The Academy of Life Underwriting offers a series of examinations to the life insurance professional to develop their skills in life insurance risk assessment. Successful completion of the full exam series, together with a number of courses offered by the Academy's educational partners, leads a student to the Fellow, Academy of Life Underwriting (FALU) designation.
Examinations will next be administered on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon, local time. Only ALU Exam 101 will be offered in October. Students may register for and write only one exam during an exam cycle. All examinations are written in English. Each examination consists of 100 multiple-choice questions, each with a value of 1 point. All questions are based upon material listed in the reading syllabus. For ALU Exam 301, questions are based on the reading syllabus and upon information which a professional underwriter might reasonably be expected to know.
Register for an ALU exam today and purchase the required books.
Click here to view a price list of all ALU offerings.
Important Changes to ALU Exams Starting April 2025: Whether you are a new or returning student, you will want to make note of some changes we have made in response to feedback from our students:
- The Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) book is no longer required curriculum for our exams. While not required nor tested, this remains an excellent resource for underwriters.
- Exams with a score of 70 and above will pass (students with a score below 70 will not pass).
- After Exams are scored, letters will be sent to all students that provide a numerical breakdown of how many questions were answered correctly and number of questions tested by chapter.
Current ALU and MRAP texts/editions:
- ALU 101 – Basic Life Insurance Underwriting - 12th Edition
- ALU 201 – Intermediate Medical Life Insurance Underwriting - 9th Edition
- ALU 202 – Intermediate Non-Medical Life Insurance Underwriting - 11th Edition
- ALU 301 – Advanced Life Insurance Underwriting - 11th Edition
More information on the required textbooks and curriculum
Important Dates
- April 29, 2025 - Registration opens for the October 2025 ALU exams.
- June 1, 2025 - Announcement of April 2025 examination results.
- August 1, 2025 - Enrollment deadline for October examinations at regular fee. Withdrawal deadline for refund of exam fee less a cancellation fee.
- September 1, 2025 - Enrollment deadline for October examinations with additional late fee.
- October 21, 2025 - ALU examinations written 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, local time. All examinations must be written at this time.