- NDLH stands for the North Dakota Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam, administered through PSI on behalf of the North Dakota Insurance Department.
- The commercially relevant version covers Life and Annuity (Product and Laws), tested with 110 scored questions in 150 minutes.
- Passing requires 70% correct, meaning at least 77 of 110 scored questions must be right.
- North Dakota Laws and Regulations Pertaining to Life Insurance and Annuities is the single largest domain at 25.5% of the exam.
What Does NDLH Mean?
NDLH stands for the North Dakota Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam. It is the licensing examination that individuals must pass before they can legally sell, solicit, or negotiate life insurance, annuity, or accident and health insurance products to consumers in North Dakota. Because "NDLH" is used loosely by test-takers and study resources to refer to a family of related North Dakota producer exams, it's worth being precise: North Dakota actually requires two separate examinations for these lines - a Life and Annuity exam and a separate Accident and Health exam. This site, and this article, focus specifically on the Life and Annuity (Product and Laws) examination, which is the version most candidates search for and the one with the broadest commercial relevance for producers building a life and annuity book of business.
If you landed here wondering whether NDLH is a professional designation like a CLU or ChFC, it isn't. It's a state licensing exam - a gateway credential required by law, not an optional career enhancement. For a deeper breakdown of what that distinction means in practice, see What Is NDLH? and NDLH Certification.
Who Administers the NDLH Exam
The exam is overseen by the North Dakota Insurance Department, which sets licensing rules, eligibility requirements, and the content outline. Day-to-day delivery - scheduling, proctoring, and scoring - is handled by PSI, a third-party testing vendor. This two-party structure is standard for state insurance licensing: the regulator defines what must be tested, and the vendor builds and delivers the actual exam sessions.
Candidates can test at a PSI-affiliated test center or through remote proctoring from home or office. Both formats are computer-based and closed book - no reference materials, no calculator, and no printed notes are allowed at any point. Remote sessions add an extra wrinkle: no scratch paper is permitted, and no breaks are allowed once the session begins. If you're deciding between a test center and remote testing, factor in your ability to sit through the full session without interruption.
What the Exam Actually Tests
The Life and Annuity (Product and Laws) exam is not a generic insurance-industry test. It's a blended assessment that checks two things simultaneously: whether you understand how life insurance and annuity products work, and whether you know the specific North Dakota statutes and regulations that govern how those products can be sold, disclosed, and administered. That combination is why the largest single domain on the exam is state-specific law rather than product mechanics.
This matters for how you prepare. A candidate who only studies general life insurance concepts - say, from a national textbook - will be underprepared for the quarter of the exam built around North Dakota's own rules. For a full breakdown of every scored area and how much weight each carries, see the NDLH Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 9 Content Areas.
The Nine NDLH Exam Domains
The exam content outline is organized into nine domains. Each carries a different percentage weight, and that weighting should directly shape how much time you spend on each topic while studying.
Domain 1: Insurance Regulation (10.9%)
Covers licensing authority, producer conduct standards, and the general regulatory framework governing insurance business in North Dakota.
- Licensing categories and requirements
- Producer duties and unfair trade practices
Domain 2: North Dakota Laws and Regulations Pertaining to Life Insurance and Annuities (25.5%)
The largest domain by far. Expect detailed questions on state-specific statutes governing policy issuance, replacement rules, disclosures, and annuity suitability requirements.
- Replacement and disclosure requirements
- Annuity suitability standards specific to North Dakota
Domain 3: Federal Laws and Regulations (2.7%)
A small but scored slice covering federal rules that intersect with life and annuity sales, such as privacy and anti-money-laundering basics.
Domain 4: General Insurance Concepts (7.3%)
Foundational insurance terminology and principles that underpin every other domain - risk, insurable interest, and contract fundamentals.
Domain 5: Life Insurance Basics (11.8%)
Core mechanics of how life insurance policies are structured, underwritten, and priced.
- Underwriting classifications
- Premium and cash value fundamentals
Domain 6: Types of Life Insurance Policies (12.7%)
Distinguishes term, whole, universal, and variable products, along with their intended uses.
Domain 7: Life Insurance Policy Provisions, Options, and Riders (18.2%)
The second-largest domain. Covers nonforfeiture options, settlement options, and common riders candidates must be able to compare and apply to scenarios.
Domain 8: Annuities (7.3%)
Annuity structures, payout options, and the fundamentals of accumulation versus distribution phases.
Domain 9: Federal Tax Considerations for Life Insurance (3.6%)
Tax treatment of premiums, death benefits, and cash value growth.
Key Takeaway
Domain 2 (25.5%) and Domain 7 (18.2%) together make up more than 43% of the scored exam. Prioritize North Dakota-specific law and policy provisions before diving deep into lower-weight domains like federal tax considerations (3.6%).
Exam Format, Fees, and Registration
The official exam consists of 110 scored questions delivered in 150 minutes, with a passing threshold of 70% - meaning at least 77 correct answers. PSI may also insert 5-10 additional unscored experimental questions that are indistinguishable from scored ones, so there's no way to identify or skip them strategically. The exam fee is $64.
Unlike many professional certifications, North Dakota does not require a prelicensing course before you can sit for the exam. That lowers the barrier to entry but also puts more responsibility on the candidate to self-prepare thoroughly, since there's no mandatory classroom exposure to the material beforehand.
Beyond the exam itself, resident applicants must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Meet North Dakota's residency and character requirements
- Pass the examination
- Complete a fingerprint-based background check
- Submit their license application within one year of passing the exam
Once licensed, producers renew biennially and must complete 24 continuing-education hours, including 3 hours of ethics, plus any specialized annuity or long-term-care training that applies to their specific product lines. For the complete eligibility checklist, see NDLH Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify, and for a full cost breakdown including renewal and CE expenses, see NDLH Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Who Needs This Exam
The NDLH Life and Annuity exam is required for anyone who wants to earn commissions selling life insurance or annuity products in North Dakota. That includes:
- New insurance agents entering the field with a captive or independent agency
- Financial advisors and planners who want to add life and annuity products to their service offerings
- Bank and credit union employees who cross-sell insurance products
- Career-changers moving into insurance sales from another industry
- Existing producers licensed in other states who are adding North Dakota as a resident or non-resident state
Because the license is a legal prerequisite rather than a resume enhancement, it functions differently from voluntary certifications. You can't practice without it. If you're weighing whether the investment of time and the $64 fee make sense for your career path, Is the NDLH Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 walks through the considerations, and NDLH Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis covers earning potential for licensed producers.
Building a Domain-Based Study Plan
Because the exam's weight is so heavily concentrated in two domains - North Dakota Laws and Regulations (25.5%) and Policy Provisions, Options, and Riders (18.2%) - an effective study plan should allocate time proportionally rather than spending equal effort across all nine domains. A simple week-by-week structure built around domain weight looks like this:
Foundations
- Domain 4: General Insurance Concepts
- Domain 5: Life Insurance Basics
Products
- Domain 6: Types of Life Insurance Policies
- Domain 8: Annuities
Heaviest Domains
- Domain 2: North Dakota Laws and Regulations (largest weight)
- Domain 7: Policy Provisions, Options, and Riders
Regulation and Review
- Domain 1: Insurance Regulation
- Domain 3: Federal Laws and Regulations
- Domain 9: Federal Tax Considerations
- Full timed practice exams
Whatever schedule you use, build in full-length, timed practice exams during your final week to simulate the 150-minute, 110-question format under closed-book conditions - including the possibility of unscored experimental items you won't be able to identify. Our practice test platform mirrors this structure so you can rehearse the pacing before test day. For a more detailed week-by-week walkthrough, see the NDLH Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
NDLH at a Glance
| Detail | Specification |
|---|---|
| Full name | North Dakota Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam (Life and Annuity focus) |
| Regulator | North Dakota Insurance Department |
| Test delivery | PSI (test center or remote proctoring) |
| Scored questions | 110 |
| Time limit | 150 minutes |
| Passing score | 70% (77 of 110 correct) |
| Unscored items | 5-10 experimental questions (may be added) |
| Exam fee | $64 |
| Prelicensing course | Not required |
| Renewal cycle | Biennial, 24 CE hours including 3 ethics hours |
Some candidates confuse the difficulty of this exam with other state exams because of overlapping product content. If you want a realistic sense of how challenging this specific version is, read How Hard Is the NDLH Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026, and check current testing availability in NDLH Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Key Takeaway
Treat NDLH as a state law exam with insurance product context, not the reverse. Domain 2 alone outweighs Domains 3, 4, and 9 combined.
Frequently Asked Questions
On this site, yes - NDLH refers specifically to that exam, with a focus on the Life and Annuity (Product and Laws) version. Other organizations may use similar acronyms for unrelated credentials, so always confirm context.
No. North Dakota does not mandate a prelicensing course for this exam, though candidates are still fully responsible for mastering all nine domains on their own.
The official exam has 110 scored questions to complete in 150 minutes, with a possible 5-10 additional unscored experimental questions mixed in.
You need 70% correct, which equals at least 77 correct answers out of the 110 scored questions.
No. The exam is closed book with no reference materials or calculator allowed, and remote-proctored sessions additionally prohibit scratch paper and breaks.
Understanding exactly what NDLH means - and which domains carry the most weight - is the first real step toward passing. Once the terminology and structure are clear, the next move is building a study plan around the two heaviest domains and testing your readiness with realistic, timed questions on our practice test platform.