CIC Designation

[JAM]

I have been thinking about taking the CIC courses for a while. I need some advice on how to prepare for the classes. How much studying does one need to do ahead of going to the class?
Are the books sold by them cover the material properly?
Any advice would be appreciated.

[earlybird]

The CIC designation is useful if you are employed by a broker or agency. The 5 courses are 3 days long followed by a 2 hour test. You will basically read a commercial general liability policy, auto policy and a homeowners policy. You will also be introduced to other policy language used to cover various risks. The costs run around 350-400 per course. The study books are given to you at each class. In order to maintain the disignation, you must take a CIC class yearly, which will give you 18 hours of CE in most states. That gets expensive. If you are employed by an insurer, you may want to consider the CPCU program, which is much more of the "big picture" on insurance. The courses are much more involved and usually run like a college semester, if you take the classes. Some use self study and just take the proctored exams. Others take the classes, especially Finance and the Accounting classes. If you are fortunate enough to work for an employer that will pay the expenses, it may also pay for the attendance of the conferment ceremony for the year you finish. I would refer you to the websites for each curriculum. Both CIC and CPCU will be useful. I have completed both and each has contributed to my career.

[Gisela]

Since the courses are designed by the individual instructors for each section being taught, there is really no preparing before hand. Each instructor will bring their own individual style and experience to their course. I do suggest studying every night on the parts that were given that particular day. Don't fall behind. The last night before the exam, brew a lot of coffee and pull an all nighter, like in college. CIC Is well worth it!

gisela

[alx730]

The two previous responses are spot on. There is no need to study before the classes, but pay closes attention during and make lots of flashcards each night on what was covered. The NAIA books are great, but not necessarily course specific. They cover a wide-range of industry topics. For a person in a producer position, I highly receommend the CIC program.

[ForumReader]

The CIC courses are designed for those individuals with at least 2 years industry experience. Other than your pre-existing knowledge of the coverage forms, no preparation work is required. If you want to brush up, you can view the agenda for the Institute online, then review the major coverage forms that'll be covered. For example, the Casualty institute will always cover the CGL, Business Auto, and Workers Comp policies. The Property institute will review the Building and Personal Property coverage form, etc. But--it's very important to actively listen, follow the course guide, and make notes during the lecture - then study that day's material at night. It's very condensed learning. The exam will track with what the instructor taught, roughly one question per one hour of instruction. The instructors will provide educational objectives and will usually reinforce the most important topics from each session. I've had the CIC designation for over 15 years and have found it to be very valuable.

[marydavis]

Always answer in insurance language, i.e. "subject to the dedubtible". You can know the answer but if it is not put in the correct insurance language it won't count even though you correctly answered the question. Just a tip, I learned the hard way.

[alx730]

Also, make your answers exactly what the question is asking for. Most only need a short answer of a few lines. Your grammer and punctuation do not have to be perfect. They also ask for a lot of lists. One of the best tricks is if they ask for a list of six items, answer with eight. Even if some are not correct, as long as you have six that are, you'll get full credit.

[dventresca]

Great question about preparing for CIC!

The amount of study time will vary based on your experience in the subject area of the CIC Institute you plan to attend. I suggest you have at least two years experience in the insurance industry prior to beginning CIC.

You may also find it helpful to review ISO policy forms, read the Essentials Handbook – a publication offered by The National Alliance Research Academy, read related technical articles in insurance trade journals or attend an online/classroom CISR course.

The website offers a document to download, titled Preparing for CIC. You may find it at http://www.scic.com/files/preparingforcic.pdf. In addition to the suggested reading materials, it explains the examination process, the topics included in each of the CIC Institutes, offers sample essay exam questions, and gives additional tips for those who are new to the CIC Program.

If you have any other question feel free to give them a call at 800-633-2165 or email at alliance@scic.com.

[Mgibbons]

Does anyone know the list of classed that came be taken under either CPRM or CSRM that can be put towards the CIC designation? I'm trying to figure out what the best course of action would be for me.

[pageltd]

I have been thinking about taking the CIC courses for a while. I need some advice on how to prepare for the classes. How much studying does one need to do ahead of going to the class?
Are the books sold by them cover the material properly?
Any advice would be appreciated.

I know you did not ask whether you should become a CIC or not...but I'm going to say this anyway. Save your time and money and money. I was a CIC for over 10 years and it did nothing for me, AND no one knows or cares about that designation except for people in the industry. Go out and ask 10 people on the street "Do you know what a CIC is?" they won't know. CPA, PHD, MBA...different story.

[mccluney]

CIC is fine CPCU is better. CPCU will provide a breath of knowledge. The key to making money in this industry is knowledge, CPCU will make you a better producer and potentially put more $$$ in your pocket. If you decide to work for a company or a wholesaler the CPCU would be a good designation to have.

[pageltd]

CIC is fine CPCU is better. CPCU will provide a breath of knowledge. The key to making money in this industry is knowledge, CPCU will make you a better producer and potentially put more $$$ in your pocket. If you decide to work for a company or a wholesaler the CPCU would be a good designation to have.

CPCU will probably not do anything to make you a better producer. If the key to working in this industry is knowledge, then go to work for a really good agency or company...and soak up all the knowledge you can. There are plenty of resources to find answers to questions that are asked every day. Nobody knows what the CPCU designation is either...and I've dealt with plenty of people who have that designation that don't know anything. Your career is all what you put into it. Be curious!

[mccluney]

Well Mr. Page apparently has a nice small town agency that has been very good for him. But if you want to write larger commercial risks and if you are relatively new to insurance, the CPCU designation will go along way to obtain the experience/knowledge that Mr. Page has obtained through his many years in the industry. I stand behind my recommendation.