What Is ND-PC Certification?

What ND-PC Actually Refers To

On this site, ND-PC means one thing only: the North Dakota Property & Casualty Insurance Producer Exam. It's the state licensing test that anyone who wants to sell property or casualty insurance products in North Dakota must pass. Because the same three letters are used by a handful of unrelated certifications in other industries, it's worth being explicit here - everything on this page describes the insurance producer exam, not any other credential that happens to share the acronym.

If you're just getting oriented, our companion pieces on What Is ND-PC?, ND-PC Meaning, and What Does ND-PC Stand For? cover the terminology from slightly different angles if you want additional context before diving into the mechanics below.

Who Regulates and Administers the Exam

The North Dakota Insurance & Securities Department is the state authority that governs producer licensing requirements in North Dakota. The actual delivery of the exam - scheduling, testing centers, computer-based administration - falls to PSI Services LLC, the third-party vendor contracted to run insurance licensing exams in the state. The most recent state-hosted PSI candidate bulletin, which spells out exact content outlines and testing policies, is dated December 27, 2024. If you're preparing seriously, that bulletin (alongside a structured resource like the ND-PC Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt) should be your primary reference point rather than secondhand summaries.

Exam Format, Fees, and Scoring

Both the Property exam and the Casualty exam follow an identical structure, even though the content differs:

• Format: Computer-based, multiple choice
• Scored questions: 110 per exam
• Unscored experimental questions: 5-10 additional per exam (you won't know which ones these are)
• Time allowed: 150 minutes
• Passing score: 70%, which equals 77 correct scored answers
• Cost: $64 per exam attempt (Property and Casualty are billed separately)
• Retakes: Unlimited, though each attempt requires paying the fee again

Because unscored experimental items are mixed in with scored questions and you can't tell which is which, treat every question on screen as if it counts. This is a detail worth internalizing early - see ND-PC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass for a full breakdown of how the 77-correct-answer threshold plays out in practice.

The 20 Domains You Need to Know

Across the two exams, ND-PC content is organized into 20 distinct domains - 10 for Property, 10 for Casualty. Understanding how these domains are weighted matters more than most candidates realize, because North Dakota laws and regulations is the largest single content area on both exams: 27.3% of the Casualty exam and 23.6% of the Property exam. That means well over a fifth of every question you see traces back to state-specific statutes rather than generic insurance theory.

For a domain-by-domain breakdown of what each of these 20 areas actually tests, including how much weight each one likely carries relative to the others, the ND-PC Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 20 Content Areas guide goes considerably deeper than a summary list can.

Eligibility and Application Mechanics

Before you can sit for either exam, you need to meet North Dakota's baseline eligibility criteria:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Reside in North Dakota or maintain a principal place of business there
• Pass each exam corresponding to the line of authority you're requesting
• Complete a fingerprint-based criminal history check
• Apply for licensure through NIPR (the National Insurance Producer Registry)

One detail candidates frequently overlook: exam scores are only valid for one year from the date you pass. If your fingerprint check, application, or other paperwork drags on past that window, you may need to retest. Full eligibility nuances - including what counts as "principal place of business" and how the fingerprinting process fits into the timeline - are covered in ND-PC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.

After You Pass: Licensing and Renewal

Passing the exam is only the midpoint. Once you've cleared the score threshold on both exams and completed the fingerprint-based background check, you apply for your actual producer license through NIPR. The initial license fee is $100.

Licensing isn't a one-time event - North Dakota producer licenses renew biennially, due by the last day of your birth month, for a $25 renewal fee. To renew, you must also complete 24 continuing education hours, of which 3 hours must be ethics-specific. Treat this as a recurring professional obligation, not a box you check once and forget.

Who Actually Needs This Credential

The ND-PC exams exist specifically for individuals who intend to sell, solicit, or negotiate property and/or casualty insurance policies within North Dakota. That includes:

• New producers entering independent or captive agency roles
• Insurance agency staff being licensed to write P&C business for the first time
• Producers relocating to North Dakota who need a resident license there
• Career-changers moving into insurance sales, claims-adjacent roles, or brokerage work

If you're evaluating whether this path fits your career goals - or trying to understand what roles actually open up once you're licensed - ND-PC Jobs and ND-PC Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis dig into that side of the equation. For a broader cost-versus-benefit view, Is the ND-PC Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 weighs the licensing investment against what it enables professionally.

A Realistic Approach to Preparing

Because no prelicensing course is mandated, candidates approach preparation in wildly different ways - some rely on self-study manuals, some use online courses, and many lean on structured practice tests to get comfortable with the question style before exam day. Regardless of method, the fact that Property and Casualty are separate 110-question exams means you're effectively preparing for two distinct bodies of knowledge, even though a few domains (Insurance Regulation, Federal Laws and Regulations, General Insurance) rhyme structurally between them.

If timed practice under exam conditions consistently feels tight, that's a signal worth addressing directly - the How Hard Is the ND-PC Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 article walks through what makes the 150-minute, 110-question format challenging for many first-time candidates, and the ND-PC Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows piece contextualizes what the available data actually indicates. For last-minute review the night before, many candidates keep a condensed reference like the ND-PC Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts on hand.

Frequently Asked Questions