- You need 70% on the Life exam and 70% on the Accident and Health exam - separately, not combined.
- Life has 83 scored questions; Accident and Health has 88 scored questions, each with a 3-hour-30-minute limit.
- Each exam may also contain 5-19 unscored experimental items you can't identify during testing.
- New Jersey common insurance law (Domains 5 and 12) makes up 14.6% of each exam - the single largest content area.
The NJ-LH Passing Score, Explained
The New Jersey Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam isn't one test - it's two. Candidates pursuing the major-line producer license sit for a Life exam and an Accident and Health exam, administered separately through PSI Services on behalf of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance. Each exam has its own pass threshold: 70%. There is no averaging between the two, and there is no "borrowing" points from a strong Life score to offset a weak Accident and Health performance. You either clear 70% on each exam, or you retake the one you missed.
This matters for how you prepare. Some candidates assume that because both exams fall under the "NJ-LH" umbrella, strength in one domain area carries over to the other. It doesn't, in scoring terms. If you're still mapping out what each exam actually covers, the NJ-LH Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 13 Content Areas breaks down every content area separately so you can see exactly where the Life material ends and the Accident and Health material begins.
How Scoring Actually Works
Out of the questions you see on test day, not all of them count. The Life exam includes 83 scored questions, and the Accident and Health exam includes 88 scored questions - 171 scored questions combined across both exams. Layered on top of that, PSI may seed in 5 to 19 unscored experimental items per exam. These are questions being field-tested for future versions of the exam, and they look identical to scored questions. You won't know which ones are experimental, which means the only reasonable strategy is to treat every question on the screen as if it counts.
Each exam runs on its own 3-hour-30-minute clock, so between the two exams you're looking at roughly seven hours of total scored testing time if you sit for both lines. That's a long day (or two separate appointments), and pacing matters - burning too much time deliberating over early questions can leave you rushing through the New Jersey law sections near the end, which happen to carry some of the heaviest point weight.
Key Takeaway
Because unscored items are invisible to you, don't waste mental energy trying to spot them. Focus on accuracy and pacing across all 3.5 hours instead.
Life Exam vs. Accident and Health Exam
Since these are administered as two distinct exams with two distinct scores, it helps to see them side by side. Candidates going for the combined major-line license, per the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance framework, typically complete 20 hours of approved prelicensing education per line (or a single 40-hour combined course) before sitting for either exam.
| Feature | Life Exam | Accident and Health Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Scored questions | 83 | 88 |
| Time limit | 3 hours 30 minutes | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Passing score | 70% | 70% |
| Possible unscored items | 5-19 | 5-19 |
| Number of content domains | 6 | 7 |
| Prelicensing education | 20 hours (or 40-hour combined) | 20 hours (or 40-hour combined) |
Both exams can be taken at a PSI test center or through live online proctoring. If you choose the remote option, be aware there are no breaks allowed during the exam window, and reference materials and handheld calculators are prohibited under either delivery format. That means any math involving policy values, cash surrender calculations, or premium proration has to be done in your head or on the provided scratch material - plan your practice accordingly.
Domain Weights and Where Points Live
The 171 scored questions across both exams are distributed across 13 content domains, and the weighting is anything but even. Two domains alone - New Jersey law common to Life, Accident and Health, Property, and Casualty insurance - account for 14.6% each, once on the Life exam (Domain 5) and once on the Accident and Health exam (Domain 12). Combined, that's the largest content area on the entire NJ-LH exam structure, larger than any single product-knowledge domain.
Domain 5 & Domain 12: New Jersey Common Insurance Law (14.6% each)
These domains cover the shared statutory and regulatory framework that applies across all license lines - producer licensing rules, unfair trade practices, replacement regulations, and DOBI enforcement authority. Because this material repeats in both exams, mastering it once pays off twice.
- Producer licensing, appointment, and continuing education rules
- Unfair claims settlement and trade practices statutes
- Replacement and disclosure requirements
Domain 2: Life - Policy Riders, Provisions, Options, and Exclusions (12.3%)
The second-heaviest domain overall. Expect detailed questions on nonforfeiture options, settlement options, waiver of premium, accelerated death benefit riders, and standard policy exclusions.
- Grace periods, reinstatement, and incontestability clauses
- Dividend options and nonforfeiture provisions
- Common riders: waiver of premium, guaranteed insurability, accidental death
Domain 8: Accident and Health - Policy Provisions, Clauses, and Riders (11.7%)
The heaviest product-knowledge domain on the Accident and Health side. This is where coordination of benefits, elimination periods, and renewability provisions live.
- Mandatory and optional policy provisions
- Coordination of benefits and pre-existing condition clauses
- Renewability types: guaranteed, conditionally, optional
By contrast, domains like Social Insurance (1.8%) and Other Insurance Concepts on the Accident and Health side (2.3%) carry minimal weight. That doesn't mean you skip them - a 70% threshold means every point matters - but it does mean your review hours should be allocated proportionally. Spending equal time on a 1.8% domain and a 14.6% domain is a scheduling mistake many first-time candidates make. For a full walkthrough of all 13 domains with their exact weights, the NJ-LH Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 13 Content Areas is the companion piece to this article.
What Happens After You Hit 70%
Passing both exams is a milestone, but it's not the finish line for licensure. A passing score on the NJ-LH exams remains valid for one year, during which you need to complete the remaining steps: submit your prelicensing course certificate (these certificates don't expire, unlike the exam score), complete electronic fingerprinting, and file your license application with the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance.
The license itself covers a two-year term and carries a $150 fee plus a $20 new-application fee. Some candidates qualify for 60-day temporary work authority while their full application processes, which can matter if you already have a job offer contingent on licensure. If you want the complete breakdown of every fee involved - prelicensing course costs, exam fees, application fees, and renewal costs - see the NJ-LH Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown article.
Once licensed, renewal isn't a one-time event either. Every two years, license holders complete 24 continuing education credits, including at least 3 hours of ethics. Passing the exam is the gateway; staying compliant is an ongoing requirement. If you're still confirming you meet the baseline eligibility before you even schedule an exam date, check the NJ-LH Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify guide first.
Key Takeaway
Treat the one-year validity window as a deadline, not a cushion. Line up fingerprinting and your application soon after passing so the clock doesn't become a problem.
Scheduling Study Time Around the Scoring Structure
Because the passing score is fixed at 70% on each exam and the domain weights are published, your prep schedule should mirror those weights rather than treating every topic as equally important. A simple way to structure the final stretch before your test date:
Heaviest domains first
- New Jersey common law (Domains 5 and 12) - 14.6% each
- Policy riders, provisions, and exclusions (Domain 2) - 12.3%
Secondary product knowledge
- A&H policy provisions and riders (Domain 8) - 11.7%
- A&H types of policies (Domain 7) - 8.2%
- A&H law specific to accident and health (Domain 13) - 7.6%
Underwriting and application mechanics
- Completing the application, underwriting, delivery (Domain 3) - 7.0%
- Field underwriting procedures (Domain 11) - 5.3%
- Types of Life policies (Domain 1) - 5.3%
Lower-weight domains and full timed review
- Taxes, retirement, other concepts (Domain 4) and Life-only law (Domain 6) - 4.7% each
- Social Insurance (Domain 9) and Other Concepts (Domain 10) - under 3% combined
- Full-length timed practice runs under real exam conditions
This isn't a rigid template - it's a starting framework tied specifically to how the NJ-LH content is weighted. For a more detailed week-by-week plan with practice question targets, the NJ-LH Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt goes deeper into daily study mechanics. And when you're ready to test your recall under realistic timed conditions, running through practice questions on our practice test platform is the closest simulation you'll get to the actual PSI interface before exam day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Both exams require a 70% score, but they are scored and reported separately. Passing one does not offset a failing score on the other.
No. Each exam may include 5-19 unscored experimental items in addition to the scored questions (83 for Life, 88 for Accident and Health), but you won't know which items are experimental, so answer every question as if it counts.
A passing score is valid for one year. Within that window you'll need to complete fingerprinting and submit your license application to the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance.
New Jersey common insurance law appears on both exams (Domain 5 on Life, Domain 12 on Accident and Health) at 14.6% each, making it the largest combined content area. Policy riders, provisions, and exclusions on the Life side (12.3%) and A&H policy provisions and riders (11.7%) are also heavily weighted.
No. Handheld calculators and outside reference materials are prohibited at both PSI test centers and in the live online-proctored format. Remote testing also does not allow breaks during the exam.
Understanding exactly what the 70% passing score requires - and where the points on each exam actually come from - turns a vague "study everything" plan into a targeted one. Once you know that New Jersey law and policy provisions carry the most weight, and that each exam stands alone against the same threshold, you can build a prep plan around the real scoring mechanics instead of guesswork. If you haven't yet locked in a test date, the NJ-LH Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling article walks through how PSI scheduling works so you can plan your final review weeks with a firm deadline in mind, and you can start sharpening recall today on our practice exam questions.