North Dakota Insurance Exam Guides
Pick the license you're studying for. Each guide covers North Dakota-specific requirements, fees, and official links — plus a free practice exam. Then scroll down to explore the North Dakota exam's state-law material, mapped.
Free study resource
What's actually tested on the North Dakota exam — the state regulations, mapped
Every North Dakota insurance exam reserves a block of questions for North Dakota-specific law — the fees, deadlines, limits, and rules that generic national study guides gloss over. This is that material: 113 facts from the TESTivity North Dakota regulations curriculum, organized the way we teach them. Open a branch, explore, and let the structure do some of the remembering for you.
Every fact below carries its source citation and the date we last verified it (most recently July 2026) — and is re-checked on a schedule. Facts marked tested are ones you should expect to see on the exam.
Life 14 facts
The life insurance rules that differ by state — free look, grace, reinstatement.
- Incontestability period tested2 years — a policy is incontestable after it has been in force for 2 years during the insured's lifetime
- Grace period for individual life tested31 days for any premium after the first, during which the policy stays in force
- Window to reinstate a lapsed policy testedWithin 3 years from the date of default, on evidence of insurability and payment of overdue premiums with interest
- Max interest chargeable on reinstatement, if capped testedOverdue premiums are paid with interest at the rate specified in the policy — North Dakota fixes no statutory percentage cap
- Suicide exclusion period tested1 year — a suicide restriction may apply only during the first year after issue; after 1 year, suicide is no defense to the claim
- Free look for individual life tested20 days to return an individual life policy for a full refund (the notice must appear on the first page)
- Free look for annuities tested20 days for an annuity (for a variable annuity, the refund equals the account value plus all expense charges)
- Free look when a policy is being replaced testedNorth Dakota does not set a separate, longer free look for replacements — the standard 20-day right to return applies
- Free look for long-term care tested30 days for long-term care, from delivery or the effective date, whichever is later
- Required nonforfeiture options testedCash surrender value, reduced paid-up insurance, and extended term insurance, under North Dakota's Standard Nonforfeiture Law
- Registrations required to sell variable products testedVariable life and variable annuities require the North Dakota Life line plus a Variable Life & Variable Annuity line of authority and securities (FINRA) registration, with a CRD number — they are securities
- Does the state regulate viatical/life settlements? testedYes — North Dakota regulates viatical and life settlements under Chapter 26.1-33.4; providers and brokers must be licensed
- Viator's rescission window testedThe owner may rescind by the earlier of 60 days after the contract is executed or 30 days after the settlement proceeds are sent to the escrow agent
- Has the state adopted the NAIC best interest standard? testedYES — North Dakota adopted the NAIC 2020 best interest annuity standard, effective January 1, 2022 (Chapter 26.1-34.2), with a producer best-interest duty and a 4-hour annuity training
Health 15 facts
Health coverage rules — continuation, prompt pay, mandates, public programs.
- Has the state expanded Medicaid under the ACA? testedYES — North Dakota expanded Medicaid under the ACA (adults up to 138% of the federal poverty level), effective January 1, 2014
- Effective date of expansion, if expanded testedJanuary 1, 2014
- Agency administering Medicaid testedNorth Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Federal marketplace or state-based exchange testedA FEDERALLY-FACILITATED marketplace (HealthCare.gov) — North Dakota did not build a state exchange
- Name of the state CHIP program testedHealthy Steps (North Dakota's CHIP program, administered by HHS and delivered through BCBSND)
- Clean-claim payment deadline, electronic tested15 business days after receiving a proof of loss to pay, deny, or make an initial request for more information
- Clean-claim payment deadline, paper tested15 business days — North Dakota does not distinguish electronic from paper claims
- Does the state distinguish electronic vs paper claims? testedNo — North Dakota applies a single 15-business-day standard to all clean claims
- Interest / penalty on late claim payment testedNorth Dakota's prompt-pay statute does not fix a specific interest rate; a late payer is subject to the Insurance Code's general penalty provisions
- Is the IRO's external review decision binding on the plan? testedYES — the independent review organization's external-review decision is BINDING on the insurer and the claimant; the IRO issues a standard decision within 45 days, and the insurer must provide benefits without delay
- Employer size at which federal COBRA applies testedFederal COBRA applies at 20+ employees; North Dakota continuation reaches smaller groups
- Employer size range covered by state continuation testedNorth Dakota continuation applies to smaller groups (fewer than 20 employees) not subject to federal COBRA; the employee must have been continuously insured for the 3-month period before termination
- Duration of state continuation coverage testedUntil 39 weeks after coverage would otherwise terminate (about 9 months) — North Dakota expresses its continuation as 39 weeks, not 18 months
- Election period for state continuation testedWritten election and the first premium are due within 31 days
- Max premium as % of group rate testedThe continuant pays the group premium
Auto 12 facts
Auto insurance — minimum limits, fault system, required coverages.
- Fault-based (tort) or no-fault testedNO-FAULT — every secured vehicle carries mandatory 'basic no-fault' (personal injury protection) benefits paid regardless of fault; a suit for pain and suffering requires crossing a serious-injury threshold
- Minimum bodily injury liability per person tested$25,000 per person
- Minimum bodily injury liability per occurrence tested$50,000 per accident
- Minimum property damage liability tested$25,000 per accident
- The memorizable shorthand (e.g. 30/60/25) tested25/50/25
- Uninsured motorist: mandatory / must be offered & rejectable / not required testedMANDATORY — uninsured motorist coverage is compulsory, at least at the 25/50 minimum; a policy cannot be issued or renewed without it
- Underinsured motorist status testedMANDATORY — underinsured motorist coverage is also compulsory, at limits equal to the uninsured motorist coverage (25/50)
- Personal injury protection status testedMANDATORY — basic no-fault (PIP) benefits of up to $30,000 per person per accident for economic loss (medical and rehabilitation; 85% of work loss up to $150/week; $15/day replacement services; up to $3,500 funeral). Optional excess no-fault is available up to $80,000.
- Contributory / pure comparative / modified comparative negligence testedMODIFIED COMPARATIVE FAULT with a 50% bar — a claimant recovers only if their fault is LESS than the combined fault of everyone else; a claimant whose fault is AS GREAT AS (50% or more) the combined fault recovers nothing. Damages are reduced by the claimant's share, and liability among defendants is several, not joint.
- The bar percentage, if modified comparative tested50% bar — a claimant whose fault is as great as (or greater than) the combined fault of the others recovers nothing (so a claimant must be LESS than 50% at fault to recover)
- Assigned risk / residual market plan for auto testedThe North Dakota Automobile Insurance Plan (NDAIP) — the assigned-risk residual market (a separate Assigned Claims Plan pays no-fault benefits to certain otherwise-uncovered injured persons)
- Any alternative to buying liability insurance (e.g. VA's UMV fee) testedBecause North Dakota is a no-fault state, a suit for pain and suffering requires a 'serious injury' — death, dismemberment, serious and permanent disfigurement, disability beyond 60 days, OR medical expenses over $2,500
CE & Renewal 10 facts
Continuing education and renewal rules — the numbers the exam loves.
- How long a license lasts before renewal tested2 years (biennial), expiring on the last day of the licensee's birth month
- What the renewal date keys off (flat term / birthday / birth year) testedBirthday-based — the license expires on the last day of the licensee's birth month, renewed biennially
- CE hours per renewal period, standard case tested24 CE hours every 2 years
- CE hours if holding multiple license types (if different) tested24 total each cycle — a single requirement covering all lines held; it is not stacked per line
- Ethics hours required per period tested3 hours of ethics each cycle, within the 24
- Limits on who may provide CE credits testedProviders, coordinators, and instructors must be approved by the Insurance Department; a course may not be credited twice in a reporting period
- Initial long-term care training requirement testedLong-term care sales require 8 hours of initial North Dakota-approved LTC training and 4 hours each 2-year period thereafter; selling annuities requires a one-time 4-hour annuity training
- What happens if CE is not completed (fine / expiry / cancellation) testedA producer who fails to complete CE and pay the $25 continuation fee cannot renew, and the license is canceled. Renewal is a two-part process (CE compliance plus the application and fee before expiration); completing CE alone does not prevent expiration.
- Late renewal / reinstatement tiers testedA license may be reinstated within 1 year of expiration by reapplying and paying the $100 fee (the producer must be CE-compliant and stop acting under the license once it expires); the renewal window opens 90 days before expiration
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) testedProducers licensed exclusively for title, travel/baggage, surety, bail bonds, legal expense, or credit are exempt from CE (but still renew biennially); nonresidents satisfy North Dakota CE through their home-state compliance
Property 6 facts
Property insurance — rate regulation, residual markets, catastrophe exposure.
- Rate regulation system (file-and-use / prior approval / use-and-file) testedPRIOR APPROVAL — North Dakota is generally a prior-approval state for personal auto and homeowners rates, rules, and forms (a change under 5% may be use-and-file once per calendar year per company; larger changes need prior approval)
- Is insurance credit scoring permitted in personal lines? testedPERMITTED but RESTRICTED — an insurer may not use income, gender, address/ZIP, ethnicity, religion, marital status, or nationality in a scoring model, may not deny/cancel/nonrenew solely on credit, and may not penalize the absence of a credit card; scoring models must be filed
- Does the state have a FAIR Plan? testedNO — North Dakota has NO FAIR Plan; hard-to-place property risks are handled through the private and surplus lines markets (the state uses a North Dakota Insurance Incentive Program rather than a FAIR Plan)
- Dominant catastrophe perils in the state testedHail, straight-line wind and tornado, severe winter storms and blizzards, and flooding (notably the Red River of the North) — an inland, Northern Plains profile
- What license you must already hold to write surplus lines testedA surplus lines producer license (issued under Chapter 26.1-26); coverage is placed with an eligible surplus lines (nonadmitted) insurer
- Is a diligent-effort search of the admitted market required first? testedYes — the producer must determine that the full amount or type of coverage is not available from admitted insurers actually writing it before placing it in the surplus lines market (a diligent-effort standard); the surplus lines premium tax is 1.75%
Guaranty 10 facts
The safety nets when an insurer fails — and their limits.
- Name of the life & health guaranty association testedThe North Dakota Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association
- Life death benefit limit tested$300,000
- Life cash surrender / withdrawal value limit tested$100,000 net cash surrender value
- Annuity benefit limit tested$250,000 present value of annuity benefits (including cash surrender value)
- Health benefit limit tested$500,000 for a health benefit plan; $300,000 for disability income and long-term care; $100,000 for other/basic health
- Aggregate per-individual cap, if any tested$300,000 aggregate per individual life (up to $500,000 where a health benefit plan is involved)
- Does the state follow the standard NAIC model limits? testedYes — North Dakota follows the standard NAIC model limits ($300,000 death benefit, $100,000 cash value, $250,000 annuity, tiered health, $300,000 aggregate)
- Name of the P&C guaranty association testedThe North Dakota Insurance Guaranty Association
- Per-claim cap tested$300,000 per covered claim (returned unearned premium is capped at $10,000 per policy; the association's obligation ceases at $10,000,000 paid per insured per insolvency)
- Is using the guaranty association as a sales inducement prohibited? testedYes — using the existence of the guaranty association for sales, solicitation, or inducement to purchase insurance is prohibited
Workers Comp 7 facts
Who must carry workers' compensation and what it pays.
- Is workers' compensation mandatory for private employers? testedYes — with limited exceptions, all employers must insure all employees (full-time, part-time, seasonal, and occasional) before work begins
- Employee count at which coverage is required testedCoverage attaches with any covered employment — North Dakota has no numeric employee threshold (sole proprietors, partners, corporate officers, and LLC members are excludable but may opt in)
- Agency administering workers' compensation testedNorth Dakota Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI) — the SOLE provider and administrator of workers' compensation in the state
- Temporary total disability wage replacement rate testedTwo-thirds (66 2/3%) of the pre-injury gross weekly wage (plus up to $15/week per dependent child), payable after 5 consecutive days off work, subject to the statewide maximum
- Maximum TTD duration testedTemporary total disability is paid during the disability until return to work or maximum medical improvement (no fixed statutory week-cap for TTD); temporary PARTIAL disability is capped at 5 years
- Deadline to file a claim tested1
- Ways an employer may comply (insure / self-insure / group) testedONLY through WSI — North Dakota law does not allow private insurers to write workers' compensation, and private employers cannot self-insure. An employer secures coverage solely by opening a WSI account.
Regulator 5 facts
Who regulates insurance here and what powers the office holds.
- Name of the state insurance regulator testedThe North Dakota Insurance Department
- Title of the person who heads it testedCommissioner of Insurance
- How the commissioner is chosen: elected / appointed by governor / appointed by other body testedELECTED by the people of North Dakota to a 4-year term (a constitutional executive-branch office) — not appointed
- Where the state's insurance law is codified testedTitle 26.1 of the North Dakota Century Code (Insurance), with rules in Title 45 of the North Dakota Administrative Code; producer licensing is in Chapter 26.1-26
- Does the regulator sit somewhere unusual (e.g. inside a constitutional commission)? testedNo — the Insurance Department is a standalone department; what is unusual is that its Commissioner is a statewide ELECTED constitutional officer (and, since 2025, the Department also oversees securities)
Cancellation 8 facts
When and how policies can be canceled or nonrenewed — heavily tested.
- Initial window during which an insurer may cancel more freely tested60 days — the cancellation-restriction rules do not apply to a personal auto policy in effect less than 60 days (unless it is a renewal), so an insurer may cancel more freely during the first 60 days
- Notice days to cancel a homeowners policy inside the initial window testedNorth Dakota's detailed cancellation statute (Chapter 26.1-40) governs AUTOMOBILE policies; homeowners cancellation notice is governed by the policy form and standard fire-policy conditions rather than a dedicated personal-lines statute
- Notice days to cancel a personal auto policy inside the initial window testedAt least 20 days' written notice to cancel a personal auto policy for a permitted ground
- Notice days for cancellation for nonpayment tested10 days' notice for cancellation of a personal auto policy for nonpayment of premium
- Notice days for cancellation for other permitted causes testedAt least 20 days for cancellation of a personal auto policy on a permitted ground (after the first 60 days, auto cancellation is limited to enumerated grounds such as license suspension, fraud, or the vehicle becoming unsafe)
- Notice days required for nonrenewal testedAt least 30 days' written notice before expiration for nonrenewal of a personal auto policy
- Must the reason be stated proactively, on request, or not at all? testedYes — a nonpayment cancellation must state the reason; other cancellation and nonrenewal notices must state the reason or advise that the insurer will provide it in writing on request
- Restrictions on nonrenewing because of claims (e.g. weather claims excluded) testedNorth Dakota lists prohibited grounds for declining or terminating auto coverage — race, religion, nationality or ethnicity, lawful occupation, location (absent a legitimate business purpose), age/sex/marital status alone, or the fact that another insurer declined or the insured used the residual market. There is no separate blanket ban on nonrenewal for claims.
Licensing 26 facts
How you get and keep the license — exams, fees, applications, background checks.
- Is there a standalone life license/exam? testedYes — a Life and Annuity exam and line of authority (North Dakota combines life and annuities into one Life line; there is no separate annuity-only license)
- Is there a standalone health license/exam? testedYes — a standalone Accident and Health exam and line of authority
- Is there a combined life+health license/exam? testedNo — North Dakota does NOT offer a combined Life & Health exam; Life and Annuity and Accident & Health are separate lines with separate exams
- Is there a personal lines license/exam? testedYes — a Personal Lines line (its own reduced-scope exam), covering property and casualty sold to individuals
- Is P&C one combined license, or split into Property and Casualty? testedSPLIT — Property and Casualty are separate lines with separate exams; North Dakota has no single combined Property & Casualty license. A narrower Personal Lines line is also offered.
- Does the life license cover annuities? testedYes — the Life line is 'Life and Annuity,' so FIXED annuities are included. VARIABLE life and annuities require the Life line plus a Variable line of authority and securities (FINRA) registration.
- Does the P&C license already include personal lines authority? testedYes — holding both the Property and Casualty lines covers personal-lines risks; standalone Personal Lines is a narrower, personal-only line
- Full list of exam-based agent license types testedNorth Dakota licenses each line separately: Life and Annuity · Accident and Health · Property · Casualty · Personal Lines — plus Crop, Bail Bonds, Consumer Credit, Legal Expense, Public Adjuster, Surplus Lines, and Variable (with securities registration)
- Exam administrator (Prometric / PSI / Pearson VUE) testedPSI Services (PSI) administers North Dakota producer exams under contract with the Insurance Department
- Exam fee tested$64 for a major-line exam (Life and Annuity, Accident and Health, Property, or Casualty); $58 for Personal Lines and other limited-line exams
- License application fee tested$100 for an initial insurance producer license
- Fee per insurer appointment tested$25 per insurer appointment (and per annual renewal), effective August 1, 2025
- Passing score tested70%
- Minimum age to be licensed tested18
- Is pre-licensing education required? testedNO — North Dakota does not require pre-licensing education for any line; candidates may self-study and sit the exam directly
- Pre-licensing hours and any exceptions (e.g. Title, adjusters) testedNone — North Dakota law does not require classroom instruction or any pre-licensing hours for any line; applicants self-study. (Title insurance instead requires abstracter/attorney status or 80 hours of insurer training — a qualification alternative, not pre-licensing CE.)
- Fingerprints, state police report, or none testedElectronic (live-scan) fingerprinting for a state and national (ND Bureau of Criminal Investigation + FBI) criminal background check, required of all initial resident applicants (Senate Bill 2304); not required for renewals or for adding a line of authority
- Who takes the prints / issues the report testedThe North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (under the Attorney General) processes the check (forwarded to the FBI); prints are captured by live scan at a PSI test center or an approved location. Fees: $40 to the North Dakota Attorney General plus, at PSI, a $29 processing fee.
- How long the background report stays valid testedA one-time requirement at initial licensure; no recurring re-print is required (no stated 'valid-for' period)
- Deadline to apply after passing the exam testedApply within 1 year of the exam — the passing score is valid for one year for an applicant not yet licensed
- How long a passed exam remains valid testedA passing exam score is valid for 1 year (and remains valid while a license is continuously held, plus 12 months after cancellation)
- Waiting period before retaking a failed exam testedUnlimited retakes — you cannot rebook the same day as a failed attempt, but may retest as soon as the next available session
- Notice required to reschedule/cancel without forfeiting the fee testedCancel or reschedule so notice is received at least 2 days before the exam to avoid forfeiting the fee (voicemail and email are not accepted)
- Where you apply (Sircon / NIPR / state portal) testedNIPR (nipr.com) for electronic filing; the paper NAIC Uniform Application is also accepted by mail
- Are temporary licenses available? testedYes — a temporary producer license may be issued (with a written statement of reasons); it is not granted merely because an applicant failed the exam and wants to sell in the interim
- Temporary license duration and training requirement testedIssued for defined servicing situations under N.D.C.C. 26.1-26-15; the application must include a written statement of the reasons. (Exact duration is set by that statute.)