Becoming a Life & Health producer in Arkansas
An Arkansas Life and Health license lets you sell life insurance, annuities, and accident/health coverage to Arkansas residents. It's a popular first license, and the path is well-marked - but Arkansas front-loads more steps than some states, so it pays to know the order before you start.
Two things to keep straight up front. First, Arkansas requires pre-licensing education (20 hours per line). Second, Life and Health are two separate exams here - there's no single combined L&H test - though you can schedule both in one PSI session. We'll walk through each step below.
Who can get licensed
Arkansas keeps eligibility simple: be at least 18, be an Arkansas resident, provide a Social Security number (or FEIN), and pass the required exams. You'll clear an Arkansas State Police background check as part of the application.
If you plan to sell variable life or variable annuities, you'll need your life line plus the securities registration that comes from FINRA/SEC exams. For standard fixed life and health products, no securities license is required.
Pre-licensing education (required)
Arkansas requires pre-licensing education before you're allowed to sit the exam - 20 hours per line of authority under AID Rule 31. For Life and Health that means two courses - 20 hours of Life and 20 hours of Accident/Health/Sickness, 40 hours in total.
You can take the course in a classroom or online; online providers must track your actual study time and won't release the certificate until you've logged the full hours. You'll also pass the provider's closed-book final at 70% or better. Keep that certificate handy - it's valid for two years, and PSI requires proof of pre-licensing for every exam attempt.
TESTivity recommends [Achievable](https://app.achievable.me/study/insurance-life-health/purchase#a_aid=getthelicense) to satisfy your Arkansas pre-licensing requirement. Achievable is an approved provider, its insurance courses were built by the same subject-matter expert behind TESTivity, and completing the Achievable course earns you the certificate of completion Arkansas requires.
One important distinction: TESTivity is not an approved pre-licensing provider in Arkansas and does not issue certificates of completion. The TESTivity learning tools and study packages will absolutely help you pass the exam — but treat them as a supplement to your Achievable course, not a substitute for it.
Disclosure: TESTivity has a partnership with Achievable and may earn a commission if you enroll through links on this page.
Apply and clear your background check - before you test
Here's the part that trips people up: in Arkansas you apply and clear your background check BEFORE you sit the exam. After your pre-licensing course, file an Electronic Resident Licensing application at NIPR and pay the $20 application fee, then complete the Arkansas State Police criminal background check online (about $25).
The Arkansas Insurance Department reviews your application for completeness, and once you're cleared PSI emails you an approval to test - usually within 2 to 5 days. Only then can you schedule and pay for the exam with PSI. After you pass, you can print your license from NIPR about 24 hours later.
The Life & Health exam format
Each exam is built from two parts. The General Knowledge portion covers nationwide product and concept material - 70 scored questions plus 5 unscored pretest items in 90 minutes. The Arkansas State portion covers Title 23 law and AID rules - 30 scored questions plus 5 pretest items in 60 minutes. Together each exam is 100 scored questions over 2 hours 30 minutes.
So the Life exam and the Accident/Health/Sickness exam are 100 scored questions apiece - 200 scored across both. You need 70% to pass each, and PSI shows your result on screen and emails a score report; fail and the report includes a diagnostic breakdown by topic to guide your retake.
Your 90-day testing window
Once you're approved, the clock starts: you must pass within 90 days of your approval date, and you get up to three attempts in that window. You can't rebook on the same day you test - results processing means the soonest retake is the next available day.
Miss the 90-day window or strike out after three tries, and you wait four weeks and start the application process over. Bottom line: don't burn an attempt before you're genuinely ready, because the runway is shorter than it looks.
What it costs, start to finish
Budget about $145 in state and exam fees: $50 for each of the Life and Health exams ($100), a $25 Arkansas State Police background check, and the $20 NIPR application fee. On top of that is your pre-licensing course - 40 hours total across the two lines - which is priced by whichever provider you choose — TESTivity recommends [Achievable](https://app.achievable.me/study/insurance-life-health/purchase#a_aid=getthelicense).
After you pass both exams, print your license from NIPR about 24 hours later. From there it's appointments (handled by your carriers) and staying current on CE.
Continuing education and renewal
Arkansas renews resident producer licenses every two years, due the last day of your birth month, for about $70 through NIPR. To renew you complete 24 hours of continuing education per cycle, including at least 3 hours of ethics. Holding multiple lines (say L&H plus P&C) doesn't double the requirement - it's 24 hours total.
Specialty products add their own training: an 8-hour initial LTC course plus a 4-hour refresher each cycle for long-term care, a one-time 4-hour Annuity Best Interest course for annuities, and a one-time 3-hour NFIP course for flood (which counts toward your 24 hours). Carrier appointments are separate and renew each June 1, paid by the insurer.
Quick Reference
Official Links
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