(

a) Except as set forth in Sections and 1679, the commissioner shall not issue a permanent license pursuant to this

chapter to an applicant therefor unless the applicant has within the 12-month period next preceding the date of issue of the license taken and passed the qualifying examination for that license. This

section shall not apply to a person licensed as a property broker-agent or as a casualty broker-agent who applies for a license as a personal lines broker-agent. (

b) An application for both the life and accident and health or sickness license types shall meet the requirement in subdivision (

a) by passing one examination covering subjects pertaining to both license types. These applicants shall pay the fee for a life agent, as specified in paragraph (4) of subdivision (

a) of

Section 1751. (

c) An applicant for a life license pursuant to

Section or a life license limited to the payment of funeral and burial expenses who is limited by the terms of a written agreement with an insurer that has filed on that life agent’s behalf a notice of appointment with the commissioner to transact only specific life insurance policies or annuities having an initial face amount of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) or less that are designated by the purchaser for the payment of funeral and burial expenses, shall not be required to take the full life agent examination to obtain a license.

The applicant shall be required to take an examination developed to test their knowledge of topics relevant to the type of policies that they are restricted to sell.