- What Is the NY P&C Exam, Exactly?
- Who Administers It and How Registration Works
- Exam Format: Questions, Timing, and Passing Score
- The 11 Domains You'll Be Tested On
- Eligibility and the 90-Hour Prelicensing Requirement
- Who Actually Takes the NY P&C Exam
- Building a Study Plan Around the Domain Weights
- After You Pass: The License Application Window
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The NY P&C exam is administered by PSI on behalf of the New York State Department of Financial Services as Series 17-56.
- It has 150 multiple-choice questions, a 2-hour 30-minute time limit, and costs $40.
- You need a 70% score to pass, and Homeowners Policy is the heaviest domain at 14%.
- Candidates typically complete 90 hours of approved prelicensing education before sitting for the exam.
What Is the NY P&C Exam, Exactly?
The NY P&C exam - formally the New York Property & Casualty Insurance Agent/Broker Exam - is the licensing test that determines whether you're qualified to sell, service, or advise on property and casualty insurance products in New York State. It's not a voluntary industry certification you add to a resume for prestige; it's a state-mandated gate. If you want to legally act as a property and casualty producer in New York, you take this exam, pass it, and then apply for your license through the state.
The name causes confusion because "P&C" and even "NY P&C" show up attached to other credentials in other contexts. On this site, and in this article, NY P&C refers exclusively to the New York property and casualty producer licensing exam described in this guide. If you've landed here after seeing conflicting information elsewhere, that's likely because you were reading about a different credential entirely.
Who Administers It and How Registration Works
The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) sets the licensing requirements, but the exam itself is delivered by PSI under the designation Series 17-56. That distinction matters for logistics: DFS defines who's eligible and what the license means, while PSI handles scheduling, testing, and score reporting.
PSI gives candidates two delivery options - testing at a physical test center or sitting for a remote-proctored exam from home or another approved location. The exam fee is $40 per attempt, which is modest compared to many professional licensing exams, but it still adds up if you need multiple attempts. Understanding exactly what that fee does and doesn't cover is worth reading about before you register - our NY P&C Certification Cost breakdown walks through the full pricing picture, including prelicensing course costs that sit alongside the exam fee itself.
Scheduling flexibility is one of the more practical advantages of the PSI-administered format. Because seats open up regularly across test centers and remote options, you have more control over your timeline than you would with a credentialing exam that only runs on fixed annual dates. That said, you should still plan around blackout periods, prelicensing course completion timing, and your own study runway - details covered in our NY P&C Exam Dates guide.
Exam Format: Questions, Timing, and Passing Score
The exam consists of 150 computer-based multiple-choice questions, and you're given 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete them. That works out to an average of exactly one minute per question, though in practice most candidates move faster through straightforward regulatory and definitional items and slow down on scenario-based coverage questions.
To pass, you need a score of 70%. There's no partial credit for domain-by-domain performance - your overall score across all 150 questions is what determines pass or fail. That single number is deceptively simple; hitting it consistently requires solid performance across every domain, not just the ones you find interesting.
Key Takeaway
Because passing is based on your combined score, not domain-by-domain minimums, you can't skip a low-weight domain entirely - a few careless misses in a small domain can erase the cushion you built in a bigger one.
If you want a precise breakdown of what 70% actually means in terms of how many questions you can afford to miss, and how that compares to how other state P&C exams are scored, see our dedicated NY P&C Passing Score guide. And if you're trying to gauge whether 150 questions in 150 minutes is a realistic pace for you, our How Hard Is the NY P&C Exam guide breaks down where most candidates lose time and points.
The 11 Domains You'll Be Tested On
The NY P&C exam is built from 11 content domains, each weighted differently in terms of how many questions you'll see. Knowing these weights is the single most useful piece of information for planning your study time, because it tells you exactly where the exam's attention - and therefore your attention - should go.
Domain 5: Homeowners Policy (14%)
The single largest domain on the exam. Candidates need a firm grasp of homeowners policy forms, coverage parts, exclusions, and endorsements.
- Know the differences between the standard homeowners forms
- Understand what's excluded and how endorsements modify base coverage
Domain 3: Property and Casualty Insurance Basics (13%)
Foundational concepts - insurable interest, policy structure, underwriting principles, and general terminology - that underpin every other domain.
- Master core vocabulary before moving to product-specific domains
- Expect these concepts to reappear inside scenario questions elsewhere
Domain 6: Auto Insurance (11%) & Domain 7: Commercial Package Policy (CPP) (11%)
Two of the exam's heavier domains. Auto insurance covers personal auto policy structure and New York-specific requirements; CPP covers how multiple commercial coverage parts combine into one policy.
- Auto: know mandatory coverages and how New York's no-fault framework fits in
- CPP: understand how property, liability, and other coverage parts package together
The remaining domains - Insurance Regulation (9%), General Insurance (9%), Dwelling Policy (6%), Businessowners Policy (8%), Workers Compensation Insurance (8%), Other Coverages and Options (7%), and Accident and Health Insurance (4%) - round out the exam. None of them is safe to ignore, since a handful of missed questions across several smaller domains adds up quickly against a 70% threshold. For a complete, domain-by-domain walkthrough of what each one covers and how to prioritize your study time, see our full NY P&C Exam Domains Guide.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Homeowners Policy | 14% |
| Property and Casualty Insurance Basics | 13% |
| Auto Insurance | 11% |
| Commercial Package Policy (CPP) | 11% |
| Insurance Regulation | 9% |
| General Insurance | 9% |
| Businessowners Policy | 8% |
| Workers Compensation Insurance | 8% |
| Other Coverages and Options | 7% |
| Dwelling Policy | 6% |
| Accident and Health Insurance | 4% |
Eligibility and the 90-Hour Prelicensing Requirement
Before you can sit for the exam, applicants generally need to complete 90 hours of approved prelicensing education. This isn't a suggestion - it's the on-ramp that most candidates go through to become eligible to register with PSI in the first place. The coursework is designed to mirror the exam's domain structure, so the hours you spend here directly translate to exam preparation.
There's also a deadline that catches some candidates off guard: once you pass the exam, you must apply for your actual license within 2 years. Passing the test doesn't automatically make you licensed - it's a prerequisite to the license application, and that application has a clock attached to it. If you're unclear on the full sequence of steps - education, exam, application - our NY P&C Requirements guide lays out eligibility and prerequisites in order.
Who Actually Takes the NY P&C Exam
The NY P&C exam is the entry point for anyone pursuing a career as a property and casualty insurance agent or broker in New York. That includes new hires at insurance agencies, career-changers moving into insurance sales, employees at brokerages who need to be personally licensed to bind coverage, and independent producers building their own book of business. Insurance carriers, agencies, and brokerages that operate in New York all rely on candidates clearing this exam before those individuals can legally sell or service P&C products.
Because the exam is a licensing requirement rather than an optional credential, the "who takes it" question is less about who wants a resume boost and more about who needs to work in this specific role in this specific state. If you're weighing whether pursuing this license is worth the time and cost relative to the career it unlocks, our Is the NY P&C Certification Worth It analysis and our NY P&C Salary Guide both dig into that decision from different angles.
Building a Study Plan Around the Domain Weights
The most efficient way to study for this exam is to let the domain weights drive your schedule, rather than working straight through a textbook in whatever order it's organized. Since Homeowners Policy (14%) and Property and Casualty Insurance Basics (13%) together account for more than a quarter of the exam, they deserve the earliest and heaviest study blocks. Auto Insurance and CPP, each at 11%, come next. Save the smaller domains - Dwelling Policy and Accident and Health Insurance in particular - for later review passes, since a lighter time investment there still covers their share of the exam.
Foundations and Homeowners
- Work through Property and Casualty Insurance Basics vocabulary and concepts
- Move into Homeowners Policy forms, exclusions, and endorsements in depth
Auto and Commercial
- Study Auto Insurance requirements and New York-specific rules
- Cover Commercial Package Policy structure and how coverage parts combine
Regulation and Smaller Domains
- Review Insurance Regulation, General Insurance, Businessowners, and Workers Compensation
- Finish with Dwelling Policy, Other Coverages, and Accident and Health
Full-Length Practice and Review
- Run timed practice sessions that mimic the 150-question, 150-minute format
- Revisit any domain where your practice accuracy sits below 70%
This structure isn't a generic productivity template - it's built directly from the domain percentages in this article, and it's the same logic used in more depth in our NY P&C Study Guide 2026. If you'd rather get familiar with the exam's rhythm before committing to a full plan, running a set of timed questions on our practice test platform is a fast way to see which domains need the most work.
After You Pass: The License Application Window
Passing the exam feels like the finish line, but there's administrative follow-through required. You have 2 years from your pass date to submit your license application to the New York State Department of Financial Services. Miss that window, and you may need to requalify - including retesting - before you can apply again.
In practice, most candidates apply for licensure quickly after passing, often within weeks, especially if they already have a job offer or agency sponsorship lined up. If you're studying while also job-hunting, it helps to understand what roles are actually available to newly licensed producers - our NY P&C Jobs overview covers the kinds of positions that typically require this license, and NY P&C Training covers how agencies often support new hires through the prelicensing and exam process.
For those still deciding whether this is the right credential to pursue at all, or comparing it against other paths into insurance sales, a broader look at NY P&C Certification and related terminology pages - including NY P&C Meaning and What Does NY P&C Stand For - can help clarify how this credential fits into the broader insurance licensing landscape. You can also get a feel for real exam-style questions anytime on the main practice test site before committing to a registration date.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's the state licensing exam you must pass to become a property and casualty insurance agent or broker in New York. It's administered by PSI as Series 17-56 on behalf of the New York State Department of Financial Services.
The exam has 150 computer-based multiple-choice questions, and you're given 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete them.
You need to score 70% or higher across the full exam. There's no separate minimum required for individual domains.
Applicants generally need to complete 90 hours of approved prelicensing education before becoming eligible to sit for the exam.
The exam fee is $40 per attempt, in addition to any prelicensing course costs you incur beforehand.
You must apply for your license within 2 years of passing the exam. If that window closes, you may need to retest before applying.