Most, but not all, life insurance companies require customers to undergo a medical examination before selling them life insurance. This exam can determine your risk to the company, and has complete and utter control over your premiums, and well, your livelihood. Not everybody benefits from the results of these exams.

If you are looking to purchase life insurance and you are not sure whether or not you should take a medical exam, see where you fall below:

Take the Exam If:

You are young.

With old age comes more health issues, more risks and therefore higher premiums. If you are young and in decent shape, taking a health exam to prove so really cannot hurt you. In fact, you are encouraged to do so if you want to prove your low risk and get the rates you deserve. Take the exam unless you feel that there is a medical issue you know of that will put you at higher risk.

You have pristine physical fitness.

This means that you do not get sick easily, you have no previous records of failing health, and you are not overweight. Basically, if you are healthy and have a low risk of getting sick, you will only get better rates by proving so. If you try to purchase insurance that does not require you to take an exam, you will see your premiums soar. Why? Because you will be paying for the expected poor health of others. Take the exam and only pay your fair share.

Your health has improved in recent years.

If you already have a life insurance policy, you may be able to reduce your rates by retaking your health examination. If you can show that you have lost a significant amount of weight, or that you have improved your health in another way, you may be less of an insurance risk. Try to retake your medical exam to lower your premiums is your health has improved.

DO NOT Take the Exam If:

You are overweight.

If you are extremely overweight, your medical exam will not leave you with cheap rates on your life insurance policy. If you can lose the weight, try to do so before you take an exam. Otherwise, the best option is to try to purchase life insurance that does not require an exam. While this can be more expensive for the general public, it can often yield cheaper rates for those with health concerns.

You smoke.

While many companies will likely ask you this information, there are certain companies that may omit this factor. If you can, research to find one of the rare companies that does not ask if you smoke, or at the very least, pick one that does not require a medical examination. The health examination will likely show all the results of your bad habit, and will likely be worse with each year that you have smoked. In this case, it’s better to just say that you are a smoker and leave it at that by picking a provider that does not require a health exam. Best yet, try to quit smoking. If you can prove that you’ve been smoke free for at least two years, you can typically lower your rates.

You have a poor past health record.

. Luck has not been on your side my friend. Between that disastrous diagnosis of heart disease and the many days you spent in the hospital coping, your records only display your worst moments to insurance carriers. If you are still suffering from your past health complications, do yourself a favor and avoid taking a medical exam. Your rates will only get higher with each health issue added to the list. Disclose only the information required of you, and keep other medical issues to yourself to keep your assume risks and rates as low as possible.