Alaska Life & Health Insurance Exam 2026

Becoming a Life & Health producer in Alaska

The Alaska Life and Health (now 'Life and Accident & Health') producer license lets you sell life insurance, annuities, and health/disability coverage to Alaska residents. It's one of the most common starting points for a new insurance career, and Alaska makes the path refreshingly direct - no required coursework, a single vendor, and a clear two-exam structure.

Here's the shape of it: be 18 and an Alaska resident, pass the Life exam and the Accident & Health exam (both through Pearson VUE), clear a fingerprint background check, and file your $75 application at NIPR. That's the whole journey. Below we break down each piece so nothing catches you off guard.

Who can get licensed

Alaska's resident eligibility rules (AS 21.27.020) are short: you must be at least 18 years old, be a resident of and actually residing in Alaska, be trustworthy and competent, and pass the required exam(s). You'll provide a Social Security number and proof of Alaska residency on the application.

If you intend to sell variable life or variable annuities, there's one extra layer: you must hold a life producer license and also satisfy the securities registration requirements (FINRA principal/registered-representative exams or the SEC test under the 1934 Act). For standard fixed life and health products, no securities license is needed.

The Life & Health exam format

Each line is a two-part exam. The General portion covers nationwide product knowledge - policy types, riders, provisions, underwriting, and concepts - with 50 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest items (60 total), and you get 1 hour 15 minutes. The Alaska State portion covers Title 21 law, rules, and Division regulations with 40 scored questions plus 10 pretest items (50 total) in 1 hour.

So the Life exam is 90 scored questions (110 items) in 2 hours 15 minutes, and the Accident & Health exam is the same. Combined, the Life and Health path is 180 scored questions across 220 total items. You need a scaled score of 70 to pass; only failing candidates receive a numeric score, along with diagnostic feedback by topic area.

If you fail a part, you retake the entire exam for that line (both General and State), and your result must be under a year old when you apply. OnVUE online testers get four attempts per exam with escalating waits (7, 14, then 30 days); after that, you finish at a test center.

Pre-licensing education: optional in Alaska

Here's some good news that surprises a lot of people: Alaska does not require any pre-licensing education hours before you sit for a producer exam. The state's eligibility rules ask only that you be at least 18, an actual Alaska resident, trustworthy and competent, and that you pass the exam. No mandatory classroom or online course gate stands between you and a test date.

That said, 'not required' is not the same as 'not a good idea.' These exams are real, and walking in cold is a fast way to donate $89 to Pearson VUE. A self-paced prep course, a study manual, and a stack of practice questions will save you time, money, and a retake. Treat the course as the smart-money optional, not the skip-it optional.

Fingerprints and background check

Alaska runs a fingerprint-based state and federal criminal history check on new producers. Fingerprints are captured electronically through IdentoGo (Alaska's vendor); the processing fee is about $51.50 and gets submitted with your application package. The Alaska Department of Public Safety also publishes a list of approved fingerprinters if you need a capture location.

Do this early. Background results can lag, and your application clock is ticking once you file - Alaska expects all application requirements to be satisfied within four months of receipt or the application is treated as withdrawn.

Applying for your Alaska license

Once you pass, you apply through NIPR (nipr.com) using the NAIC Uniform Application. The resident producer license fee is $75, paid at application. Bundle in your fingerprint fee and an official Pearson VUE score report. If you file a paper application when electronic filing is available, Alaska tacks on an extra $50 - so file online.

Your passing exam result is valid for one year, so don't let it go stale. After the license is issued, remember that Alaska no longer files carrier appointments with the state, but an insurer still has to track and authorize you before you can sell its products - so line up your appointment(s) once you're licensed.

What it costs, start to finish

Alaska is one of the more affordable states to get licensed in, mostly because there's no required course to buy. Budget roughly $215 all in: the $89 Pearson VUE exam fee, about $51.50 for electronic fingerprinting through IdentoGo, and the $75 biennial license fee filed at NIPR.

One money-saver worth knowing: at a physical Pearson VUE test center, the single $89 fee covers up to two exams taken in one session (an allowable combination). If you test online through OnVUE, however, you pay the fee for each exam - there's no multi-exam discount online.

Continuing education and renewal

After your first full two-year term, Alaska requires 24 hours of continuing education each biennial cycle, including at least 3 hours of ethics. The Division sends a renewal notice about 90 days before your birth month - that's your window to finish CE and renew.

Renewal is keyed to your birthday and your birth year: an odd birth year renews in odd-numbered years, an even birth year renews in even-numbered years, both on your birthday. Specialty lines layer on extra training - LTC sellers need an 8-hour initial certification plus 4 LTC hours per cycle, annuity sellers need a one-time 4-hour Annuity Best Interest course, and flood sellers need a one-time 3-hour NFIP course.

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