How do I choose a pre-licensing course for a claims adjuster license?

Start with your state's rules. If your state licenses adjusters, take a course it approves; if your state does not license adjusters, many candidates obtain a Florida or Texas designated home state license and use a course approved there. Pre-licensing adjuster courses typically run about 40 hours, and some Texas-approved courses incorporate the state licensing exam itself.

As of January 1, 2024, Alabama no longer requires, regulates, or approves prelicensing courses for adjuster applicants, so any course you take is optional exam preparation and there is no state approved-school list to work from. Your choice comes down to cost and study format. Prepare carefully, because failing the exam twice triggers a 90-day wait before you can retake it.

Arizona does not require pre-licensing education for a claims adjuster license, so a course is optional. What matters is passing the Adjuster exam (Series 13-36), which costs $59 and requires a score of 70%. The Arizona Department of Insurance does not provide study materials and does not evaluate the quality of any training course, so base your choice on how well a course matches the exam's published content outline.

Delaware does not require any pre-licensing course for an adjuster license, so there is no state-mandated course to choose. The state does not pre-screen exam candidates. You can prepare on your own using the Pearson VUE Delaware content outlines, or take an optional exam-prep course, and then schedule the Delaware adjuster exam for your line of authority.

Choose a course approved by the Florida Department of Financial Services, and verify approval in the DFS Education Database (select the "Prelicensing" option on the licensing hub). For the all-lines adjuster license, an approved designation course such as the ACA also satisfies the requirement and exempts the state exam. Cost, format, and schedule vary by provider, so review those details before enrolling.

Georgia requires a 16-hour Property and Casualty adjuster course (8.0 hours per major line) from a state-approved education provider, in either classroom or online format. The provider must report your completion electronically — paper course completion forms are not accepted. The course is valid for one year, so you must pass the Pearson VUE adjuster exam within that window or retrain.

You do not need one. Illinois does not require adjuster pre-licensing education because it does not license company adjusters, and the Illinois Department of Insurance does not require pre-licensing education for its public adjuster license either, only the licensing exam. If you plan to adjust claims in other states through a Florida or Texas license, those states set their own course requirements.

Louisiana does not require claims adjusters to complete any prelicensing education, so any course you take is optional exam preparation. Choose a course that follows the PSI examination content outline for the line you plan to test for, such as Property and Casualty or Workers' Compensation. Once you feel prepared, schedule the exam directly with PSI.

Maryland does not issue independent adjuster licenses, so there is no in-state prelicensing course for that path. Maryland's only adjuster license is the Public Adjuster, which requires passing the Prometric exam (code 2023) with a $50 fee and no prelicensing course. Residents who want to adjust claims for insurers typically obtain a nonresident Designated Home State license from a state such as Texas, where an approved prelicensing course and exam satisfy the requirement.

Massachusetts has no prelicensing education requirement for adjuster licensing, so a course is optional exam preparation rather than a mandate. The state licenses only Public Insurance Adjusters (and Motor Vehicle Damage Appraisers), not independent adjusters, and both resident and nonresident public adjuster applicants must pass the Massachusetts Public Insurance Adjuster exam. Public adjusters also need at least 2 years of experience adjusting property loss claims or related work.

Choose a provider on the state's approved-education list, which you can search through the Mississippi Insurance Department's Sircon site. The adjuster course must cover 20 hours and may be taken by classroom or self-study. Providers must report your course completion through Sircon before you can sit for the exam.

New York requires no prelicensing course for the independent adjuster license, so a course matters mainly for the public adjuster license, which requires 40 hours of Department-approved education. Choose a provider from the state's approved-education list, which you can search on the Department of Financial Services portal, and confirm the course is approved for the adjuster class you are seeking. If you have at least one year of qualifying insurance experience, a Statement of Employer may exempt you from the public adjuster course.

Rhode Island requires no prelicensing education for an adjuster license, so a prep course is optional. Neither the Department of Business Regulation nor Pearson VUE publishes study materials, and the state does not maintain an approved-course list for adjuster exams. Pearson VUE's Rhode Island candidate handbook contains the official content outlines, which show the topics each exam covers and give you a factual basis for comparing prep options.

Texas does not require prelicensing education for adjusters, so the main thing to look for is department approval: completing a TDI-approved course or training program in adjusting losses within the last 12 months waives the adjuster licensing exam. You can find approved courses by creating an account on the Sircon website. Adjuster applications themselves are also filed through Sircon, not NIPR.

Virginia does not require a prelicensing course for any insurance license except Title insurance, which requires 16 hours of instruction. The state licenses adjusters only as public adjusters, and no prelicensing course is required before the Public Adjuster exam. Any course you take is optional exam preparation, since you can register directly with Prometric.