Guide
No-exam life insurance
Which applicants qualify for immediate underwriting decisions, the process behind it, and what happens if you don't make the cut.
Accelerated underwriting is a shortcut many carriers now offer: for people in a certain age range seeking amounts up to a specific limit, they decide using your application, public records like driving and prescription history, and other information in place of an in-person exam. Some decisions happen within hours. Every quote on this site notes whether an exam is needed, might be, or won't be necessary.
What it changes
No exam doesn't mean no checking. The insurance company verifies your answers, and if you misstate something on an application, the company can challenge a policy within two years of issue. The carrier may also ask you to take an exam or lab tests if their research turns up questions; if they do, you're free to decide whether to move forward.
Who tends to qualify
Generally, people under age 60 who request coverage up to what their carrier allows for instant decisions, with a clean medical history and no tobacco use in the past year or so, qualify. Some carriers will even use results from your last doctor's checkup—including bloodwork—instead of requiring a separate exam.
An exam would typically run 20 to 40 minutes at your house or workplace and is handled by a trained examiner at no charge to you. A strong health profile from exam results often bumps you up a rate class, so an exam isn't always bad news.