Virtual CEBS Exams

CEBS Students receive a personalized copy of their exam confirmation letter when the exam application has been processed.

This confirmation letter, also available under a students profile, has the name of the exam you have registered for, the dates of the testing window selected, and provides an overview of technical requirements.  Links to resources, and more information for those seeking to benefit from Continuing Education credits for completing their exam. 

To make sure you are familiar with the virtual exam technology and confirm your exam is ready for you when you are ready to take the test, we suggest the following.

1. Access your account at www.theinstitutes.org.

   — Confirm your username and password are active and accessible by clicking on the Sign In button in the upper right corner of your screen.

   • If you are signing in for the first time, you will be asked to reset your password.
   • Bookmark the website and store your username and password where you can access it for future use.
   • Update your profile information if you would like to receive communications through a different email address. Your username will remain the same, but you will receive emails through the updated email address.

    

2. Confirm that your current CEBS exam is available to you to complete on The Institutes learning management system.

   —Under your name, click the My Courses and Exams option from the dropdown menu.
   —Under the Courses in Progress section, confirm that your exam is listed.
   — If your exam is in the current testing window, hovering your cursor over the Access Content box will change the box from blue to white. This means that your exam is available.

   • If you are outside of the testing window you registered for, you will not be able to click on the Access Content box.

    

3. Confirm with your IT team that you can download and utilize the Chrome browser and that you have access to a desktop or laptop computer with a microphone and camera.
   

If you are seeking Continuing Education credit for completion of your exam, visit the Continuing Education page for more information.  For Continuing Education for an Insurance License – it may be necessary to schedule an in-person proctor to oversee the completion of your exam, and complete the necessary affidavit/form.  NOTE: Virtual Exam Monitoring Software does not meet the requirements to be used for Continuing Education purposes.

For technical issues related to your username, password or exam availability on The Institutes website, please reach out to the CEBS Customer Service team. For U.S. students, they can be reached at [email protected] or (800) 449-2327, option 3. For Canadian students, they can be reached at [email protected] or (833) 886-3749. Our team can help you Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. CT, to make sure that when and where you are ready to write your exam, the exam is ready and available.

There are two steps to this process. Plan to take 5 to 10 minutes to work through accessing the website, completing the diagnostic test, and starting your exam.

After successfully enabling the virtual exam monitoring software, and completing the diagnostic check, you will begin your CEBS exam.  The CEBS exam is hosted in the "Surpass" learning management system.  To access the exam, you will follow the steps below.

1. Review your information, then click Yes if the information is correct.

2. Review the information provided regarding the types of questions.

3. Click the blue Start the Test box in the lower right corner after reviewing the question section descriptions.

•  Each question type is in its own question bank/grouping. All functionality for flagging, reviewing and sorting questions corresponds to each question group—not the entire exam.—  The question banks will not have an equal number of questions in them.
• You can move freely between question groups by clicking on the vertical toolbar on the left of the screen.
• If there are any reference materials associated with an exam, they will be available now.

Navigation Icons are available in the lower left of the screen.

• Preferences, the gear icon, allows for different font and background colors.
• Section Review, the nine dots, allows for sorting flagged, answered and unanswered questions per question type.
• Question sections are in the vertical, numbered column on the far left of the screen. Clicking on the sections will navigate between section groups
• When all questions are answered, the exam will not automatically notify a student of all questions being answered.  The exam requires manually submitting the exam.  If a student has unanswered questions, a notice will pop up prior to allowing submission of the exam. 

For assistance and technical support, please reach out to the CEBS Customer Service team, available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. CT. For U.S. students, they can be reached at [email protected] or (800) 449-2327, option 3. For Canadian students, they can be reached at [email protected] or (833) 886-3749. 

After answering all of the exam questions, you are ready to submit your exam.  There is immediate exam scoring and you will receive your pass or non-pass information immediately.  We recommend taking a screenshot for your records. 

The following are the steps to take and what to expect when submitting your virtual exam.

1. Once you have answered all exam questions, click the Finish Test box.
2. Confirm that you are ready to submit your exam.—You will receive an error message if there are unanswered questions.
3. Click the Finish box to submit your exam.—You will see your test results as a “pass” or “non-pass” notification immediately following your exam submission.
4. Click the Exit Test box after reviewing your results.

You will receive confirmation that you have completed your exam and that you can close your browser window.

You have successfully completed your CEBS exam!

For more information and to order your second attempt, please call or email the Customer Service team for assistance

Exams Purchased after January 1, 2024 include two exam attempts.
With the second attempt opportunity there are additional requirements and restrictions that apply.  Second attempts are not automatically enrolled on a students record.  If a second attempt is required, the student is required to follow the standard exam ordering process to select the appropriate testing window.  If using the online order system, a $0 retake option will be available to select within two business days of the first attempt.

Please read the information below carefully to ensure that you properly schedule/plan for completing the exam and are able to effectively utilize a second attempt if needed.  A printable PDF of the second attempt details is available to print here.

To schedule a second attempt, the order must be received at least 15 calendar days prior to the close of the testing window.  Please allow up to 3 business days for processing 2nd exam attempt orders. 

 Important details regarding the second attempt are:

1. The two attempts are only valid on the original exam purchased.

2. The second exam attempt must be taken in either the same testing window as the failed exam or in the next approaching window. The second attempt cannot be extended past the next approaching exam window.

3. In order to use the second testing attempt in the same window as the failed exam, you must submit your online order for the second attempt at least 15 calendar days prior to the close of the testing window.

4. If the exam is passed on the first attempt, the second attempt is no longer valid. The second attempt is non-transferable.

5. If the exam is not passed and both attempts are used, an exam retake may be purchased for further attempts.

6. Transferring the exam from the original testing window purchased would incur a transfer fee for the service.