- NJ-LH is actually two separate PSI exams: 83 scored Life questions and 88 scored Accident and Health questions.
- Each exam runs 3 hours 30 minutes, and you must score 70% on each to pass.
- New Jersey common insurance law makes up 14.6% of each exam - the single largest content area.
- Licensing requires 20 hours of prelicensing education per line (or 40 hours combined), fingerprinting, and application within one year of passing.
What the NJ-LH Certification Actually Covers
The NJ-LH designation refers to the New Jersey Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam, the state licensing test overseen by the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance and delivered through PSI Services. Passing it is the gateway to becoming a licensed life and accident/health insurance producer in New Jersey - the person who sells term and whole life policies, annuities, disability income coverage, and health plans to individuals and families across the state.
If you're still getting oriented, our companion pieces on What Is NJ-LH? and NJ-LH Meaning walk through the basics in plain language. This article goes further, breaking down the exact exam structure, content weighting, and licensing mechanics you need to plan a realistic prep timeline.
Exam Structure: Two Exams, Two Score Reports
The Life exam contains 83 scored questions with a 3-hour-30-minute time limit. The Accident and Health exam contains 88 scored questions, also with a 3-hour-30-minute limit. Combined, that's 171 scored questions across 7 total hours of testing. Both exams may also insert 5 to 19 unscored experimental items that look identical to real questions but don't count toward your score - you won't know which ones they are, so every question deserves full attention.
All questions are multiple-choice, delivered either at a PSI test center or through live online proctoring. If you choose remote testing, know that no breaks are allowed during the exam window, and reference materials or handheld calculators are prohibited in either format. That detail alone should shape how you rehearse - no scratch-pad math shortcuts, no glancing at notes.
For a deeper walkthrough of pacing strategy and what the testing day actually feels like, see How Hard Is the NJ-LH Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Key Takeaway
Treat the Life and Accident and Health exams as two distinct study projects with two distinct pass/fail outcomes - don't let prep time for one crowd out the other.
Domain-by-Domain Breakdown
The 171 scored questions are distributed across 13 domains - six under the Life exam and seven under Accident and Health. The weights below are normalized across all 171 questions in both exams combined, which is why New Jersey common insurance law appears twice and together forms the largest content block on the entire certification.
Domain 5 & Domain 12: New Jersey Laws, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life, Accident and Health, Property, and Casualty Insurance (14.6% each)
These two domains are identical in scope but tested separately within each exam. Together they represent the largest concentration of exam weight you'll face.
- Producer licensing, appointment, and termination rules
- Unfair trade practices and claims settlement standards
- Replacement, disclosure, and privacy requirements specific to New Jersey
Domain 2: Life - Policy Riders, Provisions, Options, and Exclusions (12.3%)
This is the heaviest single Life-exam domain and demands close attention to how riders modify base contracts.
- Waiver of premium, accelerated death benefit, and guaranteed insurability riders
- Nonforfeiture options and settlement options
- Exclusions such as suicide clauses and incontestability periods
Domain 8: Accident and Health - Policy Provisions, Clauses, and Riders (11.7%)
The heaviest Accident and Health domain outside of state law.
- Mandatory and optional policy provisions
- Coordination of benefits and pre-existing condition clauses
- Renewability provisions across health contract types
The remaining domains carry smaller but still testable weight: Life - Types of Policies (5.3%), Life - Completing the Application, Underwriting, and Delivering the Policy (7.0%), Life - Taxes, Retirement, and Other Insurance Concepts (4.7%), Life - New Jersey Laws Pertinent to Life Insurance Only (4.7%), Accident and Health - Types of Policies (8.2%), Accident and Health - Social Insurance (1.8%), Accident and Health - Other Insurance Concepts (2.3%), Accident and Health - Field Underwriting Procedures (5.3%), and Accident and Health - New Jersey Laws Pertinent to Accident and Health Insurance Only (7.6%).
For the complete rundown with study priorities mapped to each of the 13 areas, read NJ-LH Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 13 Content Areas.
The Full Licensing Path in New Jersey
Passing the exam is only one step in becoming licensed. Resident candidates must also complete prelicensing education: 20 hours per line (Life or Accident and Health) or a 40-hour combined course covering both. You'll need to present your course completion certificate as part of the application process. Notably, prelicensing certificates themselves do not expire, so completing the coursework early is a low-risk move.
After finishing coursework, candidates must pass both exams, complete electronic fingerprinting for a background check, and submit the license application - all while the passing exam score remains valid, which is for one year from the test date. Miss that window and you'll need to retest.
Qualified candidates may also be granted 60-day temporary work authority, letting them begin working under supervision while the full license application processes.
A full checklist of eligibility rules, documentation, and timing lives in NJ-LH Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify. If you want the exact numeric passing threshold explained in more detail, see NJ-LH Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
| Step | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Prelicensing education | 20 hours per line, or 40 hours combined |
| Life exam | 83 scored questions, 3.5-hour limit, 70% to pass |
| Accident and Health exam | 88 scored questions, 3.5-hour limit, 70% to pass |
| Background check | Electronic fingerprinting |
| Application window | Passing score valid for one year |
| License term | $150 for two years, plus $20 new-application fee |
Costs and Fees
Beyond prelicensing course tuition and PSI exam registration fees, the major-line producer license itself costs $150 for a two-year term, plus a $20 new-application fee when you first apply. Budgeting for retesting is worth considering too - since each exam is scored and passed independently, a candidate who clears Life but not Accident and Health only needs to retake the one that didn't meet the 70% mark.
For a line-item breakdown of every fee a candidate is likely to encounter, from coursework to license renewal, see NJ-LH Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Who Earns the NJ-LH Certification
The producers who pursue NJ-LH licensing typically fall into a few groups: new hires at insurance agencies who need a state license before they can sell, career-changers entering financial services, and multi-line agents adding Life and Accident and Health to an existing Property and Casualty book of business. Because the license covers both life insurance and health/disability products, it's attractive to producers who want to offer a broader menu without holding two entirely separate credentials.
Independent agencies, captive carriers, and financial planning firms operating in New Jersey all look for this license specifically because it's tied to state law - a producer licensed elsewhere still needs to meet New Jersey's exam and fingerprinting requirements to sell here. If you're evaluating whether this career path is worth pursuing, Is the NJ-LH Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and NJ-LH Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis go deeper into the career and compensation picture. Openings for licensed producers are also worth tracking directly - see NJ-LH Jobs for what hiring in this space typically looks like.
Building a Domain-Aware Study Schedule
Generic study advice - flashcards, spaced repetition, timed drills - only helps if it's pointed at the right content in the right order. Because Domain 5 and Domain 12 (New Jersey common insurance law) together carry the largest combined weight of any topic, they deserve early and repeated review rather than a last-minute cram.
New Jersey Common Law Foundations
- Study Domain 5 and Domain 12 material together since content overlaps heavily
- Review producer licensing, appointment, and unfair trade practice rules
Life Contract Mechanics
- Focus on Domain 2 (riders, provisions, exclusions) - the heaviest Life domain
- Layer in Domain 3 (application, underwriting, delivery) and Domain 1 (policy types)
Accident and Health Contract Mechanics
- Focus on Domain 8 (provisions, clauses, riders) and Domain 7 (policy types)
- Add Domain 11 (field underwriting) and the smaller Domains 9 and 10
Timed Practice Under Real Conditions
- Run full-length timed drills matching the 3.5-hour format for each exam
- Practice without notes or a calculator, since neither is permitted on test day
For a structured week-by-week plan built specifically around these 13 domains, see NJ-LH Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. And once you're near test-ready, the condensed NJ-LH Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts is useful for a final pass the night before. You can also run through timed practice questions on our practice test platform to simulate the real pacing before you sit for either exam.
Keeping Your License Active
Passing the exam and getting licensed isn't the end of the obligation. New Jersey requires 24 continuing education credits to renew the license, with at least 3 of those credits specifically in ethics. Building a habit of tracking CE hours across your two-year license term avoids a scramble near your renewal date.
If you're still mapping out testing logistics - when seats are available, how far in advance to register - check NJ-LH Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling. And for broader data on how candidates perform on these exams, NJ-LH Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows breaks down what's publicly known.
Key Takeaway
Track your 24 CE credits (including 3 in ethics) throughout your two-year license term rather than waiting until renewal is near - it's the most commonly overlooked ongoing requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's two separate exams - Life (83 scored questions) and Accident and Health (88 scored questions) - each with its own 3-hour-30-minute time limit and its own 70% passing requirement.
You need 70% on each exam separately. Passing Life does not carry over toward the Accident and Health score, and vice versa.
Once you pass both exams, you have one year to complete fingerprinting and submit your license application before the passing score expires.
The major-line producer license runs $150 for a two-year term, plus a $20 new-application fee, on top of prelicensing education and exam registration costs.
No. Reference materials and handheld calculators are prohibited whether you test at a PSI center or through live online proctoring, and remote sessions allow no breaks.