My name is David Offutt. I’ve spent 20 years in the insurance industry, 10 years owning schools, and I personally wrote both the Life & Health and Property & Casualty textbooks we use at 123AceTheTest. I’ve read my competitors’ textbooks. I’ve sat through their marketing. I’ve watched their websites make claims that range from misleading to flat-out wrong.
And I’m done being polite about it.
This isn’t a hit piece. This is a public service. If you’re about to spend hundreds of dollars at one of the many Texas insurance schools offering exam prep, you deserve to know what you’re actually buying. So let’s talk about what the other schools aren’t telling you.
1. Texas Insurance Schools Can’t Verify Those Pass Rates
Insurance School of Texas claims a 90% pass rate. Texas Insurance Training Academy claims 90%. ExamFX claims 93% to 95%, depending on which page you land on.
Here’s the problem: insurance test prep in Texas is completely unregulated.
There is no state agency that tracks school-level pass rates. There is no accreditation body. There is no independent third party verifying these numbers. The Texas Department of Insurance doesn’t collect this data. Pearson VUE doesn’t share it with schools.
These pass rates are self-reported. That’s it. They could be 90%. They could be 40%. Nobody can check. It’s the equivalent of a snow cone stand claiming “best snow cones in Texas.” Who’s going to argue?
And let’s do the math on that 90% claim for a second.
A 90% pass rate means 27 out of 30 students in every classroom pass the exam on the first try.
The statewide pass rate for first-time test takers is under 50%. It gets even worse for second-time test takers.
You’re telling me your classroom is beating the state average by 40 points? Every single class? For years?
And which 90% is it? Life & Health or P&C? In-person or on-demand? Those are four different metrics. Which one are you claiming?
We don’t claim a pass rate. Not because ours is bad, but because we can’t prove it, and neither can they. We’d rather show you exactly how we prepare you and let you decide.
But here’s what I will do. I’ll put my name on it.
I will travel to any city in Texas. I will walk into a Pearson VUE testing center with any instructor or owner from any competing school. We’ll both take the exam. Then we’ll walk out and compare grades.
Any school. Any time. Any exam.
Call me: 817-767-3131
2. It’s Not “Pre-Licensing.” It’s Test Prep.
Almost every competitor calls their course a “pre-licensing course.” ExamFX does it. Kaplan does it. TITA does it in nearly every one of their 129 blog posts.
Texas is not a certificate state. You do not need pre-licensing hours to sit for the insurance exam. You could literally walk into a Pearson VUE testing center tomorrow, pay your $43, and take the exam without ever taking a course. You’d probably fail, but you’re legally allowed to try. Most Texas insurance schools won’t tell you that.
Pre-licensing is a real thing, but it’s for adjusters, not agents. Adjusters have mandatory education hours before they can sit for their exam. Agents don’t.
What we offer, and what every other school offers, is test prep. We prepare you to pass the exam. That’s it. Calling it “pre-licensing” makes it sound like a state requirement, and it’s not. It’s a marketing choice, and it’s misleading.
3. Those “Guarantees” Have More Fine Print Than an Insurance Policy
ExamFX advertises a “Pass Guarantee.” Sounds great, right? Here’s what it actually requires:
- You must score 80% or higher on their internal Readiness Exam
- You must take that Readiness Exam within 3 days of your licensing exam
- If your company paid for the course, you don’t qualify for a refund at all
- You must fail on your first attempt only
Miss any of those conditions and you get nothing. That’s not a guarantee. That’s a scavenger hunt.
Insurance School of Texas? They don’t have a guarantee. Just a vague statement: “We feel confident you will pass.” Feel confident? Thanks, that’s helpful.
TITA? Conditional. You have to pass their internal exam first.
If a school won’t put their money where their mouth is without making you jump through hoops, ask yourself why.
Call me. Tell me how I can improve. I’ll personally refund your money.
No internal exam to pass first. No 3-day window. No fine print. No hoops.
Go read our refund policy yourself. We believe in this school enough to make it that simple.
Yeah, some people will take advantage of that. Let them. We’d rather lose a few dollars to the wrong student than lose the right student’s trust over fine print.
4. Texas Insurance Schools Are Using Textbooks With Wrong Answers
This is the one that keeps me up at night.
I’ve read my competitors’ textbooks. I didn’t do it to be petty. I did it because students who switch to us after failing with another school often say the same thing: “I studied the material and still got the question wrong.”
That’s because the material was wrong.
I was recently in negotiations to acquire an insurance school in Houston. As part of that due diligence, I went through their Life & Health textbook page by page. The deal didn’t go through, but what I found in that textbook stuck with me. Here are real examples from that book, which is still being used in Texas classrooms right now:
The Uniform Simultaneous Death Act is NOT the Common Disaster Clause
One textbook lists these as “AKA” – as if they’re the same thing. They’re not. The Uniform Simultaneous Death Act and the common disaster clause are two different legal concepts. One supersedes the other in certain situations, but calling them interchangeable is like saying a deductible and a copay are the same thing. You will miss an exam question over this.
There’s No Such Thing as a “Tertiary Beneficiary”
The same textbook lists a “tertiary beneficiary” as if it’s a real classification. It’s not. There’s a primary beneficiary and a secondary (contingent) beneficiary. That’s it.
It gets worse. The book then claims “most insurance companies designate the tertiary beneficiary as the estate of the insured.” Here’s the truth: the law already handles this. When no named beneficiary exists to receive the death benefit, it goes to the estate of the insured by operation of law. That’s not a “tertiary beneficiary” – that’s just how the legal system works. They fabricated an entire beneficiary classification to explain something that doesn’t need explaining.
The Accumulation Period Is Not Called the “Pay-In Period”
The textbook gives a perfectly good definition of the accumulation period for annuities – the time from the first premium payment where the owner deposits funds and the account accumulates interest. Correct. Then it says this is “called the pay-in period.” No. It’s called the accumulation period. That’s what the exam calls it. That’s what you need to know.
Then, in the next paragraph, it calls the annuitization period the “payout period.” Wrong again. It’s called the annuitization period. If you answer “payout period” on your exam, you’re getting it wrong.
The Entire Contract Clause – Close, But Wrong Enough to Fail
The textbook states that the entire contract clause includes “the policy, application, and riders.”
Almost. The application is part of the entire contract only if it’s attached to the policy. In practice, it always is. But on the exam, they will test you on this distinction. If you answer based on what this textbook taught you, you’ll get it wrong.
The Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool Hasn’t Existed Since 2014
The textbook discusses the Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool as if it’s still active, including details about HMO conversion coverage and enrollment periods.
The Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool was eliminated in 2014 when the Affordable Care Act made it unnecessary. Students are being taught regulatory provisions for a program that hasn’t existed in over a decade.
HMO Approval by the MCQA
The textbook states that HMOs must be approved by the Managed Care Quality Assurance Office (MCQA) before the Texas Commissioner of Insurance. This information is outdated.
Every one of these errors is the kind of thing that costs students exam questions. Not hypothetically. Actually. Students study this material, believe it, walk into the exam confident, and get questions wrong because their textbook was wrong. And these are the textbooks Texas insurance schools are handing out right now.
Our textbook is updated quarterly. Not once a year. Not once a decade. Every quarter. When a regulation changes, our book changes. When we find that a concept isn’t clear enough, we rewrite it. That’s not marketing. That’s the job.
5. 129 Blog Posts That Tell You to Check for “Accreditation” That Doesn’t Exist
TITA has published over 129 blog posts. Impressive volume. Less impressive when you read them.
Their most recent post tells prospective students to evaluate schools by checking for:
- State approval
- Pass rates (unverifiable, as we just covered)
- Accreditation (doesn’t exist for insurance test prep in Texas)
- Student reviews
Two out of four criteria they recommend checking literally cannot be checked because they don’t exist in this industry.
Oh, and those 129 posts? They’re hosted on a subdomain, not on their main website. They’re published every 2 days with titles like “Your Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Prelicensing Course for Insurance Success.” They call it “prelicensing” in nearly every post for an industry where pre-licensing requirements don’t apply to agents.
6. America’s Professor Doesn’t Even Have a Texas Textbook
America’s Professor says the exam has “100-150 questions.” The Texas Life & Health exam has 150 questions, 130 of which are scored. It’s not a range. It’s a specific number.
Their course gives you a generic textbook that covers multiple states, plus a Texas “add-on” pamphlet. You’re studying material from other states that will never appear on your Texas exam. That’s time you’re wasting on content that can’t help you.
7. Kaplan’s Marketing Page Has No Details About Anything
Kaplan says “over 60,000 students chose us in 2022.” That’s a volume claim, not a quality claim. Their Texas insurance landing page provides no exam details, no pass rate data, no specific guarantee terms, and no instructor information.
They direct you to “Shop by State” as if you’re buying a throw pillow, not investing in your career.
What to Actually Look For in Texas Insurance Schools
Since accreditation doesn’t exist and pass rates can’t be verified, here’s what actually matters:
Is the content Texas-specific? If your textbook covers all 50 states, you’re wasting study time on material that won’t be on your exam.
How current is the material? Ask when the textbook was last updated. If they can’t tell you, that’s your answer.
What support do you get after the course? Most schools take your money and disappear. Do they offer study halls? A student community? Help if you fail?
What’s the guarantee – really? Read the fine print. If you need to pass an internal exam first, or hit a specific window, or your employer paid so you don’t qualify, that’s not a guarantee.
Who’s teaching? One instructor trying to teach and answer questions simultaneously, or an actual support model where you get real-time help?
Ready to Get Licensed?
We built 123AceTheTest because the bar in this industry is underground.
Texas-only content. Updated quarterly. Two instructors in every live class. Weekly free study halls for all students. The most aggressive money-back guarantee in the business.
Get StartedFrequently Asked Questions
Are insurance school pass rates verified in Texas?
No. Insurance test prep in Texas is unregulated. There is no state agency, accreditation body, or independent third party that tracks or verifies school-level pass rates. Any pass rate a school claims is self-reported and unverifiable.
Is pre-licensing required for insurance agents in Texas?
No. Texas is not a certificate state for insurance agents. You are not required to complete pre-licensing education before sitting for the licensing exam. Pre-licensing requirements apply to adjusters, not agents. What schools offer is test prep, not pre-licensing.
How do I know if an insurance school’s textbook is accurate?
Ask when it was last updated. Ask if it’s Texas-specific or covers multiple states. If a school can’t tell you the last revision date, or if the textbook covers all 50 states, that’s a red flag. Regulations change. Textbooks should change with them.
What should I look for in an insurance school guarantee?
Read the fine print. Many “guarantees” require you to pass an internal exam first, take the licensing exam within a narrow window, or exclude company-paid enrollments. A real guarantee doesn’t make you jump through hoops.
Why do some schools call their courses “pre-licensing” if it’s not required?
Marketing. “Pre-licensing course” sounds like a state requirement, which makes it feel necessary. It’s not. It’s test prep. Schools use the term because it converts better, not because it’s accurate.
My name is David Offutt. I’ve spent 20 years in the insurance industry, 10 years owning schools, and I personally wrote both the Life & Health and Property & Casualty textbooks we use at 123AceTheTest. I’ve read my competitors’ textbooks. I’ve sat through their marketing. I’ve watched their websites make claims that range from misleading to flat-out wrong.
And I’m done being polite about it.
This isn’t a hit piece. This is a public service. If you’re about to spend hundreds of dollars at one of the many Texas insurance schools offering exam prep, you deserve to know what you’re actually buying. So let’s talk about what the other schools aren’t telling you.
1. Texas Insurance Schools Can’t Verify Those Pass Rates
Insurance School of Texas claims a 90% pass rate. Texas Insurance Training Academy claims 90%. ExamFX claims 93% to 95%, depending on which page you land on.
Here’s the problem: insurance test prep in Texas is completely unregulated.
There is no state agency that tracks school-level pass rates. There is no accreditation body. There is no independent third party verifying these numbers. The Texas Department of Insurance doesn’t collect this data. Pearson VUE doesn’t share it with schools.
These pass rates are self-reported. That’s it. They could be 90%. They could be 40%. Nobody can check. It’s the equivalent of a snow cone stand claiming “best snow cones in Texas.” Who’s going to argue?
And let’s do the math on that 90% claim for a second.
A 90% pass rate means 27 out of 30 students in every classroom pass the exam on the first try.
The statewide pass rate for first-time test takers is under 50%. It gets even worse for second-time test takers.
You’re telling me your classroom is beating the state average by 40 points? Every single class? For years?
And which 90% is it? Life & Health or P&C? In-person or on-demand? Those are four different metrics. Which one are you claiming?
We don’t claim a pass rate. Not because ours is bad, but because we can’t prove it, and neither can they. We’d rather show you exactly how we prepare you and let you decide.
But here’s what I will do. I’ll put my name on it.
I will travel to any city in Texas. I will walk into a Pearson VUE testing center with any instructor or owner from any competing school. We’ll both take the exam. Then we’ll walk out and compare grades.
Any school. Any time. Any exam.
Call me: 817-767-3131
2. It’s Not “Pre-Licensing.” It’s Test Prep.
Almost every competitor calls their course a “pre-licensing course.” ExamFX does it. Kaplan does it. TITA does it in nearly every one of their 129 blog posts.
Texas is not a certificate state. You do not need pre-licensing hours to sit for the insurance exam. You could literally walk into a Pearson VUE testing center tomorrow, pay your $43, and take the exam without ever taking a course. You’d probably fail, but you’re legally allowed to try. Most Texas insurance schools won’t tell you that.
Pre-licensing is a real thing, but it’s for adjusters, not agents. Adjusters have mandatory education hours before they can sit for their exam. Agents don’t.
What we offer, and what every other school offers, is test prep. We prepare you to pass the exam. That’s it. Calling it “pre-licensing” makes it sound like a state requirement, and it’s not. It’s a marketing choice, and it’s misleading.
3. Those “Guarantees” Have More Fine Print Than an Insurance Policy
ExamFX advertises a “Pass Guarantee.” Sounds great, right? Here’s what it actually requires:
- You must score 80% or higher on their internal Readiness Exam
- You must take that Readiness Exam within 3 days of your licensing exam
- If your company paid for the course, you don’t qualify for a refund at all
- You must fail on your first attempt only
Miss any of those conditions and you get nothing. That’s not a guarantee. That’s a scavenger hunt.
Insurance School of Texas? They don’t have a guarantee. Just a vague statement: “We feel confident you will pass.” Feel confident? Thanks, that’s helpful.
TITA? Conditional. You have to pass their internal exam first.
If a school won’t put their money where their mouth is without making you jump through hoops, ask yourself why.
Call me. Tell me how I can improve. I’ll personally refund your money.
No internal exam to pass first. No 3-day window. No fine print. No hoops.
Go read our refund policy yourself. We believe in this school enough to make it that simple.
Yeah, some people will take advantage of that. Let them. We’d rather lose a few dollars to the wrong student than lose the right student’s trust over fine print.
4. Texas Insurance Schools Are Using Textbooks With Wrong Answers
This is the one that keeps me up at night.
I’ve read my competitors’ textbooks. I didn’t do it to be petty. I did it because students who switch to us after failing with another school often say the same thing: “I studied the material and still got the question wrong.”
That’s because the material was wrong.
I was recently in negotiations to acquire an insurance school in Houston. As part of that due diligence, I went through their Life & Health textbook page by page. The deal didn’t go through, but what I found in that textbook stuck with me. Here are real examples from that book, which is still being used in Texas classrooms right now:
The Uniform Simultaneous Death Act is NOT the Common Disaster Clause
One textbook lists these as “AKA” – as if they’re the same thing. They’re not. The Uniform Simultaneous Death Act and the common disaster clause are two different legal concepts. One supersedes the other in certain situations, but calling them interchangeable is like saying a deductible and a copay are the same thing. You will miss an exam question over this.
There’s No Such Thing as a “Tertiary Beneficiary”
The same textbook lists a “tertiary beneficiary” as if it’s a real classification. It’s not. There’s a primary beneficiary and a secondary (contingent) beneficiary. That’s it.
It gets worse. The book then claims “most insurance companies designate the tertiary beneficiary as the estate of the insured.” Here’s the truth: the law already handles this. When no named beneficiary exists to receive the death benefit, it goes to the estate of the insured by operation of law. That’s not a “tertiary beneficiary” – that’s just how the legal system works. They fabricated an entire beneficiary classification to explain something that doesn’t need explaining.
The Accumulation Period Is Not Called the “Pay-In Period”
The textbook gives a perfectly good definition of the accumulation period for annuities – the time from the first premium payment where the owner deposits funds and the account accumulates interest. Correct. Then it says this is “called the pay-in period.” No. It’s called the accumulation period. That’s what the exam calls it. That’s what you need to know.
Then, in the next paragraph, it calls the annuitization period the “payout period.” Wrong again. It’s called the annuitization period. If you answer “payout period” on your exam, you’re getting it wrong.
The Entire Contract Clause – Close, But Wrong Enough to Fail
The textbook states that the entire contract clause includes “the policy, application, and riders.”
Almost. The application is part of the entire contract only if it’s attached to the policy. In practice, it always is. But on the exam, they will test you on this distinction. If you answer based on what this textbook taught you, you’ll get it wrong.
The Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool Hasn’t Existed Since 2014
The textbook discusses the Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool as if it’s still active, including details about HMO conversion coverage and enrollment periods.
The Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool was eliminated in 2014 when the Affordable Care Act made it unnecessary. Students are being taught regulatory provisions for a program that hasn’t existed in over a decade.
HMO Approval by the MCQA
The textbook states that HMOs must be approved by the Managed Care Quality Assurance Office (MCQA) before the Texas Commissioner of Insurance. This information is outdated.
Every one of these errors is the kind of thing that costs students exam questions. Not hypothetically. Actually. Students study this material, believe it, walk into the exam confident, and get questions wrong because their textbook was wrong. And these are the textbooks Texas insurance schools are handing out right now.
Our textbook is updated quarterly. Not once a year. Not once a decade. Every quarter. When a regulation changes, our book changes. When we find that a concept isn’t clear enough, we rewrite it. That’s not marketing. That’s the job.
5. 129 Blog Posts That Tell You to Check for “Accreditation” That Doesn’t Exist
TITA has published over 129 blog posts. Impressive volume. Less impressive when you read them.
Their most recent post tells prospective students to evaluate schools by checking for:
- State approval
- Pass rates (unverifiable, as we just covered)
- Accreditation (doesn’t exist for insurance test prep in Texas)
- Student reviews
Two out of four criteria they recommend checking literally cannot be checked because they don’t exist in this industry.
Oh, and those 129 posts? They’re hosted on a subdomain, not on their main website. They’re published every 2 days with titles like “Your Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Prelicensing Course for Insurance Success.” They call it “prelicensing” in nearly every post for an industry where pre-licensing requirements don’t apply to agents.
6. America’s Professor Doesn’t Even Have a Texas Textbook
America’s Professor says the exam has “100-150 questions.” The Texas Life & Health exam has 150 questions, 130 of which are scored. It’s not a range. It’s a specific number.
Their course gives you a generic textbook that covers multiple states, plus a Texas “add-on” pamphlet. You’re studying material from other states that will never appear on your Texas exam. That’s time you’re wasting on content that can’t help you.
7. Kaplan’s Marketing Page Has No Details About Anything
Kaplan says “over 60,000 students chose us in 2022.” That’s a volume claim, not a quality claim. Their Texas insurance landing page provides no exam details, no pass rate data, no specific guarantee terms, and no instructor information.
They direct you to “Shop by State” as if you’re buying a throw pillow, not investing in your career.
What to Actually Look For in Texas Insurance Schools
Since accreditation doesn’t exist and pass rates can’t be verified, here’s what actually matters:
Is the content Texas-specific? If your textbook covers all 50 states, you’re wasting study time on material that won’t be on your exam.
How current is the material? Ask when the textbook was last updated. If they can’t tell you, that’s your answer.
What support do you get after the course? Most schools take your money and disappear. Do they offer study halls? A student community? Help if you fail?
What’s the guarantee – really? Read the fine print. If you need to pass an internal exam first, or hit a specific window, or your employer paid so you don’t qualify, that’s not a guarantee.
Who’s teaching? One instructor trying to teach and answer questions simultaneously, or an actual support model where you get real-time help?
Ready to Get Licensed?
We built 123AceTheTest because the bar in this industry is underground.
Texas-only content. Updated quarterly. Two instructors in every live class. Weekly free study halls for all students. The most aggressive money-back guarantee in the business.
Get StartedFrequently Asked Questions
Are insurance school pass rates verified in Texas?
No. Insurance test prep in Texas is unregulated. There is no state agency, accreditation body, or independent third party that tracks or verifies school-level pass rates. Any pass rate a school claims is self-reported and unverifiable.
Is pre-licensing required for insurance agents in Texas?
No. Texas is not a certificate state for insurance agents. You are not required to complete pre-licensing education before sitting for the licensing exam. Pre-licensing requirements apply to adjusters, not agents. What schools offer is test prep, not pre-licensing.
How do I know if an insurance school’s textbook is accurate?
Ask when it was last updated. Ask if it’s Texas-specific or covers multiple states. If a school can’t tell you the last revision date, or if the textbook covers all 50 states, that’s a red flag. Regulations change. Textbooks should change with them.
What should I look for in an insurance school guarantee?
Read the fine print. Many “guarantees” require you to pass an internal exam first, take the licensing exam within a narrow window, or exclude company-paid enrollments. A real guarantee doesn’t make you jump through hoops.
Why do some schools call their courses “pre-licensing” if it’s not required?
Marketing. “Pre-licensing course” sounds like a state requirement, which makes it feel necessary. It’s not. It’s test prep. Schools use the term because it converts better, not because it’s accurate.