If your employer is not covering your CPCU® costs, pursuing the designation can be an expensive proposition. In this post, we’ll share our tips for finding cheaper CPCU study materials.
Ace your AINS® & CPCU® exams with the help of our study materials!
Tip 1: Don’t use The Institutes’ study materials
You are NOT required to use The Institutes’ study materials, so you can save big by using cheaper alternatives like our IEG online study programs.
The Institutes’ online courses usually run around $300 to $400 per course for their most popular designations, which does not include the exam fee (another $200 to $300 per exam). The easiest way to save money is to purchase your study materials from another source, such as us!
Comparison of study program features:
| Insurance Exam Guides | The Institutes | |
| Cost | $129.99 | $365 / $445 (with textbook / without textbook) |
| How long you will have access to materials | No expiration date | Expires one year after purchase date |
| Video lessons | X | X |
| Searchable video transcripts (allows you to read the content and jump to specific video sections) |
X | |
| Audio-only option (allows you to listen on the go) |
X | |
| Practice chapter quizzes | X | X |
| Practice exam (not timed) | X | X |
| Simulated exam (timed) | X | |
| Study guides (summarizes course content so you can easily review) |
X (covers all key content) |
X (covers very minimal content) |
| Textbook | X (can only be purchased as bundle with online course for $80 more) |
Tip 2: Get a used textbook rather than The Institutes’ online course
Another way to save is to buy a used Institutes’ textbook and then supplement it with our online courses or study guides.
The Institutes’ textbooks contain the exact same content as their CPCU online courses word for word, except that the textbook will occasionally refer to a video that is only available online. Depending on the course, roughly 10% of the content is video-only, so some students opt make due with a secondhand textbook rather than pay for The Institutes’ full online course.
The best places to get used textbooks are from former co-workers who already took the course or by putting up a post in the CPCU Candidates Facebook group.
Tip 3: Wait for sales
The Institutes will usually run one or two promotions a year on their study materials, which can save you as much as 25% off.
Ace your AINS® & CPCU® exams with the help of our study materials!
Tip 4: Use your CPCU Society membership benefit
Members of the CPCU Society will receive a discount on all study materials that they purchase from The Institutes. Membership is open to those that students who are pursuing the CPCU designation, as well as those who have already earned their designation.
There is an annual membership fee to join the society, so you may need to take several courses within the year in order to come out ahead if that is the sole reason you are joining. If you are a college student, though, the membership fee is extremely low and you will recoup the cost of that fee as soon as you purchase any course from The Institutes.
Tip 5: Ask your employer to help you cover the costs
Double-check with your employer to see if they offer any financial assistance for employees to pursue the CPCU designation. Even if they don’t, it doesn’t hurt to ask! Check out our detailed post on what kinds of employer-benefits you can inquire about and how to approach asking them to help cover some of the costs.
Tip 6: Apply for the CPCU Scholarship
The Institutes offers a scholarship that covers most of the costs associated with earning the CPCU designation, including the cost of study materials and the exam fees. For more details, visit The Institutes’ official scholarship page.
Tip 7: Split the cost with co-workers
If you are not the only person at your workplace pursuing the designation, consider chipping in with other co-workers to buy The Institutes’ textbook. The Institutes does not allow sharing of their online courses, but you can arrange to rotate the textbook between everyone.
Ace your AINS® & CPCU® exams with the help of our study materials!
Why our study programs work
Many companies offer study materials for the AINS & CPCU designations, but here is why our study programs stand out:
See concepts in action
You will be tested on your ability to apply the concepts to different situations, so we provide plenty of examples to show you how things work.
Less is not always more
Some things won't make sense until you have enough background info. We give extra context where you'd need it to fully grasp the material.
Easy to review
Besides learning the content, you have to remember it all. Our paid study programs include our famous study guides that make it super easy to refresh your memory.
Conquer your AINS & CPCU exams using our study materials!
Disclaimers: The Institutes, CPCU®, and AINS® are trademarks of the American Institute For Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters, d/b/a The Institutes. InsuranceExamGuides.com is not affiliated or associated with The Institutes in any way, and The Institutes do not endorse, approve, support, or otherwise recognize InsuranceExamGuides.com or its products or services. CPCU® and AINS® are registered trademarks of The Institutes. All rights reserved.