LLQP retake rules and waiting periods
Failed a module? Under the national CISRO policy you can rewrite it up to three times, with at least 24 hours between attempts, as long as your course certificate is still valid. A fourth failure means a one-year wait and taking the LLQP course again. Several provinces add their own twist. Here is the national rule, every published provincial difference, and a plan for the rewrite.
The national CISRO policy
CISRO, the Canadian Insurance Services Regulatory Organizations, condensed its LLQP Examination Administration Policy in a December 2023 notice. That is the most recent LLQP notice on its site. The rewrite part reads as follows:
| Situation | Rule |
|---|---|
| Fail a module once | Rewrite allowed after a mandatory 24-hour wait |
| Supplemental exams allowed | Up to 3, while your training (course certificate) is valid |
| Fourth failed attempt | Wait 1 year, then retake the prerequisite LLQP course |
| Passing mark on a rewrite | Unchanged: 60% on the module |
Rewrites are counted per module. Failing Ethics twice does not use up attempts on Life Insurance.
Do not rebook the next morning
The 24-hour minimum is a floor, not a recommendation. A rewrite booked the next day, with no new practice, tends to reproduce the same gaps. Each attempt you use brings you closer to the one-year wait.
Provincial differences
| Province | What differs from the CISRO baseline |
|---|---|
| Ontario | Candidates whose first pass date is before April 1, 2024 may follow the previous rewrite rules; contact Durham College. FSRA announced longer waits after a third or fourth failure on February 7, 2024. |
| British Columbia | Current waiting-period rules effective July 1, 2024. Attempts written in other jurisdictions count toward your total. |
| Prince Edward Island | Up to 3 attempts, then a 6-month wait counted from the third attempt. |
| New Brunswick | Contradictory. FCNB announced adoption of the CISRO policy on May 28, 2024, but its LLQP page still shows an older rewrite schedule. Confirm with FCNB. |
| Alberta | No difference published on the rules; each rewrite costs $100 per module for the Life program, $50 for the A&S program. |
For Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and the territories, we did not find a published rewrite rule that departs from the CISRO policy on the pages we checked. That is not a confirmation: ask your regulator.
The BC rule on other jurisdictions is worth repeating for anyone who moves. Your attempt count follows you.
The 12-month course window
Your LLQP course certificate is valid for 12 months from completion, and you need it both to register and to rewrite. That window is often the real constraint, more than the number of attempts.
Example
A candidate finishes the course in Toronto in February, books Life Insurance in October and fails it. He still has three rewrites in principle, but only about four months of certificate left. If he rewrites twice in that time and fails both, the certificate expires before his last attempt, and he has to retake the course anyway.
Book your first sitting soon after the course, while the material is fresh and the clock has room. Licence application deadlines run in parallel: one year from the first pass in Ontario, within one year of passing in BC, and 12 months in Alberta.
A rewrite study plan
Day 1: read your result honestly
Write down the topics that felt uncertain while they are fresh: definitions, calculations, scenarios. Do not reread everything.
Days 2 to 5: rebuild the weak competencies
One topic per session. For each, read the rule, then do 20 to 30 practice items until you explain every answer in one sentence.
Days 6 to 9: timed practice exams
The full module at 75 minutes, on questions you have never seen. Review every miss.
Book when two scores reach 70%
On different days. If the second one drops, add three more days and repeat.
For Ethics, compress less: with 20 scored questions, a two-question improvement is 10 percentage points. See the Ethics module guide for the distinctions that cost the most. The free LLQP practice test lets you filter by module for days 2 to 5.
Preparing for the exam? 2,760 questions in the official format · $40
See the prep courseQuestions
How many times can I rewrite an LLQP module?
Up to 3 rewrites under the CISRO policy, while your course certificate is valid. PEI allows 3 attempts in total before a six-month wait.
How long do I wait between attempts?
At least 24 hours under the CISRO policy.
What happens after a fourth failure?
You wait one year and retake the prerequisite LLQP course before writing that module again.
Do I lose the modules I already passed if I fail one?
Rewrites are counted per module. Passed modules stay passed, but provincial application deadlines may run from your first pass, so check how long they remain usable in your province.
Does a failed attempt in another province count?
In British Columbia, yes: the Council counts attempts in other jurisdictions. For other provinces, ask the regulator.
Sources
- CISRO: LLQP examination administration policy and FAQ
- CISRO: recent notices about the LLQP
- FSRA: LLQP
- FSRA: modernized exam procedures (February 7, 2024)
- Insurance Council of BC: about the exam
- Prince Edward Island: LLQP
- FCNB: licensing requirements, LLQP
- Alberta Insurance Council: exam fees
Checked October 21, 2026.