelicensing. To verify that we offer approved courses, you may contact the DOI and give them our California Provider #185411, or search for approved courses on the DOI website.

COURSE COMPLETION

What do I receive as proof that I completed the course and how do I schedule an exam? 
Upon successful completion of all of your required reading assignments and exam exercises you will have access to printing your Certificate of Completion. We will notify the Department of Insurance on your behalf that you have completed the course. You will schedule your state exam thru the California Department of Insurance website. We have posted the link to their website on our home page.

What do I need to do with the certificate of completion? 
Once you complete the course and printed certificate of completion, you need to take it with you to the Department of Insurance Testing Center when you take your exam. You may schedule your state exam through the DOI website. We provide a link to this site on our home page. You will also want to keep a copy of your certificate of completion for your own records for a period of no less than 5 years.

When will I receive my certificate of completion? 
Instantly upon successful completion of your course. 

Does the certificate of completion have an expiration date? 
Yes, the certificates will expire 3 years from the date of your course completion. If you do not pass the exam within 3 years, you will need to complete this training again and obtain a new certificate.

May I take my state exam online? 
No. Even though the required prelicensing hours are offered online, the state exam is not. You will have to physically attend a California DOI testing center. A list of testing centers is offered on the DOI web page. See the DOI link on our home page.

PAYMENT OPTIONS

What is the cost of the course and what methods of payment are accepted? 
The Online Training System has courses that start at $19.95 up to $99.95. If you have a discount code through a company you could save 15% off the course you sign up for. You may pay with any major credit card or with a bank/debit card that has a credit card logo on it. You may also mail a check or money order for the dollar amount of the course you wish to take to:

Infinity Schools
Attn: Registration Department
2171 Torrance Blvd. #7
Torrance , CA 90501

If you mail your payment, please be sure to include your name, email address and a daytime telephone number so we can contact you to complete the registration and get you started quickly. Please be aware that if you pay by check you may not have access until your check clears our bank.

Is it secure to send my credit card and personal information thru this site? 
We utilize the most secure technology available, SSL (Secure Socket Layer) transactions to ensure that all of your information (including your credit card information) is safe. Our SSL certificate is issued by Network Solutions. Network Solutions is the world's second largest digital certificate provider, and a leader in a wide variety of Identity and Trust services. Network Solutions comprehensive array of technologies enables organizations of all sizes to secure e-business transactions cost-effectively. More than 100,000 companies in over 150 countries employ Network Solutions technology for transaction security, identity verification and trust services on the Internet and over wireless networks.

What is the Guarantee to Pass the First Time policy? 
We feel so confident you will pass the first time after using our online training system that we guarantee it. Our guarantee agrees to reimburse you the Department of Insurance retesting fee, which is currently $41.00.

The reimbursement rules are ad follows:

1. Student must pass ALL practice and finals exams with Infinity Schools with a score of 90% or better.
2. Student must FAIL the California Department of Insurance licensing exam.
3. Student must mail the reimbursement form and required documentation.
4. We will only reimburse the second attempt. 3rd and 4th attempts are not reimbursed.
5. Our Guarantee is good for 3 months from the date of your first failed exam. 

What is Infinity Schools refund policy? 
It’s simple. If you are not completely satisfied with the quality of our training products or services simply request a full refund within 10 calendar days of your enrollment, No questions asked. Send refund request using our Contact Us form. 

 TECHNICAL ISSUES

Can I take the course from various locations and computers? What about out of state? 
The courses are available to you from any computer that has Internet access and you may use multiple computers to complete your course. You do not need to be in California to complete this training, but be aware all state testing centers are located in California.

Do I need high speed internet access or will dial up work? 
No. The course was created with dial-up users in mind. Of course, DSL or broadband is a faster connection, but your experience will be excellent even with a dial-up connection. With dial up you may not be able to view the optional training videos, but these are not required to complete the course. The videos are strictly an optional tool.

Can I take this course with another browser such as FireFox or the AOL browser? 
Our website was designed to function most optimally with Microsoft Internet Explorer Browser. We do not guarantee complete functionality with any other browsers. Additionally we will only provide technical support for Internet Explorer.

Do I need to use a PC? What if I have a MAC? 
If you have a MAC, then you can still sign on to take any of our online courses as long as you use Internet Explorer. Many of our customers have taken their courses on MACs and had no problems whatsoever. However, be aware that our technical support team may be unable to assist you should you encounter technical difficulties. They do not have MACs and, therefore, may be unable to replicate any problem you may encounter. If you have a MAC, then you will need the latest version of Internet Explorer as well as the latest version of the Macromedia Flash Player. We do not support the Mac browser Safarri.

What happens if I have technical difficulties or the system malfunctions during the course? 
If you experience any problems while taking the course, then please call 1-800-600-2550 or using our Contact Us form for assistance. Infinity Schools provides customer support by email or phone between 9am to 5pm Monday thru Friday. Our normal response time by email during normal business hours is within 1 to 2 hours and by phone is handled in the order that your call is received.

What happens if I get disconnected from the Internet? 
If you get disconnected from the Internet, then you will need to log back into your account. If this happens, then you will be returned to the beginning of the lesson you were working on when you were disconnected.

Do I need to have sound on my computer to take these classes? 
No, sound is not required. The beginning tutorial and introduction explain the course overview and give detailed instructions via audio files but if you do not have speakers for sound you can read a narrative about the tutorial overview and the introduction. To take advantage of the optional video training sessions, the videos do require sound.

How do I get a username or password? What do I use it for? What should I do if I forget it? 
Each student creates their own unique username and password. You will use the same username and password each time you attempt to log into your course. If you forget your password, then click on Forgot My Password on the homepage to request it.

What if my streaming video is cutting in and out or poor quality? 
Please remember that our video is streaming over the internet and will only be as good as the speed of your internet connection. You may not be able to do other things on your computer when watching the streaming video since the video files are so large. Also remember that these video clips are a supplemental tool and are not required to complete the course and receive your certificate of completion.

INFORMATION FOR ONLINE and PAPER-BASED CE COURSES.

If I am completing a paper-based CE course, what needs to be returned for grading purposes?

Please make sure that you photocopy the The Exam Answer Sheet, and the front and back of your Exam Certification Form before mailing to us. Infinity Schools will not be responsible for lost forms unless sent by certified or overnight mail and the official receipt contains an authorized Infinity Schools signature.

What percentage score is considered a "passing grade" to earn the credit hours and Certificate of Completion 

A score of 70% or better is required on each exam in order to receive a Certificate of Completion.

What is I do not pass the examination?

If you do not receive a passing score on your first attempt you may take another examination, however, you will be subject to a re-grading fee of $25.00 per examination. You are allowed to take an exam a maximum of (3) three times. If an exam is failed three times we will be unable to issue any credit hours for that course. (There is no re-grading fee to retake an online exam)

Refund Policy on Book Courses: You have 10 DAYS from the purchase date to return or exchange the materials providing they are in their original condition, and providing the Sealed Exam Envelope is unopened. Refunds will be based on purchase price less shipping and handling.  No refunds will be made after 10 days.

Refund Policy on Online Courses or Exams: You have ten days from the purchase date to request a refund. No refunds will be issued on any online course or exam in the event you are unable to access our website due to any technical difficulty.