AHIP season is open. If you’re selling Medicare Advantage or Part D plans during AEP,  you need a passing score before October 15.

The good news: AHIP 2027 is completable in a single focused session for most agents. The bad news: agents who go in unprepared, skip the module quizzes, or assume this year is identical to last year are the ones who fail the final exam and  lose a week of AEP selling time retaking it.

This AHIP 2027 exam guide covers what’s in each module, what’s new this year,  what topics to study hardest, and the fastest path to a passing score.

AHIP (America’s Health Insurance Plans) Medicare certification is required by  most Medicare Advantage and Part D carriers before they’ll let you sell their plans. Without it, you can’t submit applications and during AEP, that means lost sales.

Certification is valid for one plan year. AHIP 2027 covers plan year 2027,  which means AEP 2026 (October 15 –December 7, 2026). If you certified for 2026, that certification doesn’t carry over.

The exam costs $175 if purchased directly through AHIP. IAD agents can  access discounted registration through IAD’s AHIP certification page.  The exam is administered online. You need a score of 90% or higher to pass.

Before you dive in, know what’s new. AHIP 2027 includes notable updates in two areas:

Medicare Communications and Marketing Guidelines CMS updated  its rules around Scope of Appointment requirements, educational event standards, and TPMO marketing obligations. These updates are tested directly. If you skimmed these sections in prior years, don’t skim them this year.

Less Common Plan Types Got More Attention Medicare Savings  Accounts (MSAs), Cost Plans, Private Fee-for Service Plans (PFFS), and Employer Group Waiver Plans (EGWPs) received more exam weight than in prior years. These aren’t  plans most agents sell regularly, but they’re on the test. Study them.

Question Wording Has Changed Several questions that appeared in prior years are back but reworded. Don’t rely on remembered answers. Read every  question fully before selecting.

Modules 1, 2, and 3 — Skip If Returning
If you’ve completed AHIP in a prior year, you can bypass Modules 1, 2, and 3 and go straight to Module 4. This saves 1–2 hours.

If you’re taking AHIP for the first time, these modules cover Medicare fundamentals —
Parts A, B, C, and D, enrollment periods, eligibility, and basic plan structures. The content is foundational. Read it carefully. The final exam pulls questions directly from this material.

First-timer tip: Don’t rush Modules 1–3. The terminology introduced here appears throughout all later modules. Get it right at the start.

Module 4 — Medicare Advantage Deep Dive (Cannot Skip Slides)
Module 4 covers Medicare Advantage plan types, benefits, cost sharing structures, and the rules governing what MA plans can and can’t offer.
This module includes timed slides that cannot be skipped. There is no fast-forward. Plan to spend real time here, don’t start this module if you have 20 minutes before a client call.

What’s tested: Plan types (HMO, PPO, PFFS, SNP, MSA, Cost Plans, EGWPs), cost-sharing mechanics, network requirements, and benefit structures. Pay close attention to the less common plan types — MSAs, Cost Plans, and EGWPs showed up more than usual in 2027.

Study focus: Know the difference between HMO and PPO network structures cold. Know what makes a Special Needs Plan (SNP) different from a standard MA plan. Understand EGWPs at a conceptual level even if you never sell them.

Module 5 — Medicare Part D and Marketing Rules (Cannot Skip Slides)
Module 5 covers Part D prescription drug plans, Medicare Communications and Marketing Guidelines (MCMG), and Scope of Appointment requirements.

Like Module 4, Module 5 has timed slides. You cannot skip them.

What’s tested: Part D coverage stages (deductible, initial coverage, catastrophic), the $2,000 out-of-pocket cap, Low Income Subsidy (LIS/Extra Help), and — critically — the 2027 marketing rule updates.

Study focus: The marketing and compliance section is where AHIP 2027 differentiates itself from prior years. Know the Scope of Appointment rules precisely — when it’s required, how it must be obtained, and what happens if you discuss a product not listed on the SOA.

Know TPMO disclosure requirements. Know the difference between a marketing event and an educational event.

The $2,000 Part D cap: This went into effect for 2025 and is now part of the AHIP curriculum. Understand how it works and how it affects client out-of-pocket costs. Expect a question on it.

After each module, AHIP presents a quiz. These quizzes are not just checkpoints they’re your best preview of the final exam.

The final exam closely mirrors the module quiz questions.  Concepts that appear in quizzes appear on the final.  Agents who complete and review every module quiz before attempting the final dramatically improve their pass rate.

How to use them:

-Complete each quiz as you finish the module

– Note every question you got wrong – Go back to that section of the module and reread it

– Before taking the final exam, review all quiz questions again not just the ones you missed

Don’t skip the quizzes and don’t rush through them.  They are the most efficient study tool in the course.

AHIP 2027 allows you to download each module as a searchable PDF. Most agents ignore this feature. The agents who use it finish faster and score higher.

How to use them:

-Download all PDFs as you go through the course

– During the final exam, use PDF search (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) to quickly locate specific terms or rules when you’re unsure of an answer

-After passing, save the PDFs as a compliance reference for the plan year

The PDFs don’t replace studying. But they’re a legitimate open book resource during the exam, and using them is both allowed and smart.

Returning agents (skipping Modules 1–3): 3-5 hours including module quizzes and the final exam.

First-time agents (all 5 modules): 6–8 hours for a thorough pass-through.

Best approach: Complete the course in one or two focused sessions  rather than spreading it across multiple days. The material connects — doing it in sequence helps retention.

Block a full day if you’re new. Block a morning if you’re returning.

The AHIP final exam is 50 questions. You need a score of 90% or higher that means you can miss no more than 5 questions.

Before you start the final:

– Complete and review all module quizzes – Download all PDFs  and have them searchable – Give yourself uninterrupted time (60–90 minutes minimum)

During the exam:

 – Read every question fully, several questions are reworded from prior years

-Don’t assume an answer based on prior years’ version – Use the searchable PDFs for  any question where you’re uncertain

– Flag and return to difficult questions rather than guessing immediately

If you fail: You get two additional attempts before you’re required to purchase a new exam.

Use the time between attempts to go back through the specific modules tied  to questions you missed. Don’t just retake immediately.

IAD agents can access discounted AHIP registration and additional prep resources through the IAD AHIP certification page.

Next Step: Register for AHIP 2027 through IAD and complete your certification before August 1.

•IAD AHIP Certification Page — Discounted registration and prep resources for IAD agents

•7 AEP Prep Mistakes That Cost Agents Sales — What else to get right before October 15