How hard is it to become an insurance broker?

Becoming an insurance broker is about as demanding as becoming an agent, because the licensing path is the same: complete any required prelicensing education, pass the state licensing exam, get fingerprinted where required, and apply through the state or the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR). The exam is the main hurdle. Most states set the passing score at 70% (California producer exams require 60%), reported first-time pass rates run roughly 50% to 70%, and states such as New York add up to 90 hours of prelicensing study for the property and casualty license.

Vermont makes the path shorter than in many states because it requires no prelicensing education hours; the Producer license also replaced the former separate agent and broker licenses. To qualify you must be at least 18, pass the written exam, and pay a $30 application fee plus a $30 license fee. The main hurdle is the exam itself, and many state insurance exams have pass rates only slightly above 60%, so studying the published content outlines is the practical preparation.