Last week was a great week. I was selected to attend the Pilot sponsored State Farm Adjuster Certification class. I really had no idea what I was in for as there really isn’t that much information out there. It seems kind of odd that so many have taken and passed this certification, but there isn’t much in the way of help or information from those who had taken it ahead of us.
This was a 3 day class which consisted of the following:
Day 1 – Training
Day 2 – Corporate Video and Policy Test in the afternoon
Day 3 – Estimatics Test in morning and retests in the afternoon
On day one, the room was filled with approximately 100 people. Most of them seemed like new adjusters with no experience. So if you’re offered the class but have never adjusted, you can rest assured that you\’re in good company.
The first day was very casual and informative. We walked through the practice exams for both the Policy and Estimatics tests. It was a long day, but very good.
The second day we were warned that the corporate live broadcast would be a bit boring. Yes, it had a lot of corporate plugging, but it really wasn’t as bad as we were lead to believe. They showed corporate videos about the company history, then two guys basically walked us through some more exercises much like the first day. It was a bit harder since they weren’t there to answer questions, but they suggested questions to be emailed to them.
They talked until 3:00 pm, and then we all took the Policy Exam. The exam isn’t easy, but if you pay attention to what information is given during the two days, you should be ok. I have to say, I do feel like I KNOW the State Farm Policy after this, which I’m sure is the point of their certification. Some confusion centered around how special limits are applied to things such as debris removal for trees. But like I said earlier, pay attention the first two days and you’ll do fine.
The test on day 3 is really a lot of math. You get room and roof diagrams with questions such as how many square feet would you paint. You are taught all this in class, so if you paid attention, it’s not a big deal. They’ll show you how to manually calculate all this many times throughout the training. In real life, you’ll use Xactimate to do this, but in class you’re left with a calculator and a pencil.
If you fail one of the tests, you can retake it in the afternoon of the third day. If for some reason you don’t pass on the second attempt, you have to reschedule and come to a different class. There are rules as to how many times you can attempt the State Farm Adjuster Certification in a given year though. While I don’t recall exactly, I think it was 3 or 4 attempts in a year.
All in all, this was a great experience. By adding this certification I can adjust claims for State Farm. They are Pilot’s biggest client for Catastrophe adjusting, so it’s valuable to get this certification if you get the opportunity. You can’t just sign up to take the certification. You must be sponsored or invited to come take it. I was sponsored through Pilot Catastrophe, but I know there are several other companies who offer it.
The best thing you can do prior to being asked to take the certification is to be prepared. Get the best training you can ahead of time. Xactimate software training is crucial. I’ve found that 2021Training.com has a great Xactimate class that will train you to be an efficient adjuster in the field and prepare you to be totally comfortable taking certifications such as this when they’re available.
2021Training also has a Practical Class that will prepare you how to show up in the field. Making a good first impression is important out in the field. You’ll want to be prepared. The companies need claims completed. Bottom line: Be prepared and get busy!
John Bowers has a background in construction and decided to add claims adjusting to create a new income source. Follow John’s journey as he shares his experiences on training and deployment.
