Surplus Lines Cheat Sheet.
The night-before summary, built like the exam.

Surplus Lines Insurance Agent Exam — Cheat Sheet

Fast-reference facts and rules for the Texas TDI Surplus Lines Agent licensing exam. Memorize the exam logistics first — they're the easy, guaranteed points to keep in mind on test day.

Exam Snapshot (memorize these numbers)

• 60 scoreable questions
• 60-minute time limit
• $29 exam fee

Pacing Formula

With 60 questions in 60 minutes, your budget is exactly 1 minute per question. If a question stalls you past ~60 seconds, flag it, guess, and move on — every question carries equal weight and there's no time to burn on a single item.

• Halfway checkpoint: aim to be at question 30 by the 30-minute mark.
• Reserve buffer: if you average even 50 seconds per question, you free up ~10 minutes to review flagged items.

Must-Remember Rules

• All 60 questions are scoreable — there's no indication any are unscored trial items, so treat every question as counting toward your result.
• Answer every question — with a hard 60-minute cutoff and equal weighting, leaving blanks only guarantees lost points.
• Bring the $29 fee handled per TDI's registration instructions before you sit; confirm payment is settled so it doesn't cost you exam-day time.

Quick Math to Know

• Total time available: 60 min ÷ 60 questions = 60 seconds each.
• To finish with a 10-minute review buffer, target ~50 seconds per question.

Day-Of Priorities

1. Confirm the $29 fee is paid/registered.
2. Start the clock mentally: 1 question per minute.
3. Never leave a blank; guess-and-flag anything over a minute.