MD Property & Casualty exam-day guide
MD Property & Casualty · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo ID
Bring a current, unexpired driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID with your photo and signature. The first and last name on the ID must match the name on your exam registration exactly - a middle name or maiden/married name mismatch is the most common reason people are turned away. If your legal name recently changed, confirm with the test provider how to update the registration before test day.
Exam authorization / confirmation notice
Bring the confirmation email or notice the testing provider sent you after you registered and paid. Have it available on paper or on a device you can show before you enter the testing room (you will then be required to store the device). Confirm with the provider whether a printed copy is required.
Second form of identification
Some centers ask for a secondary ID such as a debit or credit card with signature, or a second government ID. Requirements vary, so confirm with the provider what secondary identification, if any, is accepted. At minimum, carry a card with your name embossed on it.
Proof of pre-licensing education completion
Maryland generally requires completion of an approved pre-licensing course before you sit for the license exam. Carry your certificate of completion or have it accessible, in case the center or the state asks for it. Confirm the current hour requirement and whether proof must be submitted at registration rather than at the test center with the Maryland Insurance Administration and your course provider.
Confirmation of which examination you are scheduled for
Property and Casualty may be offered as a combined exam or as separate Property and Casualty exams depending on the provider's current catalog. Verify on your confirmation which exam(s) you are registered for so you do not sit for the wrong one, and confirm whether your license application will require both.
Test center location, route, and parking plan
Look up the exact address the night before and check for construction, garage closures, or building-security screening. Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before your appointment so late arrival does not cost you your seat - confirm with the provider the cutoff time after which you forfeit your reservation.
Nothing prohibited on your person
Leave phones, smartwatches, fitness bands, earbuds, notes, textbooks, and bags in the car or in the provided locker. Most centers require pockets to be empty and sleeves to be rolled up. Wearing a watch is typically not allowed; if you want to track time, rely on the on-screen clock.
Calculator policy check
Determine in advance whether a calculator is permitted or provided. Many insurance exams provide an on-screen calculator or allow no calculator at all. Confirm with the provider before test day rather than assuming you can bring your own.
Payment receipt or exam fee confirmation
Keep your registration receipt accessible until you are seated, in case there is a discrepancy about payment or rescheduling. Confirm with the provider whether any balance is due at the center.
Small water bottle and snack for after the exam
Consumables are generally not allowed at the workstation. Plan to leave them in a locker or in the car and use them during the break or after you finish.
Restroom and medication plan
Use the restroom immediately before check-in. If you take scheduled medication or have a documented accommodation need, contact the provider well before test day to arrange it - accommodation requests are usually not granted on the spot.
License application next steps
Know in advance how you will apply after passing - typically an online license application through the state's licensing system, plus fingerprinting or a background check and any required fees. Confirm the current application method and any post-exam fingerprint requirement with the Maryland Insurance Administration before test day.
Plan the day
Stop trying to learn new material. Rework the topics you have missed repeatedly: policy structure and declarations/insuring agreement/conditions/exclusions, property valuation and coinsurance math, liability negligence elements, Maryland-specific statutes on cancellation, nonrenewal, and grace periods, and the duties of agents and brokers. Do timed sets of mixed questions rather than single-topic drills.
Re-read your registration confirmation. Verify the address, appointment time, ID name match, and which exam you are registered for. Resolve any discrepancy with the provider now, not on test morning. Reconfirm the pre-licensing certificate is complete and on file if the state requires it.
Practice only the calculations the exam actually tests, on paper: coinsurance penalties, deductibles, ACV versus replacement cost, loss ratios, and premium proration for short-rate versus pro-rata cancellation. Write the formula for each on a single sheet and review that sheet twice daily.
Do one last mixed practice set in the morning, review the formula sheet and your error log, then stop. Do not cram past early evening. Pack your ID, confirmation, and any permitted items by the door. Set two alarms.
Get a full night's sleep. Eat a normal breakfast; a heavy or unusual meal before a long, seated, screen-based exam works against you. Skip caffeine if it makes you restless, or keep it to your usual amount.
Leave with a buffer for traffic. Arrive at least 30 minutes before your appointment. Check in, present your ID, store all prohibited items, empty your pockets, and get seated. If you arrive late, ask the staff immediately whether you can still be seated - do not assume.
Read the full question stem before looking at the answer choices, and watch for 'EXCEPT,' 'NOT,' and 'best.' Answer every question; there is no penalty for a wrong answer on a scored, non-penalizing exam. Flag long calculation or ambiguous items and move on rather than burning time.
Return to flagged items. For scenario questions, identify who owes a duty to whom and whether the loss falls inside or outside the insuring agreement before evaluating exclusions. For 'which coverage applies' items, check the order: is there coverage, then which exclusion, then which exception to the exclusion.
Confirm no question is blank. Change an answer only when you can point to a specific word or fact you misread; second-guessing without a reason usually costs points. Submit deliberately and note the process for obtaining your score report.
Read your score report carefully - it may break results out by subarea, which tells you exactly what to restudy if you did not pass. If you passed, begin the license application promptly; if you did not, confirm the provider's waiting or rescheduling rules before rebooking.
Rules to check
Bring valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID with a signature, and make sure the name matches your registration exactly. Without acceptable ID you will not be admitted and you may forfeit your fee.
Arrive early and check in on time. Centers commonly deny entry after a published cutoff, and no-shows are typically charged. Confirm the provider's specific arrival cutoff and rescheduling/cancellation notice period in writing.
Leave all electronic devices, notes, and study materials outside the testing room. Possession of a phone or smartwatch during the exam is treated as misconduct and can void your score and be reported to the state.
You may not communicate with anyone other than test center staff during the exam, and you may not write on anything other than materials the center provides. Scratch paper, if offered, is usually collected and destroyed at the end.
Breaks are generally limited and may be unavailable once the clock starts. Use the restroom before check-in. Any accommodation for extra time or breaks must be requested from the provider in advance, typically with documentation.
Scoring is based only on scored items; some exams include unscored pretest questions that are not identified. You will not be told which items those are, so treat every question as counted.
Do not rely on a memorized passing score or question count. Confirm the current passing standard, exam length, and time limit with the testing provider or the Maryland Insurance Administration before you sit.
Passing the exam does not itself license you. You must still submit a license application, fees, and any required background or fingerprint components within the state's deadline. Confirm every post-exam requirement and deadline with the Maryland Insurance Administration.