ND-PC Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling

How ND-PC Testing Actually Works

Unlike college admissions tests or bar exams with a handful of set calendar dates, the North Dakota Property & Casualty Insurance Producer Exam does not run on a seasonal testing window. The North Dakota Insurance & Securities Department sets licensing policy, but the actual exam delivery is handled by PSI Services LLC, which offers computer-based testing at approved centers essentially year-round. That means "ND-PC exam dates" is really a question of "when can I get a seat," not "when does the next testing cycle open."

This is good news for planning purposes: once you're eligible and ready, you're rarely more than a few days from an available appointment. It also means the real scheduling pressure sits earlier in the process - clearing eligibility requirements, getting your NIPR application in order, and locking in a study plan tied to the ND-PC exam domains before you ever open PSI's booking page.

Before You Can Schedule: Eligibility Deadlines to Clear

You can't book a PSI appointment until you satisfy North Dakota's baseline eligibility criteria. These aren't calendar-driven, but each one takes time to process, so treat them as your real "deadlines" leading up to test day:

• Age and residency: You must be at least 18 years old and either reside in North Dakota or maintain a principal place of business there.
• No prelicensing course requirement: North Dakota does not mandate a prelicensing education course before sitting for either exam, which shortens your runway compared to states that do.
• Fingerprint-based criminal history check: This step often has the longest lead time. Schedule it early, since results can take days to process before your application is considered complete.
• NIPR application: Applicants apply through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR), which coordinates with the state on background checks and license status.

For a full breakdown of who qualifies and how the pieces fit together, see ND-PC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify. Getting these steps queued up early is the single biggest lever you have over your effective exam date - the test itself is available almost immediately once you're cleared.

Registering Through NIPR and PSI: Step-by-Step Timeline

Once eligibility is squared away, scheduling the actual exam is straightforward. Here's the realistic order of operations candidates follow:

1. Initiate your application through NIPR and complete the fingerprint-based criminal history check if you haven't already.
2. Pay the exam fee - $64 per exam. Property and Casualty are separate exams with separate fees, so budget $128 total if you're pursuing both lines.
3. Create or confirm your PSI candidate account and reference the current PSI candidate bulletin (dated December 27, 2024 at the time of this writing) for the latest testing center list and policies.
4. Select a testing center and time slot. Because PSI runs continuous scheduling, most candidates can find an opening within a short window of days.
5. Arrive with required identification and complete the exam within the allotted 150 minutes.

If cost planning is part of your decision-making, the ND-PC Certification Cost breakdown walks through the $64-per-exam fee, the $100 initial license fee, and how those numbers stack up against renewal costs down the road.

What to Expect Once You're in the Testing Chair

Every ND-PC exam session - Property or Casualty - follows the same format: a computer-based, multiple-choice test with 110 scored questions plus an additional 5-10 unscored experimental questions mixed in without identification. You won't know which ones are experimental, so the safest strategy is to treat every question as if it counts.

You'll have 150 minutes to work through the exam, and a passing result requires 70%, or 77 correct scored answers. Results are typically communicated at the test center shortly after you finish. For a deeper look at exactly how that scoring threshold is calculated and why it matters for your pacing strategy, read ND-PC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.

Retake Scheduling: Unlimited Attempts, No Hidden Waiting Period

If you don't pass on your first attempt, North Dakota allows unlimited retakes. There's no mandatory cooling-off period baked into the rules described in the PSI candidate bulletin beyond simply rebooking and paying the $64 fee again for that specific exam. That said, unlimited attempts don't mean unlimited time - your background check and application window on NIPR still operate under the state's broader licensing timeline, so don't let repeat attempts drag on indefinitely.

Before you rebook, it's worth diagnosing why the first attempt fell short. Was it a specific domain, pacing, or unfamiliarity with question phrasing? The How Hard Is the ND-PC Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide breaks down where most candidates lose points, and the ND-PC Pass Rate data gives useful qualitative context on what separates first-time passers from repeat test-takers.

Building a Study Timeline Around the ND-PC Domains

Because you control your own exam date, your real scheduling task is reverse-engineering a study calendar that ends the week you plan to sit for PSI. Property and Casualty each have ten domains, and North Dakota-specific law is the heaviest single content area on both - 27.3% of the Casualty exam and 23.6% of the Property exam. Any study plan that treats state law as an afterthought is misallocating time.

For a domain-by-domain breakdown of what each of those twenty topics actually tests, the ND-PC Exam Domains 2026 guide is the companion resource to this timeline. And if you want a structured, week-by-week study plan rather than just a scheduling framework, pair this article with the ND-PC Study Guide 2026.

After You Pass: License Application and Renewal Dates

Passing the exam isn't the finish line - it starts a new set of dates you need to track:

• Score validity: Your passing score is valid for one year. If you don't complete your license application within that window, you may need to retest.
• Initial license fee: $100, paid when you formally apply for your producer license after passing.
• Biennial renewal: Your license renews every two years by the last day of your birth month, for a $25 renewal fee.
• Continuing education: Each renewal cycle requires 24 CE hours, including 3 hours specifically in ethics.

Mark your birth month renewal date the moment you get licensed - it's easy to lose track of a biennial deadline two years out. If you're still weighing whether the time and cost investment is worthwhile relative to career payoff, Is the ND-PC Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis and the ND-PC Salary Guide lay out the broader picture beyond exam day itself.

Property vs. Casualty: Side-by-Side Scheduling Facts

Notice how identical the mechanics are - same fee, same time limit, same passing threshold. The real difference between the two exams is content, not logistics. Use targeted practice questions on our practice platform to drill each line separately rather than mixing Property and Casualty material together, since the domain names and weightings don't overlap one-to-one.

Frequently Asked Questions