- NJ-LH is New Jersey's Life and Accident and Health Insurance Producer Exam, administered by PSI Services for the NJ Department of Banking and Insurance.
- The Life exam has 83 scored questions and the Accident and Health exam has 88 scored questions, each with a 3.5-hour limit.
- You need 70% on each exam separately; passing one does not carry over to the other.
- New Jersey common insurance law makes up the largest combined content share across both exams (14.6% each).
What Is NJ-LH?
NJ-LH refers to the New Jersey Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam - the state licensing test that anyone who wants to sell life insurance, accident and health insurance, or both in New Jersey must pass. It is not a single unified exam. It is actually two separate multiple-choice tests: one covering Life insurance and one covering Accident and Health insurance. A candidate can sit for either one alone or both, depending on which line of authority they intend to hold.
Because the name "NJ-LH" is shared by a few unrelated credentials in other industries, it's worth being precise: on this site, NJ-LH always means the New Jersey producer licensing exam regulated by the state's Department of Banking and Insurance. If you landed here researching a different NJ-LH, this content will not apply to you.
For a full walkthrough of everything a first-time candidate needs to know before scheduling, see our NJ-LH Requirements 2026 guide, and if you're still deciding whether to pursue the license at all, the ROI analysis is a good place to start.
Who Administers the Exam
The exam is owned and regulated by the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, but the actual test delivery is handled by PSI Services. PSI runs the testing infrastructure - both physical test centers and live online-proctored sessions - and reports results back to the state.
This matters practically because your prep, scheduling, and test-day rules all come from PSI's system, not a generic "exam board." If you choose the online-proctored option, know that no breaks are allowed during the session, and you cannot use reference materials or even a handheld calculator in either delivery format. Plan your 3-hour-30-minute block accordingly - there's no stepping away to refocus once the clock starts.
Exam Format and Structure
Each of the two exams is built and timed independently:
- Life exam: 83 scored questions, 3 hours 30 minutes.
- Accident and Health exam: 88 scored questions, 3 hours 30 minutes.
Combined, that's 171 scored questions across roughly seven hours of total possible testing time if you sit for both. Each exam may also slip in between 5 and 19 unscored experimental items that look identical to scored questions - you won't know which ones don't count, so every question deserves the same attention.
A passing score is 70% on each exam separately. There's no averaging between Life and Accident and Health, and no partial credit for being close. Passing Life doesn't help your Accident and Health score, and vice versa - they're independent pass/fail outcomes. If you're aiming for a combined license, you need to clear both bars on their own terms.
For the exact scoring mechanics, retake implications, and what a "passing score valid for one year" actually means for your application timeline, read the dedicated NJ-LH Passing Score breakdown.
Key Takeaway
Treat the Life and Accident and Health exams as two separate projects with two separate 70% thresholds - not one combined test.
The 13 Domains, Broken Down
NJ-LH content is organized into 13 domains split across the two exams. The weights below are normalized across all 171 scored questions, which is why New Jersey common insurance law stands out as the single largest content area when you add its two appearances together.
Life Exam Domains (Domains 1-6)
- Domain 1 - Types of Policies (5.3%): Term, whole life, universal life, and variations candidates must distinguish by feature and use case.
- Domain 2 - Policy Riders, Provisions, Options, and Exclusions (12.3%): The heaviest Life-only domain; covers waiver of premium, accelerated benefits, nonforfeiture options, and exclusion clauses.
- Domain 3 - Completing the Application, Underwriting, and Delivering the Policy (7.0%): Application accuracy, underwriting classifications, and delivery requirements including free-look provisions.
- Domain 4 - Taxes, Retirement, and Other Insurance Concepts (4.7%): Tax treatment of premiums and benefits, annuities, and retirement plan basics.
- Domain 5 - NJ Laws, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life, A&H, Property, and Casualty (14.6%): The largest single Life-exam domain; general licensing law, producer conduct, and state-specific requirements.
- Domain 6 - NJ Laws, Rules, and Regulations Pertinent to Life Insurance Only (4.7%): State-specific Life provisions that don't overlap with other lines.
Accident and Health Exam Domains (Domains 7-13)
- Domain 7 - Types of Policies (8.2%): Disability income, medical expense, long-term care, and other A&H product categories.
- Domain 8 - Policy Provisions, Clauses, and Riders (11.7%): The heaviest content-specific A&H domain outside of state law - coordination of benefits, renewability, and elimination periods.
- Domain 9 - Social Insurance (1.8%): Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security disability basics - small but tested.
- Domain 10 - Other Insurance Concepts (2.3%): Group vs. individual concepts and general A&H terminology.
- Domain 11 - Field Underwriting Procedures (5.3%): Application handling and underwriting steps specific to A&H sales.
- Domain 12 - NJ Laws, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life, A&H, Property, and Casualty (14.6%): Mirrors Domain 5's weight - the single biggest content area in the A&H exam.
- Domain 13 - NJ Laws, Rules, and Regulations Pertinent to A&H Insurance Only (7.6%): State-specific A&H provisions, mandated benefits, and consumer protections.
Notice the pattern: Domains 5 and 12 are identical in weight and cover the same "common" New Jersey insurance law, which is why state law functions as the true backbone of both exams rather than a niche topic. A deeper dive into every domain, including sub-topics and sample question angles, is available in our NJ-LH Exam Domains 2026 guide.
Registration, Fees, and Licensing Steps
Getting licensed involves more than just passing the exam. The full sequence for a resident candidate looks like this:
- Complete 20 hours of approved prelicensing education per line (or a 40-hour combined course covering both Life and Accident and Health).
- Obtain your course completion certificate - prelicensing certificates do not expire, so there's no rush between finishing the course and sitting for the exam.
- Pass the relevant exam(s) with a 70% score on each.
- Complete electronic fingerprinting as part of the background check process.
- Submit your license application while your passing score is still valid - that window is one year from your exam date.
On the cost side, the major-line producer license runs $150 for a two-year term, plus a separate $20 new-application fee. Qualified candidates awaiting full licensure may be eligible for 60-day temporary work authority, which can matter if you're starting a new role and need to begin producing sooner rather than later. A complete cost breakdown, including how these fees stack up against study materials and course tuition, is covered in the NJ-LH Certification Cost guide.
Scheduling logistics - how far in advance to book, how PSI handles rescheduling, and what to expect around holidays - are detailed separately in the NJ-LH Exam Dates guide.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Prelicensing education | 20 hours per line, or 40 hours combined |
| Passing score | 70% on each exam, scored independently |
| Score validity | 1 year from exam date to apply |
| License cost | $150 (2 years) + $20 new-application fee |
| Temporary authority | Up to 60 days for qualified candidates |
| Renewal CE | 24 CE credits, at least 3 in ethics |
Who Hires NJ-LH Producers
Holding a Life and/or Accident and Health producer license opens the door to work with carriers, independent agencies, brokerages, and financial services firms operating in New Jersey. Typical paths include captive-agent roles with a single insurance carrier, independent brokerage work representing multiple carriers, and positions inside benefits administration or employee-benefits consulting firms that need licensed staff to discuss group health and life products.
Some candidates pursue NJ-LH licensing as a standalone career move; others add it to an existing financial services role - for example, a financial advisor who wants to legally discuss life insurance and annuities alongside investment products. Because the license is line-specific, someone who only completes the Life exam can sell life insurance and annuities but cannot legally discuss or sell accident and health products until they also pass that exam.
If you're weighing what this license is actually worth in the New Jersey job market, our NJ-LH Salary Guide and NJ-LH Jobs overview go into more depth on typical roles and how licensing factors into hiring decisions.
Studying by Domain, Not by Calendar
Generic study schedules don't map well onto a two-exam, 13-domain structure like NJ-LH. Instead of blocking out study time by day of the week, it works better to sequence your study by domain weight and exam pairing - heavy domains first, light domains last, state law woven throughout rather than saved for the end.
Life Exam Core
- Domain 2 (Policy Riders, Provisions, Options, and Exclusions) - heaviest Life-specific domain
- Domain 5 (NJ Common Law) - largest domain in the Life exam
Life Exam Remainder
- Domains 1, 3, 4, and 6 - policy types, underwriting, taxes, and Life-only NJ law
A&H Exam Core
- Domain 8 (Policy Provisions, Clauses, and Riders)
- Domain 12 (NJ Common Law) - largest domain in the A&H exam
A&H Exam Remainder
- Domains 7, 9, 10, 11, and 13 - policy types, social insurance, underwriting, and A&H-only NJ law
Within each phase, short spaced-repetition review sessions on state law terminology tend to pay off more than long single-topic cram blocks, simply because Domains 5 and 12 reappear so heavily in scored weight. For a structured week-by-week plan with specific resources and practice-question targets, see the full NJ-LH Study Guide 2026. If you want a candid read on how difficult the material actually is relative to other producer exams, the difficulty guide is worth reading before you commit to a timeline, and current pass-rate context is available in the NJ-LH Pass Rate guide. Running full-length timed practice tests that mirror the 3.5-hour format is the most direct way to confirm you're ready before test day, and a quick one-page cheat sheet is useful for final review the night before.
Key Takeaway
Study Domains 5 and 12 continuously across your entire prep window rather than as a single unit - their weight is too large to leave for a last-minute review.
After You Pass: License Renewal
Passing NJ-LH and receiving your license isn't the end of the compliance obligation. Renewal requires 24 continuing education credits, with at least 3 of those credits specifically in ethics. Producers should track CE deadlines relative to their two-year license term so credits don't lapse right before a renewal cycle closes. This is a separate process from the initial 20-hour or 40-hour prelicensing education - CE keeps an active license current, while prelicensing education only gets you to the exam in the first place.
For readers comparing this license against other credentials entirely, or trying to confirm exactly what the acronym refers to before diving into prep material, our companion explainer pieces - NJ-LH Meaning, What Does NJ-LH Stand For?, and What Does NJ-LH Mean? - walk through the terminology in more depth. If you're specifically looking at the credential itself rather than the exam mechanics, see NJ-LH Certification and What Is NJ-LH Certification?.
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 threshold.
Yes. Candidates can pursue either line independently, or complete a 40-hour combined prelicensing course and sit for both exams if they want a combined producer license.
A passing score remains valid for one year, during which you must complete fingerprinting and submit your license application to the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance.
No. Reference materials and handheld calculators are prohibited at both PSI test centers and in the live online-proctored format, and remote sessions don't allow breaks.
Not automatically. You still need to complete fingerprinting and submit your application; however, qualified candidates may receive 60-day temporary work authority while full licensure is processed.