- NJ-LH is issued by the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance and delivered via PSI Services.
- Life (83 scored items) and Accident and Health (88 scored items) are separate 3-hour-30-minute exams, 70% passing each.
- New Jersey common insurance law is the single largest content area across both exams combined.
- Total licensing cost runs $150 for the two-year license plus a $20 new-application fee, after passing both exams.
What Is NJ-LH Certification, Exactly?
"NJ-LH" refers to the New Jersey Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam - the state licensing test that qualifies a candidate to sell, solicit, or negotiate life insurance and accident and health insurance products in New Jersey. It is not a voluntary industry designation you add to a resume for prestige; it is a legally required credential administered on behalf of the state's insurance regulator. If you want to work as a life or health insurance producer in New Jersey, this exam - paired with prelicensing education and a formal license application - is the gate you must pass through.
Because several unrelated credentials also use the abbreviation "NJ-LH," it's worth being precise: this article, and every fact in it, refers only to the New Jersey Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam. For a broader definitional overview, see What Is NJ-LH? and NJ-LH Meaning.
Who Issues and Administers It
The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance sets licensing requirements and content standards for producers in the state. Actual exam delivery - scheduling, proctoring, and scoring - is handled by PSI Services, a third-party testing vendor used by many state insurance departments. Candidates can sit for the exam at a physical PSI test center or through PSI's live online-proctored format.
Exam Structure: Two Separate Tests
A common misconception is that "the NJ-LH exam" is one test. It is actually two distinct multiple-choice exams that together authorize a major-line producer license:
- Life exam: 83 scored questions, 3 hours and 30 minutes.
- Accident and Health exam: 88 scored questions, 3 hours and 30 minutes.
That's 171 total scored questions across both exams, with a combined seat time of 7 hours if taken back-to-back. Each exam may also fold in 5 to 19 unscored experimental items that look identical to scored questions but do not count toward your result - there's no way to identify them during the test, so every question deserves full attention. A score of 70% is required to pass each exam independently; passing Life does not exempt you from passing Accident and Health, and vice versa.
Key Takeaway
Treat Life and Accident and Health as two separate study projects with two separate pass thresholds - cramming for one the night before does not transfer to the other.
For a deeper breakdown of scoring mechanics, timing, and what a "passing" result actually requires, see NJ-LH Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass. For a candid assessment of difficulty relative to time limits and content volume, review How Hard Is the NJ-LH Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
The 13 Content Domains
Across the two exams, New Jersey organizes content into 13 domains with normalized weights spanning all 171 scored questions. Understanding these weights is the single most useful thing you can do before opening a study guide, because it tells you exactly where your preparation time pays off.
Domain 1: Life - Types of Policies (5.3%)
Covers term, whole, universal, and variable life products and how they differ in structure and use.
Domain 2: Life - Policy Riders, Provisions, Options, and Exclusions (12.3%)
The heaviest Life-specific domain. Expect detailed questions on nonforfeiture options, settlement options, and common riders.
Domain 3: Life - Completing the Application, Underwriting, and Delivering the Policy (7.0%)
Application handling, underwriting classifications, and delivery requirements producers must follow.
Domain 4: Life - Taxes, Retirement, and Other Insurance Concepts (4.7%)
Tax treatment of life proceeds and premiums plus retirement-related insurance concepts.
Domain 5: Life - New Jersey Laws, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life, Accident and Health, Property, and Casualty Insurance (14.6%)
One of the two largest domains on the entire exam. Shared state law that applies across insurance lines.
Domain 6: Life - New Jersey Laws, Rules, and Regulations Pertinent to Life Insurance Only (4.7%)
State-specific statutes that apply exclusively to life insurance transactions.
Domain 7: Accident and Health - Types of Policies (8.2%)
Disability income, medical expense, long-term care, and other A&H product categories.
Domain 8: Accident and Health - Policy Provisions, Clauses, and Riders (11.7%)
The heaviest A&H-specific domain, mirroring the weight given to riders and provisions on the Life side.
Domain 9: Accident and Health - Social Insurance (1.8%)
Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security disability concepts as they interact with private A&H coverage.
Domain 10: Accident and Health - Other Insurance Concepts (2.3%)
Smaller supporting concepts that round out the A&H product knowledge base.
Domain 11: Accident and Health - Field Underwriting Procedures (5.3%)
How producers gather information and handle applications in the field before underwriting decisions.
Domain 12: Accident and Health - New Jersey Laws, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life, Accident and Health, Property, and Casualty Insurance (14.6%)
The mirror of Domain 5 on the A&H exam - same shared state law tested from the A&H perspective.
Domain 13: Accident and Health - New Jersey Laws, Rules, and Regulations Pertinent to Accident and Health Insurance Only (7.6%)
State statutes specific to accident and health products and transactions.
For a full walkthrough of every domain with study priorities attached, read NJ-LH Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 13 Content Areas. If you want a condensed reference for last-minute review, bookmark NJ-LH Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts.
The Path to Licensure Step by Step
Passing both exams is necessary but not sufficient to hold a New Jersey producer license. The full sequence for resident candidates looks like this:
- Complete 20 hours of approved prelicensing education per line (Life and Accident and Health separately), or a 40-hour combined course covering both.
- Obtain your prelicensing course completion certificate - these certificates do not expire, so you can complete education well ahead of testing.
- Pass both the Life exam and the Accident and Health exam, each with a score of 70% or higher.
- Complete electronic fingerprinting as part of the background check process.
- Submit your license application while your passing score is still valid - passing scores are valid for one year from the test date.
Qualified candidates may also receive 60-day temporary work authority, which can let a new producer begin working under supervision while the full license application is finalized. For a complete eligibility checklist, see NJ-LH Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify. If you're still mapping out timing for prelicensing courses and exam scheduling, check NJ-LH Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
What It Costs
Budgeting for NJ-LH licensure involves a few distinct fees layered on top of prelicensing education costs. The producer license itself is $150 for a two-year term, plus a $20 new-application fee due at the time you submit your license application. These fees are separate from exam registration and prelicensing course tuition, which vary by provider.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Life exam | 83 scored questions, 3 hrs 30 min, 70% to pass |
| Accident and Health exam | 88 scored questions, 3 hrs 30 min, 70% to pass |
| Prelicensing education | 20 hours per line, or 40 hours combined |
| License fee | $150 for two years |
| New-application fee | $20 |
| Score validity | 1 year from passing date |
| Renewal CE | 24 credits, including at least 3 ethics |
For a line-by-line cost breakdown including how fees stack across both exam lines, read NJ-LH Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. If you're weighing whether the investment of time and money is justified for your career plans, see Is the NJ-LH Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026.
Who Hires NJ-LH Licensees
Once licensed, producers typically find placement with life insurance carriers, health insurance carriers, independent agencies that broker multiple carriers' products, and financial services firms that bundle insurance sales alongside investment or retirement planning services. Some producers work as employees of a single carrier ("captive" agents); others operate independently or under an agency umbrella and place business with multiple insurers.
Because the exam blends Life and Accident and Health content, a dual-licensed producer is positioned to sell across both product families rather than being restricted to one line - a meaningful advantage when serving clients who need both life coverage and supplemental health or disability products. For context on how this license translates into job opportunities and compensation structures, see NJ-LH Jobs and NJ-LH Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis.
Scheduling Study Around the Domain Weights
Generic study techniques - spaced repetition, timed practice blocks, active recall - work well for this exam, but only when mapped to the actual weight distribution above. A candidate splitting study time evenly across 13 domains is wasting effort on domains like Social Insurance (1.8%) at the expense of the law domains that make up nearly 30% of combined content.
New Jersey Common Law (Domains 5 & 12)
- Master shared state statutes tested identically on both exams
- Build a reference sheet of licensing, appointment, and unfair trade practice rules
Riders, Provisions, and Exclusions (Domains 2 & 8)
- Drill Life riders and A&H policy provisions side by side to avoid cross-contamination
- Practice distinguishing similar-sounding rider names between the two lines
Line-Specific Law and Product Types (Domains 6, 13, 1, 7)
- Review Life-only and A&H-only statutes separately
- Reinforce policy type definitions with scenario-based practice questions
Underwriting, Taxes, and Smaller Domains
- Cover application/underwriting procedures for both lines
- Finish with Social Insurance and Other Insurance Concepts, then take full-length timed practice exams for both Life and Accident and Health
This is one deliberate sequencing choice, not a universal formula - for a fuller week-by-week plan with contingencies for retakes and weak-domain diagnostics, see NJ-LH Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. You can also gauge your readiness against realistic timed conditions using practice exams on the main practice test site before booking your PSI appointment.
Keeping the License Active
Passing the exams and getting licensed is the beginning of an ongoing compliance obligation, not a one-time event. Renewal requires 24 continuing education credits, including at least 3 hours of ethics, completed before the two-year license term expires. Missing this requirement can lapse an otherwise active license, so producers typically track CE completion well ahead of the renewal deadline rather than scrambling near expiration.
To understand how exam performance data and pass outcomes are tracked over time, see NJ-LH Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows. For general orientation pieces on the credential itself, related reading includes NJ-LH Certification, What Does NJ-LH Stand For?, What Is A NJ-LH?, What Does NJ-LH Mean?, and NJ-LH Training.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
A passing score remains valid for one year, during which you must complete fingerprinting and submit your license application.
No. Prelicensing certificates do not expire, though you still need 20 hours per line (or a 40-hour combined course) before sitting for the exams.
Yes, PSI offers live online-proctored delivery in addition to test centers, but remote sessions allow no breaks and prohibit reference materials and calculators, same as in-person testing.
The major-line producer license is $150 for a two-year term, plus a $20 new-application fee submitted with your application.