CISR Life & Health

All CISR courses are available in three formats: self-paced online instruction, live in-person classroom instruction, and online instructor-led webinars. Online courses are accessible by computer, tablet, or smartphone. Self-paced courses give you a 60-day period to complete, and webinars deliver 7 hours of instruction over 2-4 weeks.

Each course consists of 7 hours of classroom instruction. The final exam is a 1-hour proctored exam, and passing it is required to earn designation credit. In the in-person format, the one-day course is followed by an optional 1-hour exam.

CISR is an intermediate-level program, so some working knowledge of the applicable policies is expected. The course is practical rather than academic, focused on minimizing E&O claims and on understanding and analyzing risks and exposures. If you handle personal lines accounts, expect new life and health terminology but familiar client-advice framing.

Yes. You must complete and pass the examinations for five of the nine CISR courses. Life & Health Essentials is one of the nine. You have three calendar years after the year you passed your first examination to complete the designation.

The published source does not state a retake policy, exam question count, or passing score. Contact the program provider directly to confirm retake rules and scoring before you sit the exam. Plan to pass on the first attempt by completing the knowledge checks and self-quizzes, which require passing to progress.

State CE credit is approved in all states. To determine the specific credits approved for your state, check the CE Guide referenced on the program site. Credit amounts vary by state, so confirm your state's listing before registering if CE hours matter for your license renewal.

There is no published required sequence for the nine courses. A practical order is to start with the course closest to your daily work, then branch out. Note that Other Personal Lines Solutions is described as best taken after Insuring Personal Residential Property and Insuring Personal Auto Exposures. Life & Health Essentials stands alone.

Two recurring risks: treating the course as a policy-forms memorization exercise instead of learning to identify client exposures and explain coverage limitations, and delaying the remaining courses. The five-course requirement must be finished within three calendar years after the year of your first passed exam, so map the schedule early.

After earning the CISR designation, you must meet an annual update requirement. Qualifying options include one 7-hour classroom or online CISR, CSRM, or William T. Hold course, or two 4-hour online William T. Hold Seminars, Ethics, or Insuring Flood Exposure courses. Some options, such as Ruble, MEGA, and Dynamics, require membership dues.

CISR Elite is an advanced status for people who already hold the CISR designation. It requires completing the four remaining CISR courses and passing the respective exams within a three-year period. Because Life & Health Essentials is one of the nine courses, it can be part of that remaining-four set.