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The CPCU® 556 exam consists of 85 multiple choice questions broken up into two sections, part A and part B.
For more info about what to expect on the exam, see our blog about the CPCU® 556 Exam Overview.
The CPCU® 556 exam questions are tough, these questions focus on the minor details and differences of the investing and retirement funding vehicles. It is extremely important that you memorize the tax treatment of each vehicle, this is the hardest part of the 556 exam.
These questions will test your application of the information by putting you in the shoes of a financial advisor. These questions will give you a real-life scenario; your job will be to select the best recommendation to solve the given scenario. For example, a question may give you a scenario in which a 55-year-old man is planning to retire but would like to use a retirement funding vehicle with little risk and tax free distributions. You will have to choose from the multiple-choice answers to select the best option for this individual. All of the multiple-choice options may be partially correct, such as Roth IRA, 401(k), Traditional IRA, and Mutual fund, but you must choose the best option..
For more insight, see our blog about the CPCU® 556 Difficulty.
The CPCU® 556 exam focuses primarily on personal financial planning including retirement funding, investing, annuities, life insurance, and health insurance. The CPCU® 556 exam counts towards both the Associate in Personal Insurance designation (API™) and Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation (CPCU®).
To fully prepare for these types of questions you must completely understand how each retirement funding vehicle operates meaning you should understand the tax treatment, required minimum distributions, contribution limits, age limits, etcetera… Memorize every minor detail. (Yes, the minor details are very important!)
For more info about the most important topics see our blog about the CPCU® 556 Exam Topics.
1) Read the entire online course and focus on the details: Remember to focus on the minor details, especially the taxation of investment vehicles. There are a lot of tricky minor details on this exam, take extra time to write down every financial planning technique in your notes. You must be able to choose the best retirement funding option given a scenario. These questions require that you know all of the minor details and differences between each CPCU® 556 topic so be sure to fully read through the course and memorize all minor details because these questions will try to trick you by changing one little detail!
2) Practice, practice, practice: Practice makes perfect. The only way to prepare for the type of questions you will see on the CPCU® 556 is to take as many practice exams as you possibly can. This will help you familiarize yourself with the CPCU® 556 question format and help you determine which topics you need to re-study.
For more information about the type of questions you will see on the exam see our blog about the CPCU® 556 Exam Questions.
Here’s all four videos to our CPCU® 556 four-part video series, covering everything you need to know to prepare for your CPCU® 556 exam:
For more information about the CPCU® 556 exam, checkout some of our other free resources:
Disclaimer
Remember, every CPCU® exam is different. No single exam is the same. Be sure to study ALL topics (not just our recommendation). This resource is intended to provide you with a general idea of where your focus should be. Make sure to thoroughly study every topic of this exam.
Difficulty rank, importance rank, and the advice provided in this resource are solely the opinion of AssociatePI. This resource is intended to provide you with a general idea of where your focus should be. Each exam administered by The Institutes is different. AssociatePI is not affiliated with The Institutes or involved in the exam writing process. Please be sure to thoroughly study every chapter and every topic of this course.
CPCU® exams are administered by the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters (“The Institutes”). AssociatePI does not administer the actual exams, we are an independent resource of free content, advice, and study material for professional insurance education. This blog is intended for informational purposes only, to inform prospective students of the benefit of the CPCU® designation.
CPCU® and API™ are trademarks of the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters (“The Institutes”). AssociatePI LLC is not affiliated with, associated with, endorsed by or otherwise supported or recognized by The Institutes in any way. AssociatePI LLC is not authorized by The Institutes to offer courses, practice examinations, or any other resources related to the Institutes’ designations or other programs.
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