Free PSI Insurance Exam Practice Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers

Question 1: A potential insured wants to buy a policy that would offer the HIGHEST level of protection for a brief period of time during which the insured will have few financial resources. Which of the following types of insurance should the agent suggest the potential insured to purchase?

Term Life (Correct answer)
Variable Life
Limited-Pay Life
Whole Life

Correct answer: Term Life

Term life insurance offers the highest level of protection for the lowest premium over a specific period. It is ideal for individuals with limited financial resources who need maximum coverage for a temporary need, such as covering a mortgage or providing for dependents during their working years.

Question 2: Basic whole life insurance includes ALL of the following EXCEPT:

Interim term (Correct answer)
Continuous premium
Limited payment
Limited payment

Correct answer: Interim term

Basic whole life insurance policies are characterized by level premiums, guaranteed cash value growth, and lifetime coverage, often structured as continuous premium or limited payment. Interim term insurance, however, is a temporary policy used for short-term coverage, typically during the underwriting process of a permanent policy, and is not a core feature of basic whole life itself.

Question 3: Most premiums for whole life insurance are:

Variable
Fixed (Correct answer)
Adjustable
Flexible

Correct answer: Fixed

Whole life insurance policies are distinguished by their fixed or level premiums, meaning the premium amount remains constant throughout the entire life of the policy. This predictability allows policyholders to budget consistently, providing financial stability and certainty.

Question 4: Living benefits are provided by which life insurance?

Term
Conventional
No life insurance policy provides living benefits.
Whole (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Whole

Whole life insurance policies accumulate cash value over time, which policyholders can access during their lifetime. These 'living benefits' include the ability to take out policy loans, make withdrawals, or surrender the policy for its cash value, providing financial flexibility beyond the death benefit.

Question 5: This life insurance policy protects the insured against death for the rest of his or her life, but premiums are not paid for the whole time.

Modified whole life
Indeterminate premium
20-pay life (Correct answer)
Economatic life

Correct answer: 20-pay life

A 20-pay life policy is a type of limited payment whole life insurance where premiums are paid for a specific period, in this case, 20 years. After this period, the policy is considered 'paid up,' meaning no further premiums are required, but the coverage remains in force for the insured's entire life.

Question 6: Which of the following about the cash value of an ordinary whole life policy is not true?

It may be used as a policy loan without affecting the death benefit. (Correct answer)
It can be used to pay policy premiums.
It grows tax deferred.
It is a nonforfeiture value that is fully guaranteed to the policyowner.

Correct answer: It may be used as a policy loan without affecting the death benefit.

While a policy loan uses the cash value as collateral, it directly affects the death benefit. Any outstanding loan balance, plus accrued interest, will be deducted from the death benefit paid to beneficiaries upon the insured's death, thus reducing the payout.

Question 7: A limited payment life insurance policy has all of the same characteristics as a straight life insurance policy, with the exception of:

Premiums are higher.
Premium-paying period is longer. (Correct answer)
Cash value accrues more quickly.
Policy is paid up before the age of 100.

Correct answer: Premium-paying period is longer.

A limited payment life insurance policy has a *shorter* premium-paying period compared to a straight (or continuous premium) whole life policy, where premiums are paid until age 100 or death. Due to this condensed payment schedule, individual premium payments are higher, and the cash value typically accrues more quickly.

Question 8: Under a personal policy, someone insured who CANNOT perform the tasks of his or her own occupation for a specified length of time is?

occupationally disabled
permanently disabled
residually disabled
totally disabled (Correct answer)

Correct answer: totally disabled

Under an 'own occupation' definition of disability, an insured is considered totally disabled if they cannot perform the substantial duties of their specific job due to illness or injury. This definition provides the broadest coverage, as it focuses solely on the insured's inability to perform their current profession.

Question 9: What's guaranteed with a straight life policy?

Death benefit only
Cash value only
Both cash value and death benefit (Correct answer)
Neither cash value nor death benefit

Correct answer: Both cash value and death benefit

A straight life (or ordinary whole life) policy offers several guarantees to the policyholder. These include a guaranteed level premium, a guaranteed death benefit that remains constant throughout the policy's life, and a guaranteed cash value that accumulates over time at a predictable rate.

Question 10: All of the following characteristics of a single premium whole life insurance EXCEPT:

Coverage provided for the insured's entire life
Face amount is variable (Correct answer)
Immediate cash value
Back-end loaded

Correct answer: Face amount is variable

Single premium whole life insurance (SPWL) involves a single, upfront payment for lifetime coverage with a guaranteed death benefit. While it offers immediate cash value and is often 'back-end loaded' with surrender charges, the face amount is typically fixed and guaranteed. A variable face amount is characteristic of variable life insurance, not SPWL.

Question 11: What happens when a life insurance policy's cash value matches its face value?

Premiums must be increased so the policy does not become a MEC.
The policy is void.
Taxes must be paid on the interest accumulation.
The policy endows. (Correct answer)

Correct answer: The policy endows.

When a life insurance policy's cash value accumulates to equal its face value, the policy is said to 'endow.' At this point, the insurer pays the policyholder the face amount, and the contract terminates. This typically occurs at a specified age, often age 100, for traditional whole life policies.

Question 12: What's a non-qualified annuity's tax advantage?

Growth is tax free
Premiums are tax deductible
Growth is tax deferred (Correct answer)
Premiums are not tax deductible

Correct answer: Growth is tax deferred

The primary tax advantage of a non-qualified annuity is that the earnings or growth within the annuity accumulate on a tax-deferred basis. This means taxes on the investment gains are postponed until withdrawals are made, typically during retirement. While premiums are not tax-deductible, tax deferral allows for greater compounding over time.

Question 13: Business partners buying life insurance on each other?

a Cross-Purchase Plan (Correct answer)
Split-Dollar Insurance
an Entity Plan
Key-Employee Life Insurance

Correct answer: a Cross-Purchase Plan

When business partners purchase life insurance on each other to fund a buy-sell agreement, it is known as a Cross-Purchase Plan. In this setup, each partner owns a policy on the life of the other partners. Upon a partner's death, the surviving partners use the death benefit to buy out the deceased partner's share from their heirs.

Question 14: A qualified plan is which of the following?

Individual Annuity
401 k (Correct answer)
Deferred Compensation
Split-Dollar

Correct answer: 401 k

A qualified plan is a retirement savings plan that meets specific IRS and ERISA requirements, offering tax advantages. A 401(k) is a prominent example of a qualified plan, allowing employees to contribute pre-tax income to a retirement account with tax-deferred growth. Other options like individual annuities or deferred compensation are generally not classified as qualified plans in the same context.

Question 15: Consideration, acceptance, and offer are all required elements of?

a representation
a contract (Correct answer)
insurable interest
a warranty

Correct answer: a contract

Consideration, acceptance, and offer are essential elements required for the formation of a legally binding contract. An offer is a proposal, acceptance is agreement to that proposal, and consideration is the exchange of something of value between the parties. Without these three components, a valid and enforceable contract cannot exist.

Question 16: Which policy is double indemnity?

key employee
term life
whole life
accidental death (Correct answer)

Correct answer: accidental death

Double indemnity is a provision that typically pays out twice the policy's face amount if the insured's death is caused by an accident. This feature is commonly found in accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) policies or as a rider on other life insurance policies. It specifically enhances the benefit for accidental fatalities.

Free PSI Insurance Exam Practice Questions and Answers

A potential insured wants to buy a policy that would offer the HIGHEST level of protection for a brief period of time during which the insured will have few financial resources.
Which of the following types of insurance should the agent suggest the potential insured to purchase?