PA Public Adjuster study plan

Define indemnity, insurable interest, utmost good faith, adhesion, and reasonable expectations, and state how each principle constrains what a public adjuster can legitimately recover for a client.

Diagram the anatomy of a property policy (declarations, insuring agreement, conditions, exclusions, endorsements) and mark the point at which the adjuster's advocacy ends and coverage interpretation begins.

Distinguish actual cash value, replacement cost, functional replacement cost, and agreed value, then compute three ACV settlements from given age, life expectancy, and replacement price figures.

Calculate deductible application, coinsurance penalties, and loss-settlement add-ons (debris removal, pair and set, ordinance or law) using worked numeric examples.

Compare the coverage structure of a homeowners form, a commercial property form, and a business income form on the same four perils, listing where each grants or withdraws coverage.

Analyze eight exclusions and state who carries the burden of proof for each (insured, insurer, or both) with a one-line justification.

Apply endorsements to a base form and explain how each one changes the settlement outcome in a described loss.

Write a coverage position for a loss that is partly covered and partly excluded, separating the covered schedule items from the excluded ones.

Measure and quantify common repair items (roof squares, siding, drywall, flooring, paint) using correct units and conversion factors.

Build an itemized estimate from a quantity takeoff that includes line items, waste factors, overhead and profit, sales tax, and code-upgrade line items.

Construct a depreciation schedule using age and life-expectancy tables and state where recoverable depreciation changes the client's net position.

Assemble a loss-documentation package using photographs, a dimensioned sketch, moisture readings, and a chain-of-custody log for damaged contents.

Sequence the first 72 hours of a claim: notice, policy verification, deadline calendaring, site inspection, and scope agreement.

Draft an investigation plan that identifies the cause-and-origin question, the evidence needed, and the experts required for a fire, a water, and a wind loss.

Prepare for and conduct a recorded statement and an examination under oath, distinguishing the questions that establish scope from those that establish coverage defenses.

Explain how salvage, subrogation, and recoverable depreciation affect the file after the initial settlement offer, and log each in a claim diary.

Outline the Pennsylvania public adjuster licensing pathway from application through issuance, renewal, and continuing education, noting which steps are the licensee's responsibility versus the Department's.

List the elements a public adjuster contract must contain under Act 21 of 2012 and the order in which they must be presented to the client.

Differentiate the roles and authority of a public adjuster, a company adjuster, an independent adjuster, and an insurance producer in the same claim.

Classify 20 prohibited acts and unethical practices, and write a compliant alternative for each one.

Draft a pre-engagement checklist confirming the written agreement, compensation disclosure, and client rescission rights are delivered before any work begins.

Compare percentage, hourly, and sliding-scale compensation structures and state the disclosure each requires in a client-facing document.

Identify consumer-protection violations in six solicitation and advertising scenarios, including disaster-area and door-to-door contact restrictions.

Script a compliant first-contact conversation that avoids prohibited solicitation while still explaining the adjuster's services.

Resolve 12 ethics vignettes involving conflicts of interest, contractor referrals, fee disputes, and commingling of client funds, citing the rule that controls each outcome.

Explain how to respond to a Department inquiry or consumer complaint, including what records must be produced and what may not be said.

Reconcile the adjuster's advocacy duty to the client with the duty of honesty to the insurer, using two scenarios where the two pull in opposite directions.

Complete a timed 40-question set on licensing law, contracts, and consumer protection and review every missed item.

Complete two full-length timed mock exams under exam conditions, simulating the section weighting across all five domains.

Maintain an error log that records, for every missed item, the underlying rule, the reason for the error, and the corrected reasoning.

Re-teach the three weakest topics from the error log using fresh written explanations rather than re-reading old notes.

Rehearse exam-day logistics: identification, appointment arrival time, calculator and reference restrictions, and a pacing plan for the question count.