- VA P&C stands for the Virginia Property and Casualty Insurance Examination, Prometric exam code Series 11-03.
- The Virginia Bureau of Insurance, part of the State Corporation Commission, sets the rules; Prometric administers the test.
- The exam has 135 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest items in a 2-hour 30-minute window, for a $35 fee.
- Virginia does not require prelicensing education before you can sit for this major-line exam.
What Does VA P&C Stand For?
VA P&C stands for the Virginia Property and Casualty Insurance Examination - the state licensing test that Virginia requires before an individual can sell, solicit, or negotiate property and casualty insurance products in the Commonwealth. On the Prometric candidate portal, the same test appears under its official code, Series 11-03, Virginia Property and Casualty Insurance Examination. Insurance recruiters, agency managers, and study communities have shortened that title to "VA P&C" for convenience, and that shorthand is what this site is built around.
It's worth being precise here because the letters "P&C" show up attached to several unrelated credentials in other industries. On this site, and in every article linked below, VA P&C refers to nothing except the Virginia property and casualty producer exam. If you landed here searching for a different "P&C" designation, the facts, fees, and domain weights described here won't apply to that other credential - they belong specifically to Virginia's insurance licensing exam.
Who Oversees the Exam Behind the Acronym
The Virginia Bureau of Insurance, operating under the State Corporation Commission, is the regulatory body that governs the property and casualty producer license. The Bureau sets licensing requirements and determines what topics the exam must cover, but it does not personally proctor the test. That job belongs to Prometric, the third-party testing vendor that delivers Series 11-03 at physical test centers and through remote proctoring.
This two-party structure - a state regulator that defines the rules, and a testing vendor that delivers the exam - is standard for insurance producer licensing nationwide, but it's an important distinction for anyone trying to understand what "VA P&C" actually names. The acronym refers to the exam itself, administered by Prometric under authority delegated by the Virginia Bureau of Insurance, not to a private certifying association.
For a deeper look at how eligibility works before you ever schedule a seat, see VA P&C Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Breaking Down the Exam Format
Once you know what the letters stand for, the next logical question is what sitting for the exam actually looks like. Series 11-03 is a computer-based, multiple-choice test with a specific, fixed structure:
- 135 scored questions that count toward your result
- 10 additional unscored pretest questions mixed in, used by the exam sponsor to evaluate future items - you won't know which ones are unscored
- 2 hours 30 minutes total time limit for the full set of 145 questions
- $35 exam fee, paid when you schedule through Prometric
Candidates can sit for the exam either at a physical Prometric test center or remotely through ProProctor, Prometric's online proctoring platform. Both delivery methods present the identical Series 11-03 content and time limit - the only difference is location and proctoring method. For a full walkthrough of what a passing result actually requires numerically, read VA P&C Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Key Takeaway
Because 10 of the 145 questions are unscored pretest items you can't identify in real time, treat every question on screen as if it counts. There's no way to skip low-effort attention on any item.
What's Actually Tested: The 10 Content Areas
The exam behind the VA P&C name is built from ten defined content domains, each carrying a different weight on the test. Understanding these weights is the single most useful thing you can do before opening a study guide, because they tell you exactly where your preparation hours should go.
Domain 6: Auto Insurance (16%)
The single largest domain on the exam. Expect detailed coverage of liability, physical damage, uninsured/underinsured motorist provisions, and policy exclusions specific to personal auto.
- Highest point value of any domain - prioritize it early in your plan
Domain 1: Insurance Regulation (15%)
Covers Virginia-specific statutory and regulatory rules governing producers, licensing conduct, and Bureau of Insurance authority.
- Tests knowledge of the regulatory framework, not generic insurance theory
Domain 3: Property and Casualty Insurance Basics (13%) & Domain 5: Homeowners Policy (13%)
Together these two domains carry as much weight as auto insurance. Basics covers foundational policy structure and terminology; Homeowners drills into ISO homeowners forms, perils, and endorsements.
- Build a strong terminology base before tackling policy-specific detail
Domain 7: Commercial Package Policy (CPP) (12%)
Commercial lines content covering how a package policy bundles property, liability, and other commercial coverage parts.
- Frequently underestimated by candidates who focus only on personal lines
Domain 2: General Insurance (9%) & Domain 9: Workers Compensation Insurance (7%)
General Insurance covers cross-cutting concepts like risk, contracts, and underwriting principles. Workers Compensation focuses on employer/employee coverage obligations under Virginia rules.
Domain 4: Dwelling Policy (5%), Domain 8: Businessowners Policy (5%), Domain 10: Other Coverages and Options (5%)
Each is a smaller slice individually, but together these three domains represent 15% of the exam - nearly as much as Insurance Regulation alone. Don't skip them.
For an item-by-item breakdown of every subtopic within each of these ten domains, see VA P&C Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 10 Content Areas.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Auto Insurance | 16% |
| Insurance Regulation | 15% |
| Property and Casualty Insurance Basics | 13% |
| Homeowners Policy | 13% |
| Commercial Package Policy (CPP) | 12% |
| General Insurance | 9% |
| Workers Compensation Insurance | 7% |
| Dwelling Policy | 5% |
| Businessowners Policy | 5% |
| Other Coverages and Options | 5% |
Registration, Fees, and Eligibility Mechanics
The name "VA P&C" also implies a specific set of administrative steps that are worth understanding before you commit study time. Virginia does not require prelicensing education for this major-line exam, which is a meaningful difference from states that mandate a set number of classroom hours before you can even schedule a seat. That said, resident applicants must still complete fingerprinting as part of the licensing process.
Once you pass, your result doesn't stay valid indefinitely - a passing score is usable for license applications for 183 calendar days. If you let that window close without submitting your license application, you'll need to retest. This detail alone changes how candidates should sequence their exam date against their job start date or agency onboarding timeline.
After licensure, resident agents generally complete 16 continuing-education hours per two-year renewal cycle, including 3 ethics hours. The exam itself doesn't test this requirement, but it's part of the same regulatory pathway the acronym belongs to.
For the complete dollar breakdown of exam fees, retake costs, and related licensing expenses, read VA P&C Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. And if you want a sense of how difficult candidates generally find this specific exam, How Hard Is the VA P&C Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 walks through the format-driven challenges in more depth.
Who Uses This License
Passing the exam behind the VA P&C name is the gateway credential for anyone who wants to work as a property and casualty producer in Virginia. That includes agents at independent agencies, captive-carrier agents working under a single insurer's brand, account managers at commercial brokerages, and customer service representatives whose roles require binding authority or the ability to quote and sell coverage. Insurers and agencies hiring for these roles typically list an active Virginia P&C license - meaning a passed Series 11-03 exam plus completed license application - as a non-negotiable requirement before an offer is finalized.
Because the exam blends personal lines (auto, homeowners, dwelling) with commercial lines (CPP, businessowners, workers compensation), it prepares candidates for a wide range of entry points, from a personal-lines call center to a commercial brokerage account role. If you're weighing whether pursuing this license makes sense for your career goals, Is the VA P&C Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and VA P&C Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis go into that decision in more detail.
Turning the Acronym Into a Study Plan
Knowing what VA P&C stands for is step one; converting that knowledge into a study sequence is step two. Because the domain weights are public and fixed, the most efficient plan allocates time in rough proportion to point value rather than splitting hours evenly across all ten domains.
Foundations and Regulation
- Cover Insurance Regulation (15%) and General Insurance (9%) - the conceptual backbone the rest of the exam builds on
Personal Lines Core
- Focus on Property and Casualty Insurance Basics (13%), Homeowners Policy (13%), and Dwelling Policy (5%)
Auto Insurance Deep Dive
- Dedicate a full week to Auto Insurance (16%) alone, since it's the single largest domain on the exam
Commercial Lines and Final Review
- Cover Commercial Package Policy (12%), Businessowners Policy (5%), Workers Compensation (7%), and Other Coverages and Options (5%), then run full-length timed practice sets
For a structured week-by-week plan built around exactly this domain logic, see VA P&C Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. And once you're in the final review stretch, a condensed reference like VA P&C Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts can help you drill the highest-weight domains quickly in the days before your Prometric appointment. Running full-length timed practice on our practice test platform before test day is one of the most reliable ways to confirm you can finish all 145 questions inside the 2-hour-30-minute limit.
Key Takeaway
Spend roughly proportional time to domain weight: Auto Insurance and Insurance Regulation together account for 31% of the exam, so they deserve early, dedicated study blocks rather than being folded into general review.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a state licensing exam. Passing Series 11-03 is one step in obtaining a Virginia property and casualty producer license - it isn't a standalone professional certification you can hold independently of licensure.
No. Virginia does not require prelicensing education for this major-line exam, so you can register with Prometric and sit for the test without a mandated course, though self-study is still essential.
A passing result is valid for license applications for 183 calendar days from the date you pass. Submit your license paperwork within that window or you'll need to retest.
You can test at a physical Prometric test center or remotely through Prometric's ProProctor platform. Both options deliver the same 135 scored and 10 unscored questions within the same 2-hour-30-minute limit.
Passing is a major milestone, but resident applicants must also complete fingerprinting as part of licensing, and once licensed, agents generally complete 16 continuing-education hours per two-year renewal period, including 3 ethics hours.