North Dakota Life & Health Exam Overview

About the North Dakota Life & Health Exam

Welcome to OpenExamPrep's FREE North Dakota Life & Health study guide. The North Dakota Insurance Department contracts with PSI Services LLC to deliver all producer licensing examinations. A common trap on day one: North Dakota does not offer a single combined "Life & Health" exam. The lines of authority are tested as two separate exams - Life and Annuity (Product and Laws) and Accident and Health (Product and Laws) - and you must pass each one for the corresponding authority on your license.

Each exam blends national product knowledge with North Dakota state law (the "Laws" portion). Roughly 60-75% of items test general insurance concepts (policy types, provisions, riders, taxation, underwriting) and the balance tests North Dakota statutes and administrative rules.

Exam Structure (per PSI Candidate Information Bulletin)

Exact threshold: "70%" means 77 correct answers out of 110 scored items. PSI also embeds 5 to 10 unscored experimental items that do not count toward your score, so you will see slightly more than 110 questions on screen.

What the Exam Tests

• North Dakota insurance law, the Insurance Commissioner's authority, and producer licensing rules
• Life insurance principles: term, whole, universal, and variable products
• Annuities, retirement products, and tax treatment
• Accident and sickness (health) coverage, disability income, and managed care
• Standard policy provisions, beneficiary designations, and replacement rules
• Ethics, unfair trade practices, and consumer protection

The examination fee is non-refundable and non-transferable and is valid for one year from the date of payment. You may retest an unlimited number of times, but you cannot rebook on the same day you tested - a candidate who fails on a Wednesday may call Thursday and retest as early as Friday, subject to seat availability.

Eligibility, Pre-Licensing, and Fingerprinting

No Pre-Licensing Education

North Dakota law no longer requires an individual to complete prelicensing courses for any line of authority. This makes ND one of the lowest-barrier states to begin licensing - there is no certificate of completion to upload before you schedule with PSI. Pre-licensing is not required, but self-study or a prep course is strongly recommended because the 110-item Product-and-Laws exam is comprehensive.

Resident Producer Requirements

To qualify as a North Dakota resident producer you must:

• Be a resident or maintain a principal place of business in the state
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be trustworthy, competent, financially responsible, and of good personal/business reputation
• Pass the PSI exam(s) for each line of insurance you are applying for
• Pay all applicable fees and complete a criminal history record check
• Have no insurance license currently revoked or suspended in any state, province, district, or territory

Fingerprinting - The High-Stakes Detail

ALL resident applicants must submit fingerprints for a state and national fingerprint-based criminal history records check. PSI test centers provide LiveScan (digital optical-scanner) fingerprinting; you may also be printed at law enforcement centers. You must provide two separate payments:

Common trap: The $40.00 BCI fee absolutely cannot be paid by credit card - and cash and personal checks are not accepted for the PSI fee. PSI mails your signed consent form, fingerprint card, and the $40.00 BCI check directly to the North Dakota Insurance Department. Total fingerprint cost is $69.00 ($40.00 + $29.00).

If you already hold a valid North Dakota license and are testing for an additional class of insurance, fingerprints are not required again. New residents who held a resident license in their prior home state within the last 90 days are exempt from the exam for those lines.

Application, Fees, and Day-of-Exam Logistics

Step-by-Step Application Process

1. Prepare - self-study or take a prep course (no prelicensing certificate required).
2. Schedule with PSI at test-takers.psiexams.com/ndins or call (855) 340-3905. Choose Site Proctored (test center) or Atlas Remote Proctored. Pay the $64 fee by credit/debit card or voucher.
3. Take the exam - arrive 30 minutes early, present one current, government-issued photo ID with signature. No temporary IDs.
4. Complete fingerprinting (LiveScan) - pay the $40.00 BCI fee and $29.00 PSI fee.
5. Apply via NIPR - submit the NAIC Uniform Application at nipr.com and pay the $100 license fee. The Department issues the license after the records check clears.

Total Cost Estimate (One Line)

Day-of-Exam Rules That Cost Candidates

• A 15-minute tutorial runs before the exam and does not count against your 150 minutes.
• The on-screen timer shows minutes remaining and updates as you answer; you may flag and revisit items until time expires.
• Reschedule/cancel at least 2 days before your appointment or you forfeit the fee. A voicemail or email is not an accepted cancellation - use the website or speak to a representative.
• Prohibited items: phones, smart watches, calculators, scratch paper, hats (except religious), notes, food/drink. Possessing them can void your results.
• ESL accommodation: if English is not your primary language you may request time and a half with a letter from an English instructor or sponsor.
• PSI electronically notifies the Department of a passing result within 48 hours.

Worked example: Maria pays $64 and tests for Accident and Health. She answers 80 of 110 scored items correctly (72.7%) - above the 77-correct threshold, so she passes. She then completes LiveScan, pays $40.00 (cashier's check to the ND Attorney General) and $29.00 (credit card to PSI), and applies on NIPR for $100. Total out-of-pocket: $233.00.

License Maintenance & Continuing Education

North Dakota licenses renew on a biennial (two-year) cycle. You may renew up to 90 days before expiration; the Department emails a renewal notice but you are solely responsible for renewing on time.

Continuing Education Requirements

Carryover Rules

• Up to 12 excess hours taken in the last 12 months of the period may credit to the next period.
• Ethics hours carry forward only as regular hours, never as ethics - a frequently tested distinction.
• If a license expires, the producer must stop acting under it; reinstatement within one year requires the $100 fee and CE compliance.

Product-Specific Training

Approved annuity and LTC training hours may count toward the 24-hour CE requirement if the courses are also ND-approved CE. Nonresidents may satisfy these with substantially similar courses from their home state.

CE Exemptions

• Limited lines only: producers holding only credit, title, travel/baggage, surety, bail bonds, or legal expense have no CE requirement.
• Nonresidents generally satisfy ND CE by meeting their home-state requirement.

Trap: Even exempt producers must still renew and pay the $25 fee every two years. Exemption removes the CE hours, not the renewal.

North Dakota Insurance Department Contact