Before you take your first CPCU® or AINS® exam, not knowing what to expect can make it difficult to strategize. In this post, got over some of the most common mistakes that first-time test-takers make to help you avoid the same pitfalls.
Ace your AINS® & CPCU® exams with the help of our study materials!
Mistake #1: Not investing enough study time
Some first-time students think they can just cram for their test, but the CPCU® and AINS® exams are very challenging. You will need to invest ample time to become fully prepared for your exam.
Going through the entire course once usually is not enough for most students. You’ll also need to put in extra time to re-review and do practice quizzes to test your understanding. On average, students need spend at least 2-4 weeks for AINS courses and 4-12 weeks for CPCU courses. If you need help coming up with a timetable for your studies, see our other post on how to make a study plan.
Mistake #2: Memorizing answers to practice test questions without seeking to understand
Doing practice test questions should be an integral part of your studies, because you need to make sure that you are able to apply the concepts you are learning.
Most online study programs, including ours, will come with practice questions for you to try. You can also purchase The Institutes’ SMART QuizMe App, which you can download for free. For each course that you want to access the practice questions for, there is a small fee that applies per course.
But don’t think that you can get away with just memorizing the answers to the practice questions, because the questions on the actual exam differ from the practice ones. Instead of just memorizing answers, use the practice quizzes to gauge your understanding of the concept being tested. Be sure to review why you got an answer wrong and revisit that section in the chapter to solidify your understanding.
Mistake #3: Relying too heavily on your work experience
Having insurance experience is certainly helpful when it comes to learning the material, but it is important to remember that your work experience is limited to how your job function is done at your specific company.
The courses for both of these designations cover a wide variety of subject matters, and it is unlikely that you will have work experience in all of those areas. To cover everything that you will learn in the CPCU or AINS programs, you’d had to have been an underwriter, claims adjuster, marketing professional, attorney, accountant, and an IT tech. And you’d had to have worked in both personal and commercial lines, in both the insurance company side & on the agency side.
Another thing to consider is that the courses cover how things are generally handled in the insurance industry, but your company’s procedures and policies might be different. You can’t assume that the way your company does things is the identical to how that very same concept is explained in a CPCU or AINS course.
Ace your AINS® & CPCU® exams with the help of our study materials!
Mistake #4: Assuming you can slack on some sections because you’ve mastered others
Sometimes, students will give themselves permission to skip a particularly challenging chapter if they feel like they’ve got the other ones down pat. However, the exam questions are randomly drawn from a bank of questions, and you are bound to get multiple questions from each chapter. If you happen to draw numerous questions from a chapter you slacked on, you could be in trouble! On top of that, you might find that the test questions from the chapters you thought you had mastered are actually more difficult than you anticipated.
Again, we don’t advise aiming for just a barely passing score. It is far better to study as if you are trying to get a top score, so that if you fall a little short you’ll still pass.
Mistake #5: Relying only on The Institutes’ learning materials
The Institutes’ online courses are not your only option! Many students use outside study materials (such as our online study programs) because they are more affordable and easier to understand, or they will supplement The Institutes’ courses with other resources.
Even if you decide to rely mainly on The Institutes’ courses, you can still turn to these other free resources to get more help with mastering the course material:
- YouTube
- The CPCU Candidates Facebook group
- CPCU Society members
- Co-workers or mentors
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.