- The ARLH Life exam has 110 total questions (100 scored, 10 pretest) in 150 minutes; you need 70% to pass.
- Life Policy Provisions, Riders and Options and Arkansas Statutes, Rules, and Regulations tie as the largest domains at 20% each.
- The exam fee is $50, and PSI administers testing at centers or via remote proctoring.
- You get three attempts per 90-day permit; three failures mean a four-week wait and a fresh application.
Quick Facts Snapshot
Bookmark this page. It's the condensed version of everything covered in more depth across our ARLH Study Guide, but if you only have five minutes before you sit down at a testing center, this section is what to reread.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regulator | Arkansas Insurance Department |
| Test administrator | PSI |
| Exam fee | $50 |
| Total questions | 110 (100 scored + 10 unscored pretest) |
| Time allowed | 150 minutes |
| Passing score | 70% |
| Prelicensing education | 20 hours per line |
| Permit window | 90 days, maximum 3 attempts |
| Testing format | Computer-based, closed book, no calculator |
| License renewal | Biennial, 24 CE hours (3 ethics) |
Domain-by-Domain Cheat Sheet
The Life exam pulls from eight domains, and weight is not evenly distributed. Two domains alone make up 40% of scored questions, so your review time should mirror that imbalance. For the full breakdown of every subtopic tested inside each domain, see the ARLH Exam Domains Guide. Here's the condensed version.
Domain 1: General Insurance Concepts (11%)
Foundational vocabulary and risk principles that show up as building blocks in later questions.
- Risk pooling, adverse selection, and insurable interest
- Parties to a contract: insurer, insured, applicant, beneficiary
- Underwriting basics and rating classifications
Domain 2: Life Insurance Basics (13%)
Core mechanics of how life policies function before you get into product-specific rules.
- Premium structures and mortality/interest factors
- Beneficiary designations, including per stirpes and contingent
- Contract elements: offer, acceptance, consideration
Domain 3: Types of Life Insurance Policies (14%)
Comparing product families is a recurring question format on this exam.
- Term vs. whole life vs. universal life distinctions
- Variable and variable universal life features
- Group life and credit life basics
Domain 4: Life Policy Provisions, Riders and Options (20%)
Tied for the single largest domain - expect this material tested from multiple angles.
- Nonforfeiture options, grace period, reinstatement
- Riders: waiver of premium, accelerated death benefit, guaranteed insurability
- Settlement options and dividend options
Domain 5: Annuities (8%)
A smaller slice but still scored, with an emphasis on structure over sales technique.
- Immediate vs. deferred annuities
- Fixed vs. variable annuity mechanics
- Annuitization and payout options
Domain 6: Federal Tax Considerations for Life Insurance (4%)
The smallest domain by weight, but questions are precise about tax treatment.
- Tax treatment of death benefits and cash value growth
- Modified endowment contract (MEC) status
- 1035 exchange basics
Domain 7: Arkansas Statutes, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life and Health (20%)
Tied with Domain 4 as the heaviest domain - Arkansas-specific law dominates this section.
- Producer licensing requirements and unfair trade practices
- Replacement regulations and free-look periods
- Arkansas Insurance Department authority and penalties
Domain 8: Arkansas Statutes and Rules Pertinent to Life Insurance Only (10%)
Life-specific statutory detail that complements the broader rules in Domain 7.
- Policy delivery and disclosure requirements
- Life-specific claims handling standards
- Producer conduct rules unique to life products
Key Takeaway
Domain 4 and Domain 7 together account for 40% of scored content. If your practice sessions aren't spending nearly half their time there, rebalance before test day.
Registration & Permit Mechanics
The path to sitting for the ARLH exam has several sequential steps, and skipping ahead isn't possible - the state checks each one before issuing authorization to test. For a full walkthrough of eligibility rules, see ARLH Requirements 2026.
- Complete prelicensing education: 20 approved hours specific to the life line.
- Submit your application: filed through NIPR, including criminal-background-check materials.
- Receive authorization to test: issued once the state clears your application.
- Schedule with PSI: pay the $50 fee and pick a center-based or remote-proctored session.
- Test within your 90-day permit: you get up to three attempts inside that window.
Cost planning matters here too, since the $50 fee is only one line item in the total path to licensure once you factor in prelicensing coursework and background-check processing. Our ARLH Certification Cost breakdown itemizes the full financial picture, and if you're weighing whether the licensing path is worth pursuing at all, the ROI analysis lays out the tradeoffs.
Test-Day Rules You Cannot Forget
The Life exam is closed book with zero exceptions. No reference sheets, no calculator, and if you're testing remotely, no scratch paper and no breaks. This trips up candidates who assume remote proctoring works like an open-note online quiz - it does not.
- 110 total questions appear on screen, but only 100 are scored; you won't know which 10 are pretest items, so treat every question with equal seriousness.
- 150 minutes is the full allotment - pace yourself at roughly 1.3 minutes per question, but don't rush Domain 4 and Domain 7 items, which tend to have denser fact patterns.
- Remote sessions require a clean workspace and continuous webcam visibility; step away even briefly and your session can be flagged.
- Passing requires 70% on scored content - there's no partial credit or curve.
For the exact scoring mechanics and what "70%" actually translates to in raw questions, see ARLH Passing Score 2026. If you want a broader sense of how candidates typically perform, ARLH Pass Rate 2026 discusses what's known about outcomes without relying on invented figures.
Key Takeaway
Because remote sessions disallow scratch paper and breaks, most candidates find center-based testing more comfortable for a 150-minute closed-book exam - factor that into your scheduling choice.
Final-Week Review Plan
You don't need a twelve-week study system to use a cheat sheet effectively - you need a tight final push that matches the domain weighting. Here's a compressed version built specifically around ARLH's structure; for a full multi-week program, see the ARLH Study Guide.
Heavy Domains First
- Drill Domain 4 (Life Policy Provisions, Riders and Options) and Domain 7 (Arkansas Statutes Common to Life and Health) - together 40% of the exam
- Rebuild any weak spots on nonforfeiture options and replacement regulations
Mid-Weight Domains
- Review Domain 3 (Types of Life Insurance Policies) and Domain 2 (Life Insurance Basics)
- Compare term, whole, universal, and variable products side by side
Smaller Domains & Arkansas-Only Rules
- Cover Domain 8 (Arkansas Statutes Pertinent to Life Insurance Only), Domain 1, Domain 5 (Annuities), and Domain 6 (Federal Tax Considerations)
- Don't skip the 4%-weighted tax domain - a few missed points there can matter
Full Simulation
- Take a timed 150-minute practice run at arkansaslifeexam.com under closed-book conditions
- Review missed questions by domain, not just by right/wrong count
After You Pass: Licensing & CE
Passing the exam isn't the finish line - it's the checkpoint before Arkansas issues your resident producer license. Once licensed, you'll operate on a biennial renewal cycle requiring 24 continuing education hours, including 3 hours specifically in ethics. Mark that renewal window early; letting it lapse creates avoidable friction with the Arkansas Insurance Department.
If you're mapping out what comes after licensure - the kinds of roles that value this credential and how it factors into compensation - our ARLH Salary Guide and ARLH Jobs pages cover that territory. For a plain-language explainer of the credential itself, start with What Is ARLH? or the shorter ARLH Meaning reference.
FAQ
There are 110 total questions, but only 100 are scored. The other 10 are unscored pretest items mixed in without identification, so treat every question as if it counts.
You need 70% on the scored portion of the exam. There's no partial credit adjustment or curve applied afterward.
No. The exam is closed book with no reference materials or calculator permitted, whether you test at a center or remotely. Remote sessions add the restriction of no scratch paper and no breaks.
Your 90-day permit allows a maximum of three attempts. After a third failure, you must wait four weeks and then restart the entire application process from the beginning.
Focus first on Domain 4 (Life Policy Provisions, Riders and Options) and Domain 7 (Arkansas Statutes, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life and Health Insurance), which are tied as the largest domains at 20% each - a combined 40% of the scored exam.