- You need 70% correct on 150 questions to pass the NY P&C exam.
- The exam is administered by PSI as Series 17-56 for the NY Department of Financial Services.
- You get 2 hours 30 minutes to answer all 150 computer-based multiple-choice questions.
- Homeowners Policy carries the heaviest domain weight at 14%, so prioritize it.
The Exact Passing Score You Need
If you're preparing for the New York Property & Casualty Insurance Agent/Broker Exam, the number that matters most is simple: 70%. That's the minimum score the New York State Department of Financial Services requires to pass. Because the exam contains 150 questions, 70% translates to roughly 105 correct answers out of 150 - though PSI's official pass/fail determination is based on the percentage score, not a fixed raw count, so treat 105 as a practical target rather than a guarantee.
There's no partial credit and no bonus weighting for harder questions. Every question counts the same toward your final percentage, whether it comes from the smallest domain (Accident and Health Insurance at 4%) or the largest (Homeowners Policy at 14%). That equal-weighting-per-question structure is important to understand before you start studying, because it changes how you should allocate your prep time. We'll cover that in the domain breakdown section below.
How the NY P&C Exam Is Scored
The NY P&C exam is delivered as a computer-based test through PSI, and scoring is straightforward: each of the 150 multiple-choice questions is worth one point, and your raw score is converted to a percentage. Hit 70% or higher and you pass. There's no essay component, no simulation-style scenario grading, and no separate score for each domain that could sink you independently - your overall percentage is what determines pass or fail.
That said, understanding the exam's structure at a component level still matters for how you prepare, even though the pass/fail line is a single overall percentage. If you want a full walkthrough of how the 11 content areas are weighted and tested, the NY P&C Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 11 Content Areas breaks down each domain's scope in detail.
Key Takeaway
Because scoring is a single overall percentage, you can afford to be weaker in a low-weight domain like Accident and Health Insurance (4%) as long as you're strong in high-weight domains like Homeowners Policy (14%) and Property and Casualty Insurance Basics (13%).
Domain Weights and What They Mean for Your Score
The NY P&C exam draws its 150 questions from 11 defined content domains, each with its own percentage weight. These weights are your roadmap for where to spend study hours, because a domain worth 14% of the exam deserves proportionally more attention than one worth 4%.
| Domain | Weight | Approx. Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Homeowners Policy | 14% | ~21 |
| Property and Casualty Insurance Basics | 13% | ~20 |
| Auto Insurance | 11% | ~17 |
| Commercial Package Policy (CPP) | 11% | ~17 |
| Insurance Regulation | 9% | ~14 |
| General Insurance | 9% | ~14 |
| Businessowners Policy | 8% | ~12 |
| Workers Compensation Insurance | 8% | ~12 |
| Other Coverages and Options | 7% | ~11 |
| Dwelling Policy | 6% | ~9 |
| Accident and Health Insurance | 4% | ~6 |
Notice that Homeowners Policy, Property and Casualty Insurance Basics, Auto Insurance, and Commercial Package Policy (CPP) together account for roughly half of the entire exam. Mastering those four domains alone puts you within reach of a passing score, even before you touch the smaller domains.
Homeowners Policy (14%)
The single largest domain. Candidates need to know policy forms, coverage parts, exclusions, endorsements, and how liability and property coverage interact within a homeowners policy.
- Know the differences between the standard homeowners forms and what each one covers
- Understand named-peril versus open-peril structures
- Be comfortable with common endorsements and exclusions tested repeatedly on this exam
Property and Casualty Insurance Basics (13%)
This domain covers the foundational vocabulary and concepts that show up embedded in questions across every other domain - so weakness here compounds elsewhere.
- Core insurance terminology and contract principles
- Underwriting concepts and risk classification basics
- How premium, coverage limits, and deductibles interact
For a deeper dive into every domain's testable subtopics, see the NY P&C Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 11 Content Areas. And if you're still deciding how tough this exam really is relative to your background, How Hard Is the NY P&C Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 walks through the difficulty factors in plain terms.
Question Format and Timing Mechanics
All 150 questions on the NY P&C exam are multiple-choice, delivered via computer at a PSI test center or through remote proctoring. You have 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete the full exam. That works out to an average of exactly one minute per question, though in practice most candidates move faster through recall-based questions and slow down on scenario-based ones that ask you to apply a policy provision to a specific situation.
Because there's no penalty for guessing, never leave a question blank. An unanswered question counts against your percentage exactly the same as a wrong answer, so if you're running low on time, mark your best guess and move on.
Registration, Fee, and Retake Mechanics
The NY P&C exam is administered by PSI under the designation Series 17-56, on behalf of the New York State Department of Financial Services. Registration and payment are handled directly through PSI, and the exam fee is $40 per attempt. Before you're eligible to sit for the exam, most candidates complete 90 hours of state-approved prelicensing education.
One deadline that catches candidates off guard: after you pass the exam, you must apply for your actual producer license within 2 years. Passing the exam doesn't automatically grant you a license - it's a separate application step, and letting that window lapse means your passing score no longer counts toward licensure.
For the complete cost picture - prelicensing course fees, the $40 exam fee, and any licensing application costs - check the NY P&C Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. If you're not yet sure you meet the eligibility criteria to sit for the exam at all, review NY P&C Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify first.
Key Takeaway
Budget your prep timeline around both the exam and the licensing deadline - passing is only step one. You have 2 years from your pass date to formally apply for the license before that score expires.
Building a Score-Focused Study Plan
Rather than studying every domain equally, allocate your weeks according to the actual point value on the exam. This is one of the biggest score-boosting adjustments candidates can make, and it's specific to how the NY P&C domains are weighted - not a generic study tip.
Foundations and Regulation
- Property and Casualty Insurance Basics (13%) - build vocabulary that supports every other domain
- Insurance Regulation (9%) and General Insurance (9%) - the "rules of the road" questions
Personal Lines Heavy Hitters
- Homeowners Policy (14%) - the single largest domain, deserves the most repetition
- Dwelling Policy (6%) - closely related, study alongside Homeowners for efficiency
- Auto Insurance (11%) - coverage parts, exclusions, endorsements
Commercial Lines
- Commercial Package Policy (CPP) (11%)
- Businessowners Policy (8%)
- Workers Compensation Insurance (8%)
Remaining Domains and Full Practice
- Other Coverages and Options (7%) and Accident and Health Insurance (4%)
- Full-length timed practice exams under real 150-minute conditions
- Review missed questions by domain to target remaining weak spots
Notice this timeline groups related domains together (Homeowners and Dwelling in the same week, for example) since the policy concepts overlap heavily. For a more detailed week-by-week study framework with specific resource recommendations, see the NY P&C Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. And when you're ready for exam-condition practice, ../ offers full-length timed practice tests that mirror the real 150-question, 150-minute format.
Common Reasons Candidates Miss 70%
Most near-misses on the NY P&C exam aren't caused by one catastrophic knowledge gap - they're caused by a handful of avoidable patterns:
- Under-studying the biggest domains. Spending equal time on Accident and Health Insurance (4%) and Homeowners Policy (14%) is a math error - the latter is worth more than three times as much on the exam.
- Memorizing definitions without applying them. Many questions present a claim scenario and ask which policy provision applies. Rote memorization of terms doesn't prepare you for that application layer.
- Running out of time. With 150 questions in 150 minutes, candidates who get stuck on a handful of dense Commercial Package Policy (CPP) questions early can run short later.
- Skipping remote-proctoring logistics. PSI offers both test-center and remote-proctored delivery; candidates who don't test their setup in advance sometimes lose time to technical issues.
- Not reviewing missed practice questions by domain. Simply retaking practice tests without analyzing which domains are weakest wastes study hours.
If you want to see how these mistakes play out in aggregate, the NY P&C Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows article discusses what the available data suggests about first-attempt outcomes. And if you're weighing whether the investment of prelicensing hours and exam fees pays off, Is the NY P&C Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 covers the broader career picture, including the kinds of agencies and carriers that hire licensed P&C producers in New York.
Once you're within striking distance of exam day, a condensed review tool can help lock in the last few percentage points. The NY P&C Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts is built for exactly that final push, and you can pair it with a scheduling gut-check using NY P&C Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling to make sure your study timeline lines up with an actual test slot. When you're ready to simulate the real thing, ../ has practice exams built around the same 11 domains and time limit you'll face on test day.
FAQ
You need 70% correct across the 150 multiple-choice questions on the exam, administered by PSI as Series 17-56.
Roughly 105 correct answers out of 150 corresponds to 70%, though the official result is calculated as a percentage rather than a fixed raw score.
The 70% threshold applies to your overall exam score, not to each of the 11 domains separately. A stronger performance in high-weight domains like Homeowners Policy (14%) can offset a weaker showing in a low-weight domain like Accident and Health Insurance (4%).
You're given 2 hours and 30 minutes to answer all 150 computer-based multiple-choice questions.
No. After passing, you must apply for your producer license within 2 years. Passing the exam is a separate step from obtaining the license itself.