- MNLH Exam Overview: Format, Fee, and Scoring
- The 12 Domains at a Glance
- Life Insurance Domains (1-4)
- Accident & Health Domains (5-9)
- Minnesota Law Domains (10-12)
- How to Allocate Study Time Across Domains
- Registration, Licensing, and Eligibility Mechanics
- Who Actually Uses This Domain Knowledge
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The MNLH exam has 12 domains split between Life topics, Accident & Health topics, and three Minnesota law domains.
- Domain 10 (Minnesota Laws, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life, Health, Property, and Casualty Insurance) is the single largest domain at 15.4%.
- Accident & Health - Types of Policies (Domain 5) is the largest non-law domain at 12.3%.
- The exam totals 145 questions (130 scored, 15 pretest) in 3 hours, requiring 70% to pass.
MNLH Exam Overview: Format, Fee, and Scoring
The Minnesota Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam (MNLH) is administered by PSI on behalf of the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Candidates sit for a combined Life, Accident & Health Producer examination that draws from 12 distinct content domains, each weighted differently based on how much real-world importance the state places on that topic.
Before diving into the domains themselves, it helps to understand the mechanics of the test you're preparing for. The exam costs $45 and consists of 145 total questions, of which 130 are scored and 15 are unscored pretest items you won't be able to identify during the test. You get 3 hours to complete it, and a 70% score is required to pass. Testing is closed-book - no reference materials, no calculator - and available either at a physical test center or via remote proctoring, though remote sessions do not allow scratch paper or breaks.
Because pretest questions are mixed in without labels, every question deserves your full attention regardless of which domain it seems to represent. For a deeper breakdown of how the scoring threshold works in practice, see MNLH Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
The 12 Domains at a Glance
Here is the complete domain breakdown for the combined Life, Accident & Health exam, ordered as they appear in the outline:
| # | Domain | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Life - Types of Policies | 11.5% |
| 2 | Life Provisions, Riders, Options, and Exclusions | 11.5% |
| 3 | Completing the Application, Underwriting, and Delivering the Policy | 9.2% |
| 4 | Retirement and Other Insurance Concepts | 6.2% |
| 5 | Accident & Health - Types of Policies | 12.3% |
| 6 | Policy Provisions, Clauses, and Riders | 11.5% |
| 7 | Social Insurance | 4.6% |
| 8 | Other Insurance Concepts | 3.8% |
| 9 | Field Underwriting Procedures | 6.2% |
| 10 | Minnesota Laws, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life, Health, Property, and Casualty Insurance | 15.4% |
| 11 | Minnesota Laws, Rules, and Regulations Pertinent to Life Insurance Only | 3.8% |
| 12 | Minnesota Laws, Rules, and Regulations Pertinent to Health Insurance Only | 3.8% |
Notice the pattern: Life-specific content (Domains 1-4) totals roughly 38.4% of the exam, Accident & Health-specific content (Domains 5-9) totals roughly 38.4%, and Minnesota-specific law content (Domains 10-12) totals 23%. That means nearly a quarter of your exam is state-law content that has nothing to do with generic insurance theory - it's Minnesota-specific and non-negotiable. For a broader look at how these weights translate into perceived difficulty, see How Hard Is the MNLH Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Life Insurance Domains (1-4)
The Life side of the exam is built around four domains that move from product knowledge to application mechanics to broader financial concepts.
Domain 1: Life - Types of Policies (11.5%)
Candidates must distinguish among the major life insurance product categories and know which features and use cases apply to each.
- Term life variations (level, decreasing, renewable, convertible)
- Whole life, universal life, and variable products
- Group versus individual life policy structures
Domain 2: Life Provisions, Riders, Options, and Exclusions (11.5%)
This domain tests how policies actually behave once issued - the contractual language that determines what's covered and what isn't.
- Nonforfeiture options and settlement options
- Common riders: waiver of premium, accidental death, guaranteed insurability
- Standard exclusions such as suicide clauses and contestability periods
Domain 3: Completing the Application, Underwriting, and Delivering the Policy (9.2%)
This is process-oriented content: what happens between the sales conversation and the policy landing in the client's hands.
- Application completion standards and disclosure requirements
- Underwriting classifications and risk factors
- Delivery requirements, including free-look periods
Domain 4: Retirement and Other Insurance Concepts (6.2%)
A smaller domain, but one that connects life insurance to broader retirement and annuity planning.
- Annuity types and payout structures
- Qualified versus nonqualified retirement plans
- Basic estate and tax implications of life products
Accident & Health Domains (5-9)
The Accident & Health side mirrors the Life side structurally - it starts with product types, moves through policy language, then covers social insurance, general concepts, and field procedures.
Domain 5: Accident & Health - Types of Policies (12.3%)
This is the largest non-law domain on the entire exam, so it deserves proportionally heavier review.
- Disability income insurance structures
- Medical expense insurance: HMOs, PPOs, and indemnity plans
- Long-term care policies and their triggers
Domain 6: Policy Provisions, Clauses, and Riders (11.5%)
Just as Domain 2 covers life contract language, Domain 6 covers the equivalent for health contracts.
- Mandatory and optional policy provisions
- Elimination periods, benefit periods, and coordination of benefits
- Common riders affecting health policy payouts
Domain 7: Social Insurance (4.6%)
Candidates need working familiarity with how public programs interact with private coverage.
- Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D basics
- Medicaid eligibility fundamentals
- Social Security disability benefits
Domain 8: Other Insurance Concepts (3.8%)
A compact domain covering general principles that don't fit neatly into product-specific categories, including group insurance mechanics and taxation of health benefits.
Domain 9: Field Underwriting Procedures (6.2%)
This domain tests the producer's role at the point of sale - application accuracy, replacement rules, and initial risk assessment before formal underwriting begins.
Minnesota Law Domains (10-12)
These final three domains are where the MNLH exam becomes distinctly Minnesota - and where candidates who only study generic insurance theory tend to lose the most points.
Domain 10: Minnesota Laws, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life, Health, Property, and Casualty Insurance (15.4%)
The single largest domain on the exam. It covers licensing requirements, producer conduct standards, and regulatory definitions that apply across all lines.
- Producer licensing, appointment, and renewal rules
- Unfair trade practices and market conduct standards
- Department of Commerce authority and enforcement
Domain 11: Minnesota Laws, Rules, and Regulations Pertinent to Life Insurance Only (3.8%)
State-specific rules that apply exclusively to life products, such as replacement regulations and required disclosures unique to Minnesota.
Domain 12: Minnesota Laws, Rules, and Regulations Pertinent to Health Insurance Only (3.8%)
Covers Minnesota-specific mandates for health policies, including state continuation requirements and consumer protection provisions specific to health contracts.
How to Allocate Study Time Across Domains
Because the domains carry different weights, a flat study schedule that spends equal time on all 12 areas is inefficient. A more sensible approach ties study blocks directly to domain weight and complexity.
Life Foundations
- Domain 1: policy types and product features
- Domain 2: riders, provisions, and exclusions
Life Process & Concepts
- Domain 3: application, underwriting, delivery
- Domain 4: retirement and annuity concepts
Accident & Health Core
- Domain 5: A&H policy types (largest non-law domain)
- Domain 6: health provisions and riders
Supporting A&H Topics
- Domain 7: Social Insurance
- Domain 8: Other Insurance Concepts
- Domain 9: Field Underwriting Procedures
Minnesota Law Deep Dive
- Domain 10: heaviest review block given its 15.4% weight
- Domains 11 & 12: line-specific state rules
Full Review & Practice
- Timed practice sessions mimicking the 145-question, 3-hour format
- Targeted review of weakest domains
This kind of domain-weighted scheduling is one piece of a larger prep strategy. For a full walkthrough of study techniques matched to the MNLH content outline, see MNLH Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. If you want a condensed reference to keep nearby during final review, the MNLH Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts summarizes high-yield points across all 12 domains.
Key Takeaway
Spend roughly proportional time to domain weight: Domain 10 alone (15.4%) deserves more review time than Domains 7, 8, 11, and 12 combined.
Registration, Licensing, and Eligibility Mechanics
Domain knowledge only matters if you're actually eligible to sit for the exam and hold the resulting license. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and complete 20 hours of approved prelicensing education per line - 40 hours total across Life and Accident & Health - unless exempt. Notice how this education requirement mirrors the domain split: 20 hours roughly correspond to the Life domains (1-4), and 20 hours correspond to the Accident & Health domains (5-9), with Minnesota law woven throughout both.
Your course provider must submit electronic certification of completion before you can sit for the exam. Resident applicants must also submit fingerprints for a state and national criminal-history background check, and any passing exam result is only valid for three years - you must apply for licensure within that window. Once licensed, resident producers renew biennially and must complete 24 continuing-education hours, including 3 ethics hours, to keep their license active.
For the complete eligibility checklist, review MNLH Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify. If you're budgeting for the process - exam fee, prelicensing courses, and background check costs - see MNLH Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. And if you're still finalizing your test date, MNLH Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling covers scheduling logistics for both test-center and remote-proctored sessions.
Who Actually Uses This Domain Knowledge
Every one of the 12 domains maps directly to something a licensed producer does daily in Minnesota. Life domain knowledge (policy types, riders, underwriting) is used constantly by agents selling term and permanent life products. Accident & Health domain knowledge applies to producers working with disability income, medical expense, and long-term care clients. The Minnesota law domains aren't academic - they govern how every sale must be conducted, disclosed, and documented under Department of Commerce oversight.
If you're weighing whether pursuing this license fits your career goals, Is the MNLH Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and MNLH Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis go into more depth on the career side. For a sense of where licensed producers find work after passing, see MNLH Jobs.
Once you've mastered the domain content, the best way to confirm readiness is repeated timed practice under conditions that mirror the real exam - 145 questions, 3 hours, no reference materials. You can start running full-length simulations right now on our MNLH practice test platform, which breaks results down by domain so you can see exactly where your Domain 10 or Domain 5 knowledge needs work before test day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Domain 10, Minnesota Laws, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life, Health, Property, and Casualty Insurance, is the largest single domain at 15.4% of the exam.
Roughly, yes. Domains 1-4 (Life) total about 38.4% and Domains 5-9 (Accident & Health) total about 38.4%, with the remaining 23% covering the three Minnesota law domains.
No. Study time should roughly track domain weight - Domain 10 at 15.4% and Domain 5 at 12.3% warrant more review time than smaller domains like 7, 8, 11, and 12, each at 3.8%-4.6%.
Of the 145 total questions, 130 are scored and 15 are unscored pretest questions, though you won't know which is which during the test, so every question should be answered carefully.
Yes. Since Minnesota requires 20 hours of prelicensing education per line (40 hours total) for the combined Life, Accident & Health license, the exam outline mirrors that structure with dedicated domains for each line plus shared Minnesota law domains.