The Life License Qualification Program (LLQP) is a two-step licensing system that requires completion of a mandatory pre-licensing course as step one, and successfully challenging a provincial qualifying examination as step two. Before a life insurance advisor can sell life insurance products, they must first complete the program and earn a certificate of completion.
Many testers find the LLQP difficult because it is an exam that is not simply about understanding the material, but rather a combination of knowledge and above average exam writing techniques. With one of these skills absent the other, one will likely be unsuccessful at completing the certification.
So, assuming for the most part that all testers have a handle of the knowledge part, below are 8 simple rules to becoming an above average test taker.
Write a paper-based exam:
Based on statistical information from exam regulators, the pass rate on paper-based exams is higher than the pass rate of the computer-based exams. This is likely because it is easier to utilize most of the good test taking strategy below when doing the paper test than the computer test.
Don’t second guess yourself
Sometimes students notice that they have too many of the same letter in a row and this makes them nervous so they begin to second guess themselves. Don’t! It is quite typical of the licensing exam to have several questions in a row with all the answers being “C” for example. Your first “gut” answer is usually correct so don’t change it unless you are certain that the new answer is absolutely correct.
Don’t assume you are being tricked
Easy and obvious questions are standard on the exam. When you get these, take the easy mark and run. Some questions on the other hand are designed to determine how much of a grasp you have on the details of rules surrounding life insurance products. In these cases, the correct response is usually very similar to the wrong response except for some minor but important detail. For this reason many student feel as though they are being tricked. The reality is that if you prepare for the exam adequately, those minor details begin to look like flashing lights that are enough to tell you which answer is correct and which is wrong.
Leave no question un-answered
Some test takers leave a question blank if they are not certain of the answer. As if the right answer will miraculously come to them later. As if they have all the time in the world. You have 4 hours to answer 140 questions. Always fill in an answer even if you are not certain that it is correct. If there there is one correct answer out of four options, even a guess still has a 25% chance of being correct. That’s better than 0%. You never know if you will have time to come back to it.
Manage your time effectively
Time management is really important when taking timed exams (obviously). One good strategy is to break the exam into parts so as to not lose track of time. Since we need a passing score of 60% we must correctly answer 84 questions out of 140 to pass the exam. In general, the more questions you answer the more correct answers you will have. Like most things, it’s a numbers game. If your exam starts at 5 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m. you could divide your exam into 4 virtually separate exams. Exam #1 has 35 questions and you have to be done by 6 p.m. Exam #2 has 35 questions and you must be done by 7 p.m. and so on and so forth. This way you know each hour what exam you need to be taking. The LLQP is a stressful exam and it is very easy to lose track of time. Utilizing this strategy should help you manage your time well and complete the exam, increasing your likely-hood of getting enough correct responses.
Use True’s and False’s
The LLQP asks a lot of questions that actually require the tester to determine which response is false. Examples are as follows:
“All of the following are true, except…”
“Which of the following would you least recommend…”
“Which of the following is untrue…”
If you use T’s and F’s as a measure against the choice of responses it becomes much easier to determine which is the correct answer. Most people that fail the LLQP, fail by just a few points. Making mistakes because you’ve mixed up what the question requires can cost you much needed points.
Read the question first
The licensing exam questions can be notoriously long and in most cases, full of irrelevant information and complicated scenarios. If you read the complete scenario for every question you will likely run out of time. Always read the question first. Most often reading just the question at the bottom is all you need to determine the correct response.
Become a better guesser
It’s true what they say: “It takes more words to tell a lie than to tell the truth.” If you are unsure, eliminate the long winded answers as they are usually incorrect. It is also said that D is statistically correct more often than A, B, or C so if all else fails, pick D.
Good Luck on your exam!