One way to advance your insurance career is to earn your Associate in Insurance (AINS®) designation. In this post, we’ll go over everything you need to know about the AINS program, including what to expect and what strategies you can use.
What’s in this post
- About the designation
- About the exams
- Study materials
- Other helpful resources
Ace your AINS® & CPCU® exams with the help of our study materials!
What is AINS?
The Associate in Insurance (AINS) designation is a professional designation offered by The Institutes®. After completing the program, you will have a better understanding of how insurance policies work and can display the AINS designation on your business cards, resume, etc.
Having this designation shows that you have completed extra education, which often makes you a stronger candidate for hire or promotion. In addition, customers, colleagues, and business partners may feel more confident about working with you if they know that you have this additional knowledge.
What are the requirements for AINS?
To earn your AINS designation, you must pass individual exams for each of the following courses:
- One core course (AINS 101)
- One concentration course (AINS 102 or AINS 103)
- One elective class (see The Institutes’ website for a full list of eligible electives, which may change periodically)
- One ethics course (ETHICS 311)
Is the AINS designation hard?
AINS is a relatively easy designation to earn, especially when compared to the CPCU designation (which is a much more challenging program). However, this does not mean you can easily pass with limited studying.
The exams are challenging enough that you need to diligently prepare for them. You should not try to cram or wing it, and instead devote an appropriate amount of study time to learn the concepts that you’ll be tested on. If you use well-designed study materials and go through enough practice questions to test your understanding, you should do fine on your exams.
Keep in mind that the exam for your elective course might be noticeably more difficult, depending on which elective you choose. Some electives will be harder than others, but they might still be worth choosing if the credit for that elective will also count towards another designation you are planning ot pursue.
How long does it take to get an AINS?
The amount of time needed to earn this designation can vary greatly between students. Mainly, it boils down to how quickly you can go through your study materials and learn the concepts.
If you sat down and watched all of the video lessons back to back, you could technically get through an entire AINS course in one day. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will have absorbed everything you learned. Most students find that they need to rewatch certain lessons, take notes, or do other things to fully grasp the concepts. Students should also invest the time to go through as many practice questions as they can, as it is a great way to test their understanding.
If students are willing to go with a very agressive study schedule and take no breaks, it is possible to get through each AINS course in about three to five days per course. However, a much more realistic timeframe is about two to four weeks per AINS course, especially if you have other commitments like work and family.
Based on the above, an extremely determined student who chooses as easier elective can probably complete the entire program in a month or so using a very vigorous study schedule. However, most students will take closer to three to nine months to earn their AINS designation.
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What is the exam format?
- All AINS exams are administered online by The Institutes
- Time limit: 65 minutes
- Number of questions: 50 questions
- Question types: Multiple choice, fill in the blank, drag and drop
- Passing score: 70% of higher
To begin your exam, you will log into your account on The Institutes’ website and then click on the appropriate button in the My Courses & Exams section. The exam is not proctored or recorded, but you will need to sign an attestation confirming that you will abide by all ethical guidelines.
How do you register for an exam?
Before you take each exam, you must first register for it and pay the exam fee. This can be done online at The Institutes’ website or by phone though their customer service line.
Exams must be taken sometime during one of the four available testing windows:
- Quarter 1: January 15 to March 15
- Quarter 2: April 15 to June 15
- Quarter 3: July 15 to September 15
- Quarter 4: October 15 to December 15
When you register for an exam, you must indicate which window you plan to take your exam in. For any given test window, you can register at any time before or during that window, but students will typically receive a significant discount if they registering before the first day of the testing window.
If you want to reschedule your test to a different test window, you can do so for an extra fee ($95 as of this writing). It is best to plan carefully so you can avoid incurring this extra charge.
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How much does the AINS exam cost?
As of this writing, the exam fee for each AINS course is $280, but you can get an $80 early bird discount by registering for your exam before the first day of the testing window (example: if you plan to take your exam during Quarter 1 and register before January 15, you will receive the discount).
The cost of the exam for your elective will vary depending on which elective you choose, but those typically have an early bird discount as well.
What is the AINS exam pass rate?
The Institutes no longer publishes pass rates for each specific course, but according to their frequently asked questions page, the average pass rate between all of The Institutes’ exams is 72.5%. Keep in mind that this includes non-AINS exams, which tend to be harder than the AINS ones, so the pass rate for the AINS courses is likely to be slightly higher than that percentage. In order to pass your exam, you need to score 70% or higher.
If you do not pass your exam, you can retake it, subject to the following limitations:
- You must pay the exam fee again (if you schedule your retake for the same test window or a future one that hasn’t opened yet, you will receive the early bird discount mentioned above).
- You may not exceed two test attempts per test window for each exam.
- You may not exceed four test attempts per calendar year for each exam.
Tips for passing your exams
The best way to prepare for your exam is to study thoroughly and understand the material, but there are some additional strategies that can give you an extra edge. Click here to see a full list of our exam tips that you can use as you are taking your test.
What study materials should you use?
You are NOT required to use The Institutes’ study materials to prepare for your exam.
In fact, many students prefer using our study materials instead because they are much cheaper, provide more learning tools, and are easier to understand. Here is a comparison of how our full study programs differ from The Institutes’ courses:
How we compare to The Institutes
Save BIG and get more features!
Insurance Exam Guides |
The Institutes |
|
$169.99 |
$329.00 |
|
| Length of access | No expiration date | One year from purchase date |
| Video lessons | Full video library | Some videos (most lessons are text-only) |
| Searchable video transcripts (read the content and jump to specific video sections) |
✓ | |
| Downloadable audio lessons (streaming option also included) |
✓ | |
| Chapter quizzes | ✓ | ✓ |
| Simulated exam (timed) | Unlimited attempts | One attempt |
| Study guide | Comprehensive study guide | Basic chapter outlines |
| Course updates | Free lifetime updates (when we update our content, you get the new material at no extra cost) |
No free updates (you must repurchase to get updated content) |
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How to save money on study materials
Between the exam fees and paying for study materials, pursuing your designation is not a cheap endeavor. Fortunately, there are many ways to save money and make the journey more affordable. Click here to see a list of our top tips for saving money on your study materials.
Other helpful resources
Why our study programs work
Lots of companies offer study materials too, but here is why our study programs stand out:
See the concepts in action
You will be tested on your ability to apply the concepts to different situations, so we provide plenty of examples to show you how things work.
Less is NOT always more
Some things won't make sense until you have enough background info. We give extra context where you'd need it to fully grasp the material.
Learn AND remember
Besides learning the content, you have to remember it all. Our paid study programs include our famous study guides that make it super easy to refresh your memory.
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About your instructor
Insurance Exam Guides (IEG) was founded by Stacy Trinh, CPCU®, who first started her teaching journey at the request of her co-workers who were preparing for their CPCU exams. Because of her reputation as an adept trainer and motivator, Stacy's co-workers had asked her to lead a class. The feedback on her sessions and study materials was overwhelming positive, and her students encouraged her to share what she had to offer with the rest of the CPCU community.
Since then, Stacy created a library of study materials for both CPCU® and AINS® that have helped thousands of students pass their exams. As an accounting major and former claims adjuster, her style of instruction incorporates both a financial and operational perspective that makes her study materials well-rounded. She looks forward to helping many more students continue to succeed, including you!
Disclaimers: The Institutes, CPCU®, and AINS® are trademarks of the American Institute For Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters, d/b/a The Institutes. InsuranceExamGuides.com is not affiliated or associated with The Institutes in any way, and The Institutes do not endorse, approve, support, or otherwise recognize InsuranceExamGuides.com or its products or services. CPCU® and AINS® are registered trademarks of The Institutes. All rights reserved.