AIC Adjuster Level 1 Cheat Sheet
Compact AIC Adjuster Level 1 (Alberta Insurance Council) Cheat sheet for key terms, formulas, checks, and practice decisions.
Use the tables for a quick pre-exam check.
Exam facts
| Item | Current AIC information |
|---|---|
| Format | 100 questions in 2 hours |
| Pass mark | 70% |
| General | 40 questions |
| Property | 25 questions |
| Automobile | 25 questions |
| Liability | 10 questions |
| Education prerequisite to write | None currently required for Adjuster Level 1 |
Core decision filter
| Step | Ask |
|---|---|
| Identify | What claim stage, role, policy issue, loss, or allegation is being tested? |
| Separate | Keep coverage, cause, scope, valuation, liability, damages, and authority as distinct questions. |
| Support | Which fact or document supports the action, and what material evidence is missing? |
| Act | What is the next supportable investigation, documentation, communication, recommendation, approval, or escalation step? |
| Defend | Why does the best option fit the facts better than the tempting alternative? |
Level 1 supervision boundary
Under AIC’s current requirements, an Adjuster Level 1 works under ongoing direct supervision of an Adjuster Level 3, and Level 1 claim reports require Level 3 approval and countersignature. In a practice scenario, watch for decisions that exceed the facts, documentation, or authority available to the Level 1 adjuster.
| File cue | Safer reasoning pattern |
|---|---|
| Coverage is uncertain | Gather and document the relevant policy and loss facts; do not promise or deny coverage prematurely. |
| Evidence conflicts | Preserve the conflict, obtain corroboration where appropriate, and escalate the unresolved material issue. |
| Amount is unsupported | Separate estimate, valuation basis, policy treatment, deductible, limit, and approval authority. |
| Liability is alleged | Analyze duty, breach, causation, damages, and defences; an allegation or injury is not the conclusion. |
| Authority is unclear | Document the issue and obtain Level 3 direction or approval before committing the file. |
Topic reference
| Topic | Quick check |
|---|---|
| General | Intake, parties, authority, policy review, evidence, reserves and payments, communication, file notes, privacy, conduct, supervision |
| Property | Cause, insured property and interest, scope, mitigation, estimates, valuation, deductible, salvage, subrogation or recovery |
| Automobile | Driver, owner, vehicle, use, permission, accident record, damage, injuries, coverage, liability, recovery |
| Liability | Duty, breach, causation, damages, defences, evidence preservation, limitation concerns, settlement authority, escalation |
File-quality check
Before choosing a final answer, ask whether the proposed action leaves a clear record of:
- the material facts and their sources
- the policy or legal issue under review
- what remains uncertain
- the action taken or recommended and why
- communications, deadlines, diary items, and follow-up
- the required Level 3 review, approval, countersignature, or escalation
Before a timed set
- Review the last five misses and guesses.
- State the controlling fact and next action for each one.
- Start with a focused drill when one domain or error type is still weak.
- Use timed mixed practice only after you can explain the reasoning without answer recognition.
Quick review for AIC Adjuster Level 1
Use this review before a mixed practice set to refresh the decisions an entry-level adjuster must recognize: what the file needs, what the policy and facts support, what can be communicated, and what requires Level 3 review. This is independent Finance Prep material, not Alberta Insurance Council guidance or official exam content.
The current AIC exam has 100 questions in two hours, requires 70% to pass, and allocates 40 questions to General, 25 to Property, 25 to Automobile, and 10 to Liability.
Fast exam mindset
For each scenario, identify five things before choosing an answer:
- Role and authority: Who is acting, and what requires Level 3 approval or escalation?
- Policy issue: Is the question about coverage, an exclusion, a condition, a limit, or another policy term?
- Evidence: Which facts or documents support the next step, and what is still missing?
- Claim issue: Is the decision about cause, scope, valuation, liability, damages, settlement, or recovery?
- File control: What must be documented, communicated, preserved, or followed up?
High-yield map
| Area | What to review | Common trap |
|---|---|---|
| General | Claim intake, parties and interests, authority, policy review, evidence, file notes, privacy, communication, payments, conduct, and supervision | Taking action before authority, coverage, or essential evidence is established |
| Property | Cause and scope of loss, insured property and interests, mitigation, repair or replacement evidence, valuation, salvage, and recovery potential | Treating an estimate as proof of both coverage and the amount payable |
| Automobile | Driver, owner, vehicle, use, permission, accident facts, damage, injuries, policy response, liability, and recovery | Deciding fault or coverage from one fact before gathering the complete accident record |
| Liability | Alleged duty, breach, causation, damages, defences, limitation concerns, evidence preservation, and settlement authority | Assuming that an injury or allegation automatically establishes legal liability |
Separate the major questions
| Question | What it asks |
|---|---|
| Is there coverage? | Whether the policy responds to the reported event, property, person, or liability |
| What happened? | Whether the available evidence supports a cause, sequence, and scope of loss |
| Who may be responsible? | Whether liability elements and available defences are supported by facts |
| What is the loss worth? | Whether repair, replacement, depreciation, limits, deductibles, and supporting documents have been handled correctly |
| What happens next? | Whether the adjuster should investigate, document, communicate, reserve, recommend, escalate, or obtain approval |
Last-pass checklist
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Can I distinguish exam preparation from licence application? | Passing supports the application route; it does not itself issue a licence. |
| Can I separate coverage, liability, and valuation? | These questions can interact, but one conclusion does not automatically decide the others. |
| Can I identify missing evidence and the next file action? | Good adjusting answers are supportable and documented. |
| Can I recognize a Level 3 approval or escalation point? | AIC’s current Level 1 requirements impose ongoing direct Level 3 supervision and report countersignature. |
| Can I finish an unseen 100-question set in two hours? | The target average is about 72 seconds per question, with time reserved for review. |
When a review item exposes a weak area, return to that focused topic before attempting another timed mixed set.