- NH-PC is Series 12-64, the New Hampshire Insurance Department's Property & Casualty producer exam administered by PSI.
- The exam costs $72, has 150 scored items plus up to 10 unscored questions, and runs 2 hours 30 minutes.
- No prelicensing course is required before sitting for the exam.
- Property and Casualty Insurance Basics is the heaviest domain at 17% of the test.
What NH-PC Actually Is
NH-PC stands for the New Hampshire Property & Casualty Insurance Producer Exam, the state licensing test overseen by the New Hampshire Insurance Department and delivered through the testing vendor PSI under the exam code Series 12-64. If you want to sell property and casualty insurance products in New Hampshire - homeowners, auto, commercial liability, and related lines - this is the exam that stands between you and a producer license.
The current candidate bulletin is dated August 4, 2026, and it lays out everything from eligibility to score reporting. If you're just getting oriented, the companion piece NH-PC Certification walks through the licensing process end to end, while this article focuses specifically on defining the exam itself and what makes it distinct.
Exam Format, Fees, and Registration
The mechanics of NH-PC are straightforward once you know the numbers. The exam carries a $72 fee and consists of 150 scored items. PSI may also insert 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions that are indistinguishable from scored ones - you should treat every question as if it counts, since you won't know which ones don't. Candidates get 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete the full test.
There's no prelicensing course requirement in New Hampshire, which means self-study candidates can register and sit for Series 12-64 without first completing state-mandated classroom or online hours. That flexibility is convenient, but it also puts more responsibility on you to structure your own review - a gap that resources like the NH-PC Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt are designed to fill.
You have two testing options: an in-person PSI test center or remote online proctoring. It's worth noting that the July 2026 remote-testing cutoff you may have heard about applies only to the Life and combined Life, Accident and Health producer exams - it does not restrict remote testing for Series 12-64. If you're weighing which format fits your schedule, understanding the full registration timeline in NH-PC Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling will help you plan around blackout periods or peak scheduling demand.
Key Takeaway
Register for a PSI test center or remote session well ahead of your target date, and confirm your exact passing score requirement in advance - see NH-PC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass so you know your target before you start studying.
The 13 Domains You'll Be Tested On
Series 12-64 is organized into 13 content domains, each weighted differently on the scored portion of the exam. Knowing these weights lets you allocate study time where it actually pays off, rather than spreading effort evenly across topics that carry very different point values.
Domain 4: Property and Casualty Insurance Basics (17%)
This is the single largest domain and covers the foundational vocabulary and mechanics that every other domain builds on.
- Core policy structure: declarations, insuring agreements, conditions, exclusions
- Underwriting and rating fundamentals
- Basic contract law as applied to insurance policies
Domain 3: General Insurance Concepts (14%)
Broad concepts that apply across all lines of P&C coverage, tested heavily because they underpin correct interpretation of every specific policy type.
- Risk management and risk transfer principles
- Types of insurers and marketing systems
- Policy provisions common to most contracts
Domain 1: Insurance Regulation (13%)
New Hampshire-specific regulatory structure, producer licensing rules, and the Insurance Department's authority.
- Producer licensing requirements and renewal obligations
- Department authority and disciplinary actions
- Unfair trade practices
Domain 7: Personal Automobile Policy (11%)
One of the heaviest product-specific domains, reflecting how central personal auto is to everyday P&C production.
- Liability, medical payments, and uninsured motorist coverage
- Physical damage coverages and exclusions
- Rating factors and endorsements
The remaining domains carry smaller but still meaningful weights: Homeowners Policy Concepts (10%), Commercial Property Policies (9%), Commercial General Liability (9%), Businessowners Policy (4%), Dwelling Policy Concepts (3%), Commercial Automobile Policy (3%), Other Types of Property and Casualty Insurance (3%), Federal Laws and Regulations (2%), and Workers' Compensation Laws (2%). Even the lighter domains show up on every form of the exam, so skipping them entirely is risky. For a full breakdown of what's tested inside each of these 13 areas, see NH-PC Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 13 Content Areas.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Property and Casualty Insurance Basics | 17% |
| General Insurance Concepts | 14% |
| Insurance Regulation | 13% |
| Personal Automobile Policy | 11% |
| Homeowners Policy Concepts | 10% |
| Commercial Property Policies | 9% |
| Commercial General Liability | 9% |
| Businessowners Policy | 4% |
| Dwelling Policy Concepts | 3% |
| Commercial Automobile Policy | 3% |
| Other P&C Insurance Types | 3% |
| Federal Laws and Regulations | 2% |
| Workers' Compensation Laws | 2% |
Together, the top four domains - Basics, General Concepts, Regulation, and Personal Auto - account for well over half the scored exam. If you're deciding where to spend your limited study hours, that's the order of priority.
Who Takes the NH-PC Exam
NH-PC candidates fall into a few common groups: newcomers entering the insurance industry for the first time, career-changers moving from a related financial services role, and experienced staff at agencies who need their own individual producer license rather than working under someone else's. Independent agencies, captive insurance companies, and brokerages operating in New Hampshire all hire people who hold an active P&C producer license, since it's a prerequisite for binding and servicing most personal and commercial lines business in the state.
If you're weighing whether pursuing licensure fits your career goals, the practical outcomes are covered in NH-PC Jobs and NH-PC Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis. And if you're still deciding whether the investment of time and the $72 exam fee is worthwhile relative to your career plans, Is the NH-PC Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 lays out that calculation in more depth.
Licensing Pathways and Waivers
Not every candidate follows the identical path to a New Hampshire P&C producer license. A few structural details matter here:
- Standard resident route: Pass Series 12-64, then submit the producer application and fees electronically through NIPR (the National Insurance Producer Registry). There's no separate paper filing step once you've passed.
- CPCU designees: Holders of the CPCU designation may qualify for the state-law-only Series 12-81 exam route instead of the full Series 12-64, since their designation already demonstrates mastery of the technical P&C content.
- Recent equivalent-authority residents: New residents who held equivalent producer authority in another state within the previous 90 days may qualify for an exam waiver entirely, bypassing Series 12-64 based on their existing licensure history.
Full eligibility rules, documentation requirements, and application sequencing are detailed in NH-PC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify. If any of these alternate pathways might apply to you, it's worth confirming eligibility with the Insurance Department before you spend time and money preparing for the full 150-item exam.
How to Approach Preparation
Because there's no mandatory prelicensing course tied to Series 12-64, your preparation timeline is entirely self-directed. A reasonable approach is to sequence your study around the domain weights rather than the order domains happen to appear in a textbook.
Foundations
- Property and Casualty Insurance Basics (17%) and General Insurance Concepts (14%)
- Build vocabulary before touching product-specific policies
Regulation and Personal Lines
- Insurance Regulation (13%) - New Hampshire-specific rules
- Personal Automobile Policy (11%) and Homeowners Policy Concepts (10%)
Commercial Lines
- Commercial Property Policies (9%) and Commercial General Liability (9%)
- Businessowners Policy (4%) and Commercial Automobile Policy (3%)
Remaining Domains and Practice
- Dwelling Policy Concepts, Federal Laws, Workers' Compensation, and Other P&C Types
- Full-length timed practice sessions under the 2 hour 30 minute limit
Whatever timeline you use, run timed practice under exam-like conditions before your test date - the 150-item, 2.5-hour format rewards pacing discipline as much as raw knowledge. Practicing on a realistic practice test platform before test day helps you get comfortable with question phrasing and timing pressure, which matters more on a 150-item exam than most candidates expect.
If you're unsure how difficult the exam actually is relative to your background, How Hard Is the NH-PC Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 breaks down the factors that affect difficulty, and NH-PC Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows looks at what outcome data is publicly available. For a fast pre-exam review, many candidates also keep a condensed reference like the NH-PC Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts handy during final review sessions, and structured coursework is discussed in NH-PC Training.
Key Takeaway
Since 5 to 10 unscored experimental items are mixed into the 150 scored questions without being identified, don't waste time trying to guess which questions "don't count." Answer every item with full attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. NH-PC (Series 12-64) is specific to New Hampshire and administered by PSI on behalf of the New Hampshire Insurance Department. It tests New Hampshire regulation alongside general P&C content, so licenses and study materials from other states won't fully align.
No. New Hampshire does not require a prelicensing course before you sit for Series 12-64. You can register and test based purely on self-study, though many candidates still choose structured coursework for accountability.
There are 150 scored questions, plus PSI may add 5 to 10 unscored experimental items that look identical to scored ones. You have 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete the full exam.
Yes. Series 12-64 can be taken either at a PSI test center or through remote online proctoring. The July 2026 remote-testing cutoff that applies to the Life and combined Life, Accident and Health producer exams does not restrict remote testing for the P&C exam.
Resident applicants who pass submit the producer application and required fees electronically through NIPR. CPCU designees may instead be eligible for the state-law-only Series 12-81 route, and some new residents with recent equivalent authority may qualify for a full exam waiver.