North Carolina Insurance Prelicensing Exam Requirements

Updated September 26, 2025

NORTH CAROLINA INSURANCE PRELICENSING INFORMATION

EFFECTIVE 10/1/2025: North Carolina does not require licensing candidates to complete prelicensing education; however, ExamFX highly recommends that you complete an educational course before attempting to take your state's licensing exam.

WHAT'S IN MY COURSE?

Navigate to ExamFX's home page and select the line of authority you're interested in to learn more about our comprehensive insurance training packages.

Your exam will be based on the North Carolina exam outline, which can be found in Pearson VUE's Candidate Handbook.

DON'T FORGET YOUR READINESS EXAM!

ExamFX is so confident in the quality of its material that we offer our customers a first-time Pass Guarantee. If you don’t pass the first time around, we will refund your money. To qualify for this offer, you must pass our Readiness Exam with a score of 80% to determine maximum exam readiness and take Licensing Exam within 3 calendar days. While completing this portion of your online course is not required, we highly recommend taking this extra step

For more details see https://www.examfx.com/resources/pass-guarantee.

HOW DO I GET MY LICENSE?

Step 1 (optional): Complete an optional prelicensing course that helps prepare you to take and pass your licensing exam.

Step 2: Complete an electronic application at NIPR and pay the associated fees. You will receive an Authorization Email from Pearson VUE with your “reserved” NPN (National Producer Number) and other important information. You must complete this step before registering for your licensing examination. Information located within the Authorization Email will be gathered during the test registration process. You will also receive an email from NIPR containing information on scheduling your fingerprinting appointment.

Step 3: Schedule your exam with your state’s testing provider, Pearson VUE. The fastest way to schedule your exam is to do so online at www.pearsonvue.com or call (800) 274-0668. There will be a fee for this examination. To change or cancel your testing appointment, you must contact Pearson VUE at least 48 hours in advance or forfeit the examination fee.

Step 4: Take and pass your state licensing exam. On the day of your appointment, you must bring with you two valid forms of government-issued identification (driver’s license, passport, military I.D., etc.) the primary of which must contain a photograph with a signature and the secondary of which must contain a signature.

Candidates who fail the exam will receive a score report that includes a numeric score and diagnostic information relating to the general portion of the examination. Candidates who pass the exam will receive a score report marked “pass.”

Pearson VUE will electronically submit passing scores for the examination to NIPR to match up with your pending application.

Step 5: North Carolina requires fingerprinting to process your license application. After completing the electronic NIPR application, you will be emailed a link that allows you to print the Fingerprint Submission Packet-Releases Form. Call your local law enforcement to obtain a schedule of the days/hours for fingerprinting services; confirm that the office will do Livescan fingerprints for non-criminal reasons.

Upon your fingerprinting appointment, you must take with you the Fingerprint Submission Packet-Releases Form. Be sure to include the cover page and complete pages 1 and 3 of the packet before this appointment. You must bring a photo ID. You must have the law enforcement person sign page 2 of the packet. There may be a fee associated with this service.

Upon completion of this crucial step, send the completed form pages 1 through 3 to the North Carolina Licensing Office at Pearson VUE via: 1) fax at (888) 959-3010, 2) scan the documents and send via email to [email protected], or 3) Mail to: NCDOI/Pearson VUE, P.O. Box 14209, Raleigh, NC 27620.

Your fingerprints will be sent electronically to the SBI for the state and national criminal check. The SBI will send a hard copy of the criminal record check to the North Carolina Licensing Office at Pearson VUE.

Step 6: If all requirements are met, the North Carolina Licensing Office at Pearson VUE will approve the application. You will receive an email notifying you to print your license within 48 to 72 hours.

Step 7: Maintain your license by being aware of your continuing education requirements. Most insurance licenses must be maintained by completing a certain number of credit hours of continuing education each licensing period. ExamFX offers continuing education courses that will help you comply with your state’s requirements. Click here to view your state’s education rules and stay on top of your license.

WHAT WILL MY EXAM BE LIKE?

Your exam experience is dependent on the line of authority you are testing for, but all licensing exams will be multiple-choice and take place on a computer. Review the exam summaries below. The exam content outlines can be found in the Candidate Handbook link near the top of this page.

The breakdown of testing topics can be found here.

The number of questions on your exam
The time limit
The score that you must achieve to pass the exam

North Carolina Life Insurance and Annuity Examination

60 Total Questions (55 scored, 5 pretest)
Time Limit: 75 Minutes
Passing Score: 70%

Train for your test with our North Carolina Life exam prep course.

North Carolina Accident and Health or Sickness Examination

60 Total Questions (55 scored, 5 pretest)
Time Limit: 75 Minutes
Passing Score: 70%

Train for your test with our North Carolina Health exam prep course.

North Carolina Property Insurance Examination

60 Total Questions (55 scored; 5 pretest)
Time Limit: 75 Minutes
Passing Score: 70%

North Carolina Casualty Insurance Examination

60 Total Questions (55 scored; 5 pretest)
Time Limit: 75 Minutes
Passing Score: 70%

Train for your test with our North Carolina Property and Casualty exam prep course.

North Carolina Personal Lines Insurance Examination

96 Total Questions (80 scored; 16 pretest)
Time Limit: 1 Hour and 45 Minutes
Passing Score: 70%

Train for your test with our North Carolina Personal Lines exam prep course.

North Carolina Medicare Supplement/Long-Term Care Examination

60 Total Questions
Time Limit: 1 Hour and 45 Minutes
Passing Score: 70%

Train for your test with our North Carolina Medicare Supplement/Long-Term Care exam prep course.

North Carolina Insurance Prelicensing Requirements