CISR Life & Health study plan

Define the core parties and mechanics of a life insurance contract (owner, insured, beneficiary, face amount, premium, cash value) and explain how each interacts.

Distinguish the major life insurance classifications (ordinary, group, industrial, credit) and state the defining feature of each.

Explain the legal concepts that underpin every policy: offer and acceptance, consideration, legal purpose, and insurable interest at time of application.

Identify the mandatory and optional provisions that shape a policy's structure, including the entire contract, grace period, reinstatement, and incontestability clauses.

Differentiate representations from warranties and explain the consequences of material misrepresentation on claim payment.

Compare term life structures (level, decreasing, increasing, renewable, convertible) and state when each is appropriate.

Contrast whole life, universal life, and variable life on premium flexibility, cash value guarantees, and investment risk borne by the owner.

Explain how dividends, nonforfeiture options, and policy loans operate in participating permanent policies.

Trace the tax treatment of premiums, cash value growth, policy loans, and death benefits for individual life policies.

Identify the settlement options (lump sum, life income, fixed period, fixed amount, interest only) and match each to a beneficiary need.

Define the common health policy terms (deductible, coinsurance, copayment, out-of-pocket maximum, network, preauthorization) and compute a member's cost for a sample claim.

Differentiate indemnity, HMO, PPO, and POS models by network rules, referral requirements, and out-of-network coverage.

Explain the major categories of health coverage (individual, group, disability income, long-term care) and the qualifying conditions for benefits in each.

Describe the provisions that govern claims: notice of claim, proof of loss, time limit on legal action, and coordination of benefits.

Identify the exclusions and limitations commonly found in health policies and explain the rationale for each.

Summarize the federal statutes that shape health and life benefits: HIPAA, COBRA, ERISA, ACA, and USERRA, stating the core requirement of each.

Explain ACA market reforms, essential health benefits, guaranteed issue, and the premium tax credit structure.

Describe consumer-driven health plans (HSA, HSA-qualified high-deductible plan, FSA, HRA) and the eligibility and contribution rules for each.

Distinguish an HSA from an FSA and an HRA on ownership, portability, rollover, and tax treatment.

Apply HIPAA privacy and portability rules to a scenario involving a job change and preexisting conditions.

Break down Medicare Part A, B, C, and D by what each covers, how eligibility is established, and how enrollment periods work.

Explain the interaction between Original Medicare and Medigap, including the standardized plan letters and guaranteed-issue windows.

Describe Medicare Advantage plan structures and the network and prior-authorization rules that distinguish them from Original Medicare.

Identify the late-enrollment penalties for Parts B and D and calculate a sample penalty.

Explain Medicare's relationship to Medicaid, employer group coverage, and TRICARE for dual-eligible and working beneficiaries.

Re-derive the underwriting and application flow from fact-finding through policy delivery, including the role of the agent report and attending physician statement.

Explain replacement rules and the disclosures required when a new policy replaces an existing one.

Review policy delivery requirements, free-look periods, and the significance of the conditional receipt.

Re-test the distinctions among term, whole, universal, and variable life using scenario-based questions rather than definitions.

Identify the suitability and needs-analysis factors that drive a recommendation between term and permanent coverage.

Integrate life policy provisions with health policy provisions by mapping parallel clauses (grace period, reinstatement, incontestability) across both lines.

Apply taxation rules to life and health products side by side, including employer-paid premiums and disability benefits.

Resolve scenario questions that combine a consumer-driven account with a federal mandate, such as an HSA paired with an ACA-compliant plan.

Practice timed mixed-domain question sets to build pacing under exam conditions.

Audit weak areas from prior quizzes and rank them by frequency of error.

Complete full-length cumulative practice under timed conditions and review every incorrect response.

Reinforce high-yield facts: contract provisions, policy types, Medicare enrollment windows, and federal mandates.

Drill the calculation types that appear on the exam, including cost-sharing, late-enrollment penalties, and policy loan interest.

Verify readiness by scoring consistently above the target threshold on cumulative sets.

Consolidate a final one-page review sheet covering the most frequently missed items from all eight weeks.