Hawaii Surplus Lines study plan

Define surplus lines insurance and explain why it exists as a market of last resort when admitted carriers decline or cannot cover a risk

Identify the roles of the broker, the surplus lines producer, and the eligible unauthorized insurer in a Hawaii surplus lines transaction

Map the legal hierarchy that governs the placement: Hawaii Revised Statutes chapter 431, article 8, the Hawaii Insurance Code generally, and the surplus lines producer's duty to admitted-market diligence

Build a one-page glossary of core terms (eligible surplus lines insurer, diligent effort, declination, export list, unauthorized insurer) in your own words

Describe the diligent effort (declination) search requirement and what evidence a producer must retain to prove it

Explain how the Hawaii surplus lines broker licensing pathway differs from a standard producer license, including any bond, exam, and appointment expectations you can confirm

Outline the steps of a compliant placement from submission through policy delivery and disclosure notice

List the records a surplus lines producer must keep and the retention period your study sources state

Explain what makes an insurer eligible to write surplus lines in Hawaii and how the eligibility list is maintained

Describe the financial and reporting obligations placed on eligible surplus lines insurers

Distinguish admitted, eligible non-admitted, and non-eligible non-admitted insurers by their regulatory standing and consumer protections

Identify the trust fund, guaranty fund, and insolvency consequences that differ for surplus lines policyholders

Compute the surplus lines premium tax and any stamping or filing fee on worked examples using Hawaii rates

Explain who collects the tax, when it is due, and what happens if the producer fails to remit

Describe how the surplus lines broker must disclose fees and commissions to the insured

Reconcile a sample monthly premium and tax ledger from placement to remittance

Explain the standard disclosure notice that must be delivered to a surplus lines insured and what it must tell the buyer about lack of guaranty fund protection

Describe the rules on countersignature, place-of-business, and who may lawfully solicit or negotiate a surplus lines risk in Hawaii

Identify prohibited practices for surplus lines producers, including placement with ineligible insurers and misrepresentation of coverage

Summarize the penalties and disciplinary actions regulators may impose on a producer or insurer

Apply the export list concept: explain when a risk may be placed without a full declination search and why

Walk through the surplus lines treatment of specialty lines such as coastal property, hurricane and wind exposure, professional liability, and excess and umbrella coverage

Explain how Hawaii's catastrophe exposure shapes demand for surplus lines capacity

Trace how a claim flows from the surplus lines insured through the producer to the eligible insurer, noting the producer's role in claims

Review every weak area flagged in weeks 1 through 6 and rewrite your glossary and comparison table with corrections

Practice 60 or more scenario-based questions on diligent effort, eligibility, tax, and disclosure, and log every miss with the underlying rule

Recite from memory the placement sequence, the tax remittance steps, and the disclosure requirements

Draft concise written answers to likely exam prompts on producer duties and insurer eligibility

Take two full timed practice exams under exam conditions and score each one

Analyze results by subtopic (licensing, eligibility, tax, disclosure, prohibited practices) and target the two lowest areas

Re-drill the error log until every item can be explained without notes

Confirm exam-day logistics: format, question count, time limit, allowed materials, and identification requirements