MA Life & Health study plan

Distinguish risk, peril, hazard, pure vs. speculative risk, and the characteristics that make a loss insurable

Classify insurers by structure (stock, mutual, fraternal, reciprocal) and describe reinsurance and the producer/broker/MGA roles

Apply the elements of a valid contract - offer, acceptance, consideration, legal purpose, competent parties - plus adhesion and utmost good faith

Outline state regulatory authority, the McCarran-Ferguson Act, licensing, appointment, continuing education, and producer fiduciary and premium-handling duties

Identify unfair trade practices and prohibited acts including rebating, twisting, misrepresentation, defamation, and commingling

Define deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, out-of-pocket maximums, and usual-reasonable-customary reimbursement

Compare indemnity, major medical, HMO, PPO, and POS plans on network rules, gatekeeping, and cost sharing

Explain managed care utilization review, preauthorization, and provider network structures

Differentiate individual vs. group medical underwriting and describe group eligibility, enrollment periods, and coordination of benefits

Separate the accumulation phase from the annuitization phase and distinguish immediate, deferred, fixed, variable, and indexed annuities

Compare life-only, life-with-period-certain, installment-refund, and joint-and-survivor payout options and match each to a client situation

Explain surrender charges, free-withdrawal provisions, exclusion ratios, and the taxation of annuity accumulation and distributions

Differentiate qualified plans (IRA, Roth IRA, 401(k), 403(b)) from nonqualified annuities on contribution limits, taxation, and suitability

Describe the producer's suitability and disclosure duties when recommending or replacing an annuity

Explain the field underwriter's role, the underwriting process, and privacy requirements affecting applicant information

Apply insurable interest and explain STOLI arrangements and their regulatory limits

Compare the human life value and needs approaches and calculate an insurance need for a sample client

Identify the parties to a life contract and the rules for revocable, irrevocable, primary, contingent, and minor beneficiaries

Explain the factors that drive premium - mortality, interest, expense - and describe business uses such as buy-sell and key person coverage

Differentiate term, whole life, universal life, variable life, indexed universal life, and endowment contracts on premium, cash value, and risk features

Interpret riders including waiver of premium, guaranteed insurability, accidental death, disability income, child, and long-term care riders

Apply nonforfeiture options, dividend options, policy loans, and partial withdrawals to specific client scenarios

Explain incontestability, grace period, reinstatement, suicide clause, misstatement of age and sex, and policy assignment provisions

Match settlement options - lump sum, interest only, fixed period, fixed amount, and life income - to beneficiary needs

Distinguish own-occupation from any-occupation disability definitions and explain elimination periods, benefit periods, and residual or partial disability benefits

Explain the triggers, benefit structures, and inflation and nonforfeiture features of long-term care policies

Differentiate skilled, intermediate, and custodial care and describe Medicare, Medigap, and Medicare Advantage coverage limits

Compare supplemental products including critical illness, accident, hospital indemnity, dental, and vision coverage

Describe group disability, business overhead expense, and key person disability coverage and how they coordinate with other income sources

Re-work every item missed in Weeks 1–6 and convert each into a flashcard with the rule and an example

Re-test the two lowest-scoring domains with fresh question sets until each reaches 85%

Build a one-page comparison of the provisions and product features most often confused across Domains 4 and 5

Practice 25 scenario questions in which the task is to select the correct product, rider, or provision rather than recall a definition

Complete two timed full-length practice exams under test-day conditions with no notes

Analyze each missed item by domain to confirm no single domain falls below 75%

Recite from memory the key numbers - free-look periods, grace periods, elimination periods, and standard policy timeframes

Drill the lowest-scoring domain from Week 8 diagnostics until it clears 85%