New Jersey Life & Health
Insurance Exam

To pass the New Jersey insurance licensing exam on your first attempt, follow this proven strategy: First, complete the required 20 hours of DOBI-approved pre-licensing coursework. Second, study the key content areas systematically — life insurance, health insurance, annuities, and New Jersey-specific regulations. Third, complete at least 300+ practice questions and consistently score 80% or higher, well above the 70% passing threshold. Fourth, focus extra time on New Jersey-specific laws including the NJ Insurance Code, the NJ Individual Health Coverage Program, the NJ Insurance Fraud Prevention Act, replacement regulations, and free-look periods. Finally, take full-length timed practice exams (150 questions in 2.5 hours) to build stamina and confidence. Students who follow this approach have a significantly higher first-attempt pass rate.

The combined New Jersey Life & Health insurance exam has 150 multiple-choice questions with a 2-hour 30-minute time limit. You need a score of 70% to pass, meaning at least 105 correct answers out of 150. New Jersey also offers separate exams: Life-Only (75 questions) and Health-Only (75 questions), both requiring 70% to pass (at least 53 correct). We recommend aiming for 80%+ on practice tests to give yourself a comfortable margin on exam day.

The New Jersey Life & Health exam covers several major content areas. Life insurance (~35%): policy types (term, whole, universal, variable), beneficiary designations, settlement options, and group life plans. Health insurance (~28%): individual and group medical expense coverage, the Affordable Care Act, NJ Individual Health Coverage Program, NJ Small Employer Health Benefits Program, disability income, long-term care, and Medicare/Medigap plans. Annuities (~12%): fixed, variable, indexed, immediate, and deferred annuities, suitability, and taxation rules. General insurance principles (~10%): risk management, insurance contracts, types of insurers. New Jersey-specific content (~15%): NJ Insurance Code, producer licensing, ethics, unfair trade practices, replacement regulations, and the NJ Insurance Fraud Prevention Act.

The New Jersey insurance exam fee is $59 per attempt, paid directly to Pearson VUE when you schedule. The exam is administered by Pearson VUE at testing centers throughout New Jersey (including Newark, Trenton, Edison, Cherry Hill, and other cities) or via online proctoring from your home or office. Separately, you'll pay approximately $50 for fingerprinting through IdentoGO/IDEMIA, and a $100 license application fee to DOBI after you pass. If you fail and retake, you pay the $59 exam fee again each time. Budget approximately $300–$400 total for the entire licensing process.

New Jersey requires 20 hours of DOBI-approved pre-licensing education for the combined Life & Health exam (or for each individual line). The pre-licensing course must be completed before you can take the state exam. Courses are available online or in-person from DOBI-approved education providers. After completing the course, your provider will report your completion electronically to Pearson VUE. Your pre-licensing education is valid for 12 months — if you don't pass the exam within that window, you'll need to retake the pre-licensing course. You must also submit fingerprints through IdentoGO for a background check and be at least 18 years old.

If you fail the New Jersey insurance exam, you'll receive a score report showing your performance by topic area — use this to focus your additional studying. New Jersey's retake policy is as follows: for your first two failed attempts, there is no mandatory waiting period, and you can reschedule as soon as Pearson VUE has availability. After two failed attempts, you must wait 30 days before retaking the exam. Each retake requires paying the $59 exam fee again. There is no hard limit on the number of attempts, but we strongly recommend upgrading to our premium question bank to target your weak areas before retaking.