VA claims agent exam format: number of questions, time limit, and open-book rules

Sources checked October 4, 2026. Independent guide, not affiliated with VA. Not legal advice.

Short answer: VA's public pages confirm that the exam is online, offered several times a year on set dates, and requires a score of 75 percent. The format details, 40 multiple-choice questions, 60 minutes, closed book, come from VA's own welcome letter to approved applicants, quoted below. VA's public pages do not repeat those details, so follow the instructions OGC sends you.

What VA officially states

• Delivery and schedule. "OGC offers an online examination to all claims agent applicants who have been approved to sit for the exam. We offer this online examination several times per year on pre-determined dates" (VA OGC accreditation page).
• Listed dates. As of October 4, 2026, OGC's page (last updated June 15, 2026) lists "August 25, 2026 and January 26, 2027 (tentative)." The August 25, 2026 date has already passed, and the January 26, 2027 date is marked tentative. Check the OGC page for current dates.
• Topics. "Compensation and pension programs, claim procedures, appeals, agents' fees, and waiver of indebtedness" (VA OGC).
• What to study. OGC recommends title 38 U.S. Code chapters 1, 11, 13, 15, 51, 53, 59, 71, and 72, and title 38 CFR parts 1, 3, 4, 14, 19, and 20. It says the questions are "primarily based on information which can be found in these statutes and regulations" (VA OGC). Our study plan is built on that list.
• Passing score and retakes. Applicants "must achieve a score of 75 percent or more on a written examination administered by VA," and "No applicant shall be allowed to sit for the examination more than twice in any 6-month period" (38 CFR 14.629(b)(6)). See passing score and retakes.
• Order of steps. Under current rules the exam comes after an affirmative character-and-fitness determination (14.629(b)(6)). VA Form 21a says agent applicants "will be given written instructions for arranging to take the examination if initial eligibility is established" (VA Form 21a).
• Accommodations. Form 21a item 24A asks agent applicants whether they have physical limitations that would interfere with completing the written exam. Item 24B asks for any special accommodations needed (VA Form 21a; 14.629(b)(2)(ix)).

What is reported but not confirmed by VA

• A page that reproduces what it describes as a sample OGC letter to applicants quotes: "The examination is a closed-book online examination consisting of 40 multiple-choice questions. You will have 60 minutes to take the examination and must answer 75 percent of those questions correctly" (secondary source).
• A test-taker's account describes the online exam as closed book and proctored over video, with a workspace check and no phones or study materials, and says you cannot go back after moving to the next question (secondary source).

If these reports are right, 75% of 40 questions means at least 30 correct. Your OGC instructions letter is the authority. Follow it if it says something different.

Possible future changes

A 2024 proposed rule would move the exam before the character-and-fitness review, change the retake limit to twice in any 1-year period, and let OGC offer the exam at least twice per calendar year. It is not final. As of October 4, 2026, no final rule for RIN 2900-AR94 appears in the Federal Register (89 FR 82546). See proposed rule changes.