Minnesota Life & Health Exam Overview
Key Takeaways
- Minnesota requires 20 hours of Commerce-approved pre-licensing education per line of authority (40 hours for combined Life, Accident & Health), per Minnesota Statute 60K.36 Subd. 4.
- PSI delivers all Minnesota insurance exams; the passing score is 70%, with a separate pass on the general and state-law portions usually required.
- The single-line Life Producer and Accident & Health Producer exams each run 75 items in 120 minutes; the combined Life, Accident & Health exam delivers 145 items (130 scored + 15 unscored pretest) in 180 minutes.
- Resident applicants must submit fingerprints for a state and FBI background check before the license is issued.
- Exam results stay valid 3 years (36 months) for license application; once licensed you renew every 2 years.
- Continuing education is 24 hours each 2-year cycle, including 3 hours of ethics and at least 12 hours from non-company-affiliated providers (60K.56).
- The Minnesota Department of Commerce, led by the Commissioner of Commerce, regulates producers under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 60K.
Minnesota Life & Health Insurance Exam 2026
Welcome to your FREE Minnesota Life & Health Insurance exam preparation guide. This resource covers both the national insurance content that makes up the bulk of every PSI exam and the Minnesota state-law content drawn from Minnesota Statutes Chapter 60K (Insurance Producers) and Chapter 72A (Trade Practices).
The state-specific section is only about 15-20 items, but candidates fail there more often than on national content because the rules are unfamiliar and the questions are detail-heavy (exact day counts, dollar thresholds, statute references).
What the License Lets You Do
A Minnesota resident producer license authorizes you to solicit, negotiate, and sell insurance for the lines you are appointed to write. Life and Accident & Health (A&H) are separate lines of authority — you can hold one or both. You may not transact a line you are not licensed for, and you must hold a carrier appointment before writing that carrier's business.
Why Get Licensed in Minnesota
Minnesota is a strong producer market with measurable demand drivers:
- Corporate headquarters (UnitedHealth Group, Target, 3M, Best Buy) drive group life and group health placement.
- Mayo Clinic and large hospital systems anchor a healthcare-heavy economy.
- Aging population fuels Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage, and long-term-care (LTC) demand.
- High median household income (among the top tier of U.S. states) supports permanent life, annuity, and estate-planning sales.
How This Guide Is Organized
| Chapter | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Department of Commerce structure, 60K licensing, CE rules |
| 2 | Minnesota life insurance law: free look, replacement, beneficiaries |
| 3 | Minnesota health law: continuation, MNsure, Medicare Supplement |
| 4 | Ethics, unfair trade practices (Ch. 72A), claims handling |
Work through the national concepts in your pre-license course first, then layer the Minnesota rules in this guide on top — the exam interleaves both.
Exam Format, Fees, and the Licensing Path
Pre-License Education (Required)
Minnesota requires Commerce-approved pre-licensing education before you sit for the exam, under Minnesota Statute 60K.36 Subd. 4:
| Line of Authority | Pre-License Hours |
|---|---|
| Life only | 20 hours |
| Accident & Health only | 20 hours |
| Combined Life, Accident & Health | 40 hours |
Courses must be on the Commerce-approved provider list; typical cost runs $139-$350. You receive a certificate of completion that the testing/licensing system verifies before issuing the license.
Exam Structure (PSI)
| Exam | Items (scored + pretest) | Time | Passing Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Producer | 75 | 120 min | 70% |
| Accident & Health Producer | 75 | 120 min | 70% |
| Combined Life, Accident & Health | 145 (130 scored + 15 pretest) | 180 min | 70% |
The combined exam splits into a Life general portion (50 scored), an Accident & Health general portion (50 scored), and a Minnesota state-law portion (30 scored), plus 15 unscored pretest items mixed in. The 70% standard applies to the whole exam — do not neglect state law to over-prepare national topics.
Item-count note: The official PSI Minnesota content outline allocates 130 scored questions (50 life + 50 health + 30 Minnesota law) plus 15 unscored pretest items, for 145 delivered items on the combined exam. The single-line Life and Accident & Health exams are 75 items each in 120 minutes. Confirm exact counts in PSI's current Minnesota Candidate Information Bulletin when you schedule.
Fees and Background Check (2026)
- Exam fee: $45 per attempt, paid to PSI at scheduling.
- Fingerprinting/background check: resident applicants must submit fingerprints for a state and FBI criminal-history check; the total cost at a PSI test center is $63.75 (BCA, FBI, and PSI vendor processing combined).
- License application fee: paid through Sircon (the statutory initial major-line producer license fee is $50).
- Pre-license course: $139-$350.
Steps to License
- Complete Commerce-approved pre-license hours (40 for combined).
- Submit fingerprints for the background check.
- Schedule and pass the PSI exam (70% on each portion).
- Apply for the license through the producer licensing portal.
- Commerce issues the license; obtain carrier appointments before writing business.
Exam results stay valid for three years (36 months) from the exam date, so apply within that window rather than letting the result expire.
Exam Content Weighting (What to Study)
The General (national) portion is the majority of every Minnesota exam. The Minnesota portion is small but disproportionately decisive. Use these approximate weightings to budget study time.
Life Producer — National Content
| Area | Approx. Weight | Heavy-hit topics |
|---|---|---|
| General insurance concepts | 15-20% | Risk, insurable interest, indemnity, adverse selection, law of large numbers |
| Life products | 30-35% | Term, whole life, universal/variable life, annuities |
| Policy provisions, riders, options | 25-30% | Incontestability, grace period, nonforfeiture, settlement options |
| Underwriting, taxation, retirement | 15-20% | 1035 exchange, MEC, qualified plans, estate uses |
Accident & Health — National Content
| Area | Approx. Weight | Heavy-hit topics |
|---|---|---|
| General insurance concepts | 15-20% | Risk, contracts, producer duties |
| Health products | 30-35% | Medical expense, disability income, LTC, Medicare/Medicaid |
| Policy provisions | 25-30% | Uniform mandatory/optional provisions, renewability |
| Group health / regulation | 15-20% | COBRA, ERISA, ACA, continuation |
Minnesota State-Law Portion (both lines)
This is where Chapter 60K and Chapter 72A live. Expect questions on:
- Commissioner of Commerce powers — examinations, hearings, fines, license suspension/revocation.
- Producer licensing — 60K.36 (pre-license), 60K.51 (renewal), 60K.56 (CE), reporting of administrative actions within 30 days.
- Life provisions — free look, replacement disclosure, beneficiary rules.
- Health provisions — Minnesota continuation rights, MNsure, Medicare Supplement standards.
- Trade practices (Ch. 72A) — misrepresentation, twisting, rebating, defamation, unfair claims settlement.
Common Traps
- Confusing replacement (existing policy lapsed/changed for a new one) with a routine new sale — replacement triggers extra disclosure duties.
- Assuming COBRA covers small employers — federal COBRA is 20+ employees; Minnesota state continuation reaches smaller groups.
- Treating rebating as harmless; in Minnesota it is a prohibited trade practice even if the client benefits.
- Memorizing only the combined exam count (145 items) when you are actually sitting a single line (75 items).
License Maintenance, CE, and Study Plan
Continuing Education (60K.56)
Minnesota CE is 24 credit hours per 2-year licensing period, with two rules that frequently appear as exam questions:
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Total hours | 24 hours every 2 years |
| Ethics | At least 3 of the 24 hours in ethics |
| Independence | At least 12 hours from providers not affiliated with an insurance company or its agents |
CE must be completed before the renewal deadline; failure to renew on time leads to additional fees and possible license lapse. A lapsed producer who lets the license expire may have to re-qualify.
Reporting and Compliance
- Report address/name changes promptly to Commerce.
- Report administrative actions and criminal convictions within the required window (generally 30 days).
- Maintain client and transaction records as required for examination.
Recommended 6-Week Study Plan
| Week | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | National life: products, provisions, taxation; pass course modules |
| 3 | National health: medical expense, disability, LTC, Medicare |
| 4 | Group health, COBRA/ERISA/ACA; begin Minnesota statutes |
| 5 | Minnesota 60K licensing + 72A trade practices + continuation/MNsure |
| 6 | Full-length practice exams; submit fingerprints; schedule PSI exam |
Numbers to Memorize
- Pre-license: 20 hours per line / 40 hours combined (60K.36).
- Passing score: 70% on each portion.
- Single-line exam: 75 items / 120 minutes; combined: 145 items (130 scored + 15 pretest) / 180 minutes.
- Exam results valid: 3 years (36 months) from the exam date.
- CE: 24 hours / 2 years, 3 ethics, 12 non-company (60K.56).
- Reporting window for administrative actions: 30 days.
Official Resources
- MN Department of Commerce — mn.gov/commerce (St. Paul, 651-539-1500)
- MN Statutes Ch. 60K — revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/60K
- PSI exam scheduling — psiexams.com
Disclaimer: Reflects Minnesota law and PSI logistics as of June 2026. Insurance rules change; verify current question counts, fees, and statutes with the Department of Commerce and PSI before relying on them for licensing decisions.
How many hours of Commerce-approved pre-licensing education does Minnesota require for a combined Life, Accident & Health license?
A producer is completing the required 24 continuing-education hours for a renewal cycle. Beyond the 3 ethics hours, which additional rule must they satisfy?
Which agency and statute chapter primarily governs insurance producer licensing in Minnesota?
On the PSI Minnesota Life Producer exam, what is the approximate structure a single-line candidate should expect?
A new resident applicant has passed the PSI exam and completed pre-licensing. What additional step must they complete before Commerce issues the license?