Certified Insurance Counselor
In the United States, Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) is an insurance agent professional certification designation. The CIC certification program was started by the National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research in Austin, Texas in 1969.[1] Some CIC courses can be used to fulfill state continuing education requirements for licensing as an insurance agent.[2]
Overview
As the original member organization of The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC) has been providing highquality continuing education to insurance professionals since 1969. Because of its unparalleled standards, CIC has become the nation’s premier designation program for insurance professionals.
In each of the five CIC institutes, instructors cover a great deal of material, followed by a rigorous (but optional) two-hour essay examination. Although the exams are optional, they are recommended. This is because CIC focuses on practical training you can use in your office, and preparing for and sitting for the examination helps reinforce the material you learned during the institute.
The CIC Program consists of five, 20-hour institutes: Agency Management (AM), Commercial Casualty (CC), Commercial Property (CP), Life & Health (LH), and Personal Lines (PL), which you may take in any order. If you are planning to take the exams and work toward the designation, you may find it beneficial to prepare in advance. Of course, this would depend on your level of expertise. The purpose of this guide is to provide you with some insight into what the instructors will cover in each institute and how you might prepare prior to attending. This preparation guide includes: 1. A list of suggested CIC preparation resources 2. A brief discussion of CIC exams 3. A breakdown of topics covered in each CIC institute along with sample exam questions (AM, CC, CP, LH, and PL) All CIC institutes, with the exception of the Life & Health Institute, assume that you have prior knowledge of the material (an agent’s license, two years in the insurance industry, and/or college-level teaching experience). At a minimum, you should be well acquainted with the most-often-used terms.
More than 300 CIC institutes are conducted each year in major cities throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Designed to cover important aspects of the insurance industry.
CIC Requirements
Qualifications
Any one of the following qualifications makes you eligible to attend CIC institutes:
- Be a licensed agent, broker, adjuster, or solicitor; or
- Have at least two years of full-time experience in the insurance industry or as a risk management practitioner; or
- Have served as a full-time insurance faculty member at an accredited college or university.
To Earn the Designation
Take all five CIC institutes or four institutes and one Certified Risk Manager (CRM) course, and Pass all five CIC exams within five calendar years after you complete your first CIC exam, or Pass any four CIC exams plus any one of the five CRM exams within five calendar years after you complete your first CIC or CRM exam.
To Retain the Designation
After receiving the CIC designation, no further examinations are required. To retain it, you must attend at least one of the following programs in its entirety annually:
Any one of the five CIC institutes A James K. Ruble Seminar [3] A Dynamics of Selling program [4] A Dynamics of Sales Management program [5]
A Certified Risk Manager course [6]
Five institutes
There are five CIC institutes. Each institute is 2½ days of coursework, followed by an optional exam. The CIC program is a continuing education program and a professional certification program. Any eligible individual may attend classes without taking the examinations or working toward the designation. Courses reflect the laws and regulations in the state in which the institute is held.
- Personal lines institute addresses the insurance needs of individuals, families, and family members, and explains the complexities of state-specific personal lines forms.
- Commercial casualty institute covers casualty exposures and essential coverage.
- Commercial property institute covers ways to maximize coverage for various types of commercial property accounts.
- Life and health institute provides the basic, essential background knowledge for property and casualty agents to succeed in the life and health insurance market.
- Agency management institute covers the internal operations and factors necessary to run an agency. A case study is used throughout the program for practical application of the theories, methods, and procedures.
To become a designated CIC, the candidate must complete all five courses and pass the examinations within five calendar years. CIC designees make a commitment to update their CIC designations annually.
A CIC candidate may earn the CIC designation by completing any four CIC institutes plus one Certified Risk Managers (CRM) course. CIC and CRM designations can be earned by completing nine programs: any four of the CIC institutes and all five CRM courses (Principles of Risk Management, Analysis of Risk, Control of Risk, Financing of Risk, and Practice of Risk Management).
References
- ^ National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. "History". National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
- ^ National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. "Continuing Education Ready Reference Guide" (PDF). National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
- ^ To attend a Ruble Seminar you must be a dues-paid member of CIC or CRM.
- ^ To receive update credit, you must be a dues-paid member of CIC or CRM.
- ^ To receive update credit, you must be a dues-paid member of CIC or CRM.
- ^ To receive update credit, you must be a dues-paid member of CIC or CRM.