Maryland Life & Health Exam Overview

What This Exam Is and Who Owns It

The Maryland Life & Health insurance exam is the qualifying test you must pass to be licensed as a resident insurance producer (the legal term for an insurance agent) in the Life and/or Accident & Health lines. The license is issued and regulated by the Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) under the authority of the Insurance Article of the Maryland Code. The exam itself is written from official Prometric content outlines and delivered by Prometric, the MIA's contracted testing vendor.

Every Maryland insurance exam is now a one-part (combined) examination, a format Maryland adopted on October 21, 2021. "One-part" means a single seating blends the General portion (national insurance knowledge) and the State portion (Maryland law) into one continuous test — you do not sit two separately scheduled exams. You must hit the overall passing threshold on the combined score.

Lines of authority you can pursue

Common trap: candidates assume "Life & Health" is automatically one exam. In Maryland it is a choice — you can credential in Life only, Health only, or both via the combined exam. The combined exam is longer but saves a separate trip and fee, which is why most career agents take it.

Always confirm logistics on the current Prometric Maryland bulletin and at insurance.maryland.gov before scheduling — fees and item counts can be revised.

Exam Structure, Timing, and Scoring

Knowing the exact item counts prevents pacing surprises. The figures below reflect the current Prometric Maryland content outlines.

Item counts and time

The unscored pretest items are seeded into each form to validate new questions; they are not identified and do not count for or against you, so answer every question as if it counts.

Scoring rules

• Passing score: 70% correct. Maryland uses a straight percent-correct standard, not a scaled or curved score. On the 130-scored-item combined exam, 91 correct is the cut (130 × 0.70 = 91) — but the safe goal is the high 70s to absorb tricky items.
• No penalty for guessing. Wrong and blank answers score identically (zero), so never leave an item blank. Eliminate clearly wrong distractors, then choose your best remaining option.
• Immediate result. Prometric delivers a pass/fail score report at the test center the same day; failing reports include a diagnostic breakdown by content area so you know where to restudy.

Question format and pacing

All items are four-option multiple choice with one best answer. On the combined exam, 150 minutes for 140 delivered items is about 64 seconds per question — workable, but tighter than many state exams, so do not stall. Flag uncertain items, complete the rest, then return. Watch for "EXCEPT" and "NOT" stems and absolute words like always/never; in insurance law these almost always signal the wrong answer because the law is full of exceptions.

Worked pacing example: if you reach question 70 (halfway) by the 70-minute mark, you are on pace with a small cushion — protect it for review rather than slowing down. The Maryland exams have no scheduled breaks, and any unscheduled break keeps the clock running, so manage your time accordingly.

Eligibility, Pre-Licensing, and the Application Path

Who can apply

To obtain a resident producer license in Maryland you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be a Maryland resident (or qualify as a business entity domiciled in Maryland)
• Be of good character and trustworthiness — felony or fraud history can trigger a background review or denial
• Pass the exam, then submit the application and pay fees

Pre-licensing education: not required, still smart

Effective October 1, 2024, Maryland eliminated the mandatory pre-licensing education requirement for Life & Health producers. You may legally schedule the exam without any course. However, the exam is comprehensive (especially federal tax and Maryland regulatory items), so a structured prep course is strongly recommended.

A pre-licensing completion certificate, where issued, is generally valid for 6 months — but since it is no longer required, this mainly matters for out-of-state reciprocity or employer policy.

Step-by-step licensing process

1. Study using a prep course and this guide.
2. Schedule and pay the $60 exam through Prometric (online or phone). Bring one non-expired, U.S. government-issued photo-and-signature ID whose name exactly matches your registration (if it lacks a photo or signature, bring a second ID that supplies the missing element).
3. Pass at 70%+; keep your score report.
4. Apply through NIPR (National Insurance Producer Registry) at nipr.com using the NAIC Uniform Individual Application; pay the application/license fee.
5. A background/fingerprint check is processed; the MIA issues your license electronically.

Trap: passing the exam does not make you a producer. You are not licensed until the MIA approves your NIPR application and issues the license — do not sell or solicit before that.

Content Areas, Renewal, and Study Strategy

What the exam tests (combined Life & A&H weighting)

The General portion (110 items) covers national fundamentals; the State portion (20 items) covers Maryland law. Approximate emphasis:

• General insurance concepts — risk, insurable interest, indemnity, contract law (offer/acceptance/consideration), producer authority
• Life products — term, whole life, universal, variable life, annuities
• Life provisions & options — incontestability, grace period, nonforfeiture, settlement options, beneficiaries
• Health products — medical expense, disability income, long-term care, Medicare/Medicaid/Medicare Supplement
• Federal tax considerations — life insurance proceeds, MEC rules, HSAs/HRAs, employer group plans
• Maryland State portion — MIA authority, producer licensing, free-look, replacement, continuation rights, unfair trade practices

License term and continuing education

• Term: every license runs 2 years, expiring on the last day of your birth month.
• CE requirement: 24 hours every 2-year term, including 3 hours of Ethics. Excess hours do not carry forward, and you may not repeat the same course within a term.
• Multi-line producers (Life/Health and Property/Casualty) must complete 6 hours in each line; the remaining hours may come from either.
• Long-service rule: producers licensed continuously 25+ years complete only 8 hours per term (still including 3 Ethics).
• Renew through NIPR; lapses bring reinstatement fees and possible re-examination.

Key numbers to memorize

Smart study plan

Spend the first two weeks on national fundamentals (products, provisions, tax), week three on the Maryland State portion, and a final week on timed practice exams, drilling missed items. Because the state portion is only 20 items but highly specific, memorize the exact thresholds (free-look days, replacement notices, CE hours) — those are the cheapest points on the test.

Resources: Maryland Insurance Administration, 200 St. Paul Place, Suite 2700, Baltimore, MD 21202, (410) 468-2000 / (800) 492-6116, insurance.maryland.gov; Prometric (800) 853-6769; NIPR at nipr.com.