Insurance Agent Forum

[timmybright]

I'm studying super hard for the New York State exam. The practice tests have all been super hard, which is good because it forced me to go back and study and really know the material.

Anyway - My mind is completely blown. Seems like there are so many options - captive vs indie, this company vs that company.

I've read so many threads on here. It's hard to put together the things I'm looking for most. I am happy making 30K for a few years (I'm really young), would love to eventually get to six figs, but I'm going to need some real training for a little while to learn the ropes. I'd be down for helping others learn the ropes once I have them down myself, so I suppose recruiting would be an option. I'm really strong on the phone. I don't mind doing in person, but I feel like I could kill it on the phone if given the option.

I'm not sure if all of this is a question. Just spilling it.

[djs]

My suggestion.... don't read this board until you pass the test. Doing so will cause you to confuse facts with the test answers

Seriously, the test has little to do with day to day insurance sales (I can only say this for California, but I assume this is true in all states). It has to do with knowing some basics and knowing what is right and wrong. There are a lot of questions about topics you will never visit again after the test. There is absolutely nothing about specific products, the difference between direct and indirect, independant vs captive, etc. There might be a question about the difference between an agent and a broker, but probably not.

Just remember, the answer is almost always the one that protects the consumer the most, barring any knowledge of a correct answer, pick your answer based on this and you'll be right more often than not.

3 or 4 times through a practice test and you should be ready to take the test. I don't know about New York, but I assume there will be a lot of similarities.

Oh yeah, always really read the question and read ALL of the answers before picking one.

Biggest thing... don't sweat the test. You can always retake it again.

Dan

[timmybright]

Thanks Dan!
That was a great response. Super helpful. Maybe after today I'll hold off on coming back to the board for a little while.

[HomeService]

When I was there getting licensed 20 yrs ago: I needed to have a sponsoring company before I was licensed. I had my career company picked out before I took the licensing exam.

Maybe it's different now, maybe you don't need a sponsoring company right now, so maybe D is correct, just worry about passing the exam- right now. Go to the library and study books that tell you about insurance concepts. Some of these books are old, like from the 1930's or 1950's, but the concepts are the same. Get to know concepts.

[djs]

I think the sponsoring company requirement went away in most states. Again, I don't know New York....

Unless it's for securities, then you still need a sponsoring company (in some situations).

Dan