Resident Producer: Life (Part 1 'General: Life' + Part 2 'State: Life')
The Montana life insurance exam.
The Montana life insurance exam is 86 scored questions, about 10 unscored pretest questions, in 120 minutes, passing at a scaled 75, $65 per attempt, administered by Pearson VUE. We sell study materials and practice exams for it, written from the official Montana outline. The first questions are free, and the full License Pass is $149, yours until you pass. Below are the licensing steps, exactly what the exam covers, and free practice questions written to this state's outline.
At a glance
| Exam | Resident Producer: Life (Part 1 'General: Life' + Part 2 'State: Life') |
| Scored questions | 86 |
| Pretest questions | about 10 (unscored) |
| Time limit | 120 minutes |
| Passing score | 75 (scaled score) |
| Exam fee | $65 |
| Testing vendor | Pearson VUE |
| Retake rules | Must wait 24 hours before making a reexamination reservation; a failing candidate must retake the ENTIRE exam (both Part 1 and Part 2). OnVUE online testing limited to 2 attempts, then test center only. |
| Prelicensing education | not required for the life line |
Verified against official Pearson VUE materials, Candidate Handbook #122700, June 2025; embedded content outlines #122703 (12/2025), life outline set effective March 2, 2026 (used here). Specs change; confirm when you register.
How to get your Montana life insurance license
- 1
Meet the basics
Be 18 or older and able to pass the background screening. Montana handles licensing through the NIPR system like most states.
- 2
Study the exam outline
Montana does not require prelicensing education for the life line, so your preparation is the whole game. Study the official outline below and drill practice questions until every section holds.
- 3
Book the exam with Pearson VUE
Register at Pearson VUE, pick a test center or online proctoring where offered, and pay the $65 exam fee.
- 4
Pass the exam
Walk in knowing the format, 86 scored questions in 120 minutes, passing at a scaled 75. About 62% of first-time life exam takers pass nationally (NAIC, latest published data).
- 5
Apply for the license and get appointed
Submit the license application (fingerprints where required), then get appointed with carriers so you can write business.
What the Montana exam covers
From the official exam outline, each section's share of the exam and how many of the 86 scored questions it earns.
| Section | Weight | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Life General Knowledge | 18% | 15 questions |
| Life General Knowledge | 17% | 15 questions |
| Life General Knowledge | 14% | 12 questions |
| Life General Knowledge | 9% | 8 questions |
| Montana Specific | 29% | 25 questions |
| Montana Specific | 13% | 11 questions |
Free Montana practice questions
Original questions written to the Montana outline, the same bank our students drill. Tap a question to check the answer.
Question 1A key feature that separates limited-pay whole life from ordinary whole life is that limited-pay policies:
- A. Provide coverage only for a limited number of years
- B. Require premium payments only for a set period while coverage lasts for life
- C. Have no cash value until premiums stop
- D. Pay a smaller death benefit than ordinary whole life
Show the answer
Answer: B
Limited-pay whole life compresses premium payments into a shorter period (such as 20-pay or paid-up at 65), but coverage still lasts the insured's whole life. The first choice confuses it with term insurance since coverage does not end. Limited-pay builds cash value faster, not later, so the third choice is wrong. The death benefit is not automatically smaller, so the fourth choice is wrong.
Life General Knowledge: Types of Policies > Traditional whole life products (limited-pay life)
Question 2Which product is described as interest-sensitive whole life?
- A. A whole life policy whose cash value growth reflects current interest rates the insurer credits
- B. A term policy that renews yearly
- C. A policy invested entirely in stock subaccounts
- D. A pure variable annuity
Show the answer
Answer: A
Interest-sensitive whole life is a fixed permanent policy whose credited interest can move with current rates, giving more cash value growth than a plain fixed rate in some periods. Yearly renewable term has no cash value. A policy invested in stock subaccounts is variable life. A variable annuity is not life insurance at all.
Life General Knowledge: Interest/market-sensitive/adjustable life products (interest-sensitive whole life)
Question 3Which type of annuity allows the owner to make varying deposits at different times rather than one lump sum?
- A. Single premium annuity
- B. Flexible premium annuity
- C. Immediate annuity
- D. Fixed annuity
Show the answer
Answer: B
A flexible premium annuity lets the owner pay different amounts on different dates, which is why it is common for people saving over time. A single premium annuity requires one lump sum payment. An immediate annuity describes when payouts start, not how premiums are paid. A fixed annuity describes how interest is credited, not the premium schedule.
Life General Knowledge: Types of Policies > Annuities (single/flexible premium)
Question 4A business owned by two partners wants coverage that pays cash to buy out whichever partner dies first; which policy fits best?
- A. Survivorship life
- B. Joint life (first-to-die)
- C. Deferred annuity
- D. Term rider on the surviving partner only
Show the answer
Answer: B
A joint first-to-die policy pays at the first partner's death, giving the surviving partner or business the cash needed to fund a buy-sell agreement. Survivorship life pays only at the second death, too late to fund a buyout of the first partner to die. A deferred annuity accumulates savings and does not provide the needed death benefit. A term rider on only the surviving partner would not pay when the first partner dies.
Life General Knowledge: Types of Policies > Combination plans and variations (joint life)
Question 5The federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) primarily requires insurers and producers to do what with an applicant's personal information?
- A. Protect its privacy and give notice of privacy practices
- B. Report it to the state insurance department
- C. Share it freely with any affiliated company
- D. Destroy it after the policy is issued
Show the answer
Answer: A
GLBA is a privacy law that requires financial institutions, including insurers, to safeguard nonpublic personal information and provide privacy notices explaining their information practices. It does not require routine reporting of applicant data to the insurance department. It restricts, rather than encourages, free sharing of personal information. It does not require destroying records after issue; insurers must retain records and continue to protect them.
Life General Knowledge: Completing the application (GLBA privacy)
Take the free Montana practice test, every question with the answer and the explanation
Montana exam FAQs
How many questions are on the Montana life insurance exam?
86 scored questions, plus about 10 unscored pretest questions mixed in, with 120 minutes on the clock.
What score passes the Montana exam?
You need a scaled 75 to pass.
How much does the Montana life insurance exam cost?
The exam fee is $65 per attempt, paid to Pearson VUE. Licensing application and fingerprint fees are separate.
What happens if I fail the Montana exam?
Must wait 24 hours before making a reexamination reservation; a failing candidate must retake the ENTIRE exam (both Part 1 and Part 2). OnVUE online testing limited to 2 attempts, then test center only. About 62% of first-time life exam takers pass nationally (NAIC, latest published data). Failing once is common, and the fix is drilling the sections your score report names.
Does Montana require prelicensing education before the exam?
No. Montana does not require prelicensing education for the life line, which means how you study is up to you and practice exams carry more of the load.
What RingReady is, and is not
RingReady sells study materials and practice exams for the life insurance licensing exam. We are not a state-approved prelicensing education provider, and practicing here does not by itself satisfy any state's education requirement.
If your state requires prelicensing education, you must complete it with an approved provider; your state insurance department publishes the approved list. What we do is make sure that when you sit down for the real exam, the questions feel familiar.
Practice the Montana exam until it feels familiar.
Practice questions written to every section of the outline above, full timed practice exams matched to the real format (86 questions, 120 minutes), and a mastery map that shows what to study next.
A free placement plus free practice questions. No card to start.