The usual first question is “Which IIQE paper should I take?” A better sequence is to identify the insurance intermediary business you intend to conduct, then map it to the relevant papers. Passing an examination, being appointed by a principal, submitting an application and receiving an IA licence are four separate states.
What is the IIQE?
The Insurance Intermediaries Qualifying Examination is part of the qualification framework for individual insurance intermediaries in Hong Kong. Unless exempted, an individual licensee must pass the relevant papers conducted by the Vocational Training Council. VTC is the IA-appointed examination body, PEAK administers the examination, and the IA licenses and supervises intermediaries.
Choose papers through the business route
| Intended business | Common paper combination | Key point |
|---|---|---|
| General insurance | Papers 1 + 2 | Principles and Practice + General Insurance |
| Long term, excluding linked long term | Papers 1 + 3 | Principles and Practice + Long Term |
| Long term, including linked long term | Papers 1 + 3 + 5 | Paper 5 does not replace Paper 3 |
| Composite | Papers 1 + 2 + 3 | Add Paper 5 if linked long term is included |
The IA also lists a separate Travel Insurance Agents Examination route. Exemptions can depend on recognised professional qualifications or specific experience, so a job title alone is not enough to determine the requirement.
Format of the four papers
- Paper 1: 75 questions in two hours.
- Paper 2: 50 questions in 75 minutes.
- Paper 3: 50 questions in 75 minutes.
- Paper 5: 80 questions in two hours.
The IA states that the papers use multiple-choice questions in Chinese and English and have a 70% pass mark. That percentage is the score required to pass, not a published overall candidate pass rate.
PEAK enrolment and what follows
- Confirm the route: ask the intended appointing insurer, agency or broker company to confirm the business line and any exemption.
- Enrol online: PEAK currently states that enrolments can only be made online. Check the live page for dates, venues, modes, availability and fees.
- Prepare from current sources: use the latest IA or PEAK study notes and syllabus as the authority; third-party notes remain supplementary.
- Keep the result document: follow PEAK's result and document arrangements.
- Begin the licence application through the principal: for a new individual licence, the IA says the appointing principal first agrees to appoint the applicant and assists with the IIC account and application.
A practical study order
Most routes can begin with Paper 1, because risk, contract, insurable interest, utmost good faith, indemnity, subrogation and regulatory roles recur elsewhere. Continue with Paper 2, Paper 3 or Paper 5 for the intended route.
Keep three boundaries clear
- Passing papers is not the same as receiving a licence.
- A 70% pass mark is not an overall market pass-rate statistic.
- Original practice-style questions are not official past papers.
Official sources used
Use these primary sources to confirm any change after the article date.
