ARLH Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass

What the ARLH Passing Score Actually Is

The Arkansas Insurance Department, through its testing partner PSI, sets the passing standard for the Arkansas Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam (Life examination) at 70%. There's no curve, no rounding favor, and no partial credit for "almost right" answers on multiple-choice items. You either cross the 70% line on scored content or you don't, and PSI reports a pass/fail result rather than a raw numeric score you can dissect afterward.

That single number-70%-is deceptively simple. It doesn't tell you which domains to prioritize, how the 150-minute clock interacts with question difficulty, or why some candidates who "know the material" still miss the mark. This article breaks down exactly what sits behind that threshold so you can plan a study approach around it instead of guessing. For a broader walkthrough of preparation strategy, see the ARLH Study Guide 2026.

How 70% Maps to the Eight Domain Weights

Arkansas doesn't test every topic equally. The Life examination is built from eight domains, and two of them-Life Policy Provisions, Riders and Options and Arkansas Statutes, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life and Health Insurance-are tied at 20% each, making them the largest single blocks on the exam. Together they account for 40% of your scored questions, which means your performance in these two areas alone can make or break your 70% target.

The remaining domains fill out the rest of the blueprint:

• Types of Life Insurance Policies - 14%
• Life Insurance Basics - 13%
• Arkansas Statutes and Rules Pertinent to Life Insurance Only - 10%
• General Insurance Concepts - 11%
• Annuities - 8%
• Federal Tax Considerations for Life Insurance - 4%

Because passing is pass/fail rather than domain-by-domain, PSI doesn't require you to hit 70% in every single domain-you need 70% overall across scored items. But treating every domain as equally important is a mistake: missing most of a 4% domain (Federal Tax Considerations) costs far less than missing most of a 20% domain. For the full blueprint with subtopics, read the ARLH Exam Domains 2026 guide.

Scored vs. Pretest Questions: Why 100 Matters More Than 110

The exam delivers 110 total questions, but only 100 are scored. The other 10 are unscored pretest items PSI is evaluating for future exam versions. You will not know which 10 questions are pretest and which 100 count toward your 70% threshold-they're mixed in seamlessly.

This matters practically in two ways. First, don't waste mental energy trying to guess which questions "don't count"-treat every single one of the 110 as if it's scored, because you can't tell them apart. Second, understand that your actual passing bar is 70 correct answers out of the 100 scored questions, even though your total exam has 110 items in front of you. This distinction trips up candidates who assume 70% of 110 (77 questions) is the target-it's not; it's 70% of the 100 scored items.

Registration Mechanics That Affect Your Attempt

Reaching test day with a real shot at 70% starts well before you sit down at a PSI test center or remote-proctoring session. Candidates must complete 20 hours of approved prelicensing education for the line, submit their application through NIPR along with criminal-background-check materials, and receive authorization to test. Only after that authorization is issued does the clock start on your 90-day permit window.

The exam fee is $50 per attempt, and testing is entirely computer-based-either in person at a test center or via remote proctoring. Both formats are closed-book: no reference materials, no calculator, and if you test remotely, no scratch paper and no breaks during the session. That last detail catches people off guard. If you're used to working problems out on paper or stepping away briefly during a long exam, plan your remote session accordingly, or choose an in-person test center instead. Full cost mechanics, including what's bundled into that $50 and what prelicensing education typically costs separately, are broken down in the ARLH Certification Cost breakdown.

What Happens If You Fall Short of 70%

Your 90-day permit allows up to three attempts at the exam. If you don't reach 70% on your first sitting, you can register for another attempt within that same permit period-there's no mandatory waiting period between attempt one and two, or between two and three, as long as you're still inside the 90 days.

The consequence arrives after a third failed attempt: you must wait four weeks and then restart the entire application process, including re-submitting through NIPR and obtaining a fresh authorization to test. That's a meaningful setback in both time and the $50 fee paid again per attempt, which is why understanding your gap-not just retaking blindly-matters. If you're unsure how your preparation compares to what actually shows up on test day, the How Hard Is the ARLH Exam? difficulty guide and the ARLH Pass Rate data breakdown are useful reality checks before you schedule attempt two or three.

Domain-by-Domain Priorities for Hitting 70%

Since passing is calculated across the whole 100-question scored pool rather than per domain, your prep should allocate time roughly in proportion to each domain's weight-with extra attention to the two 20% domains, since a weak showing there is hardest to offset elsewhere.

Notice that the two smallest domains-Annuities at 8% and Federal Tax Considerations at 4%-still combine for 12% of the exam. Skipping them entirely to over-study the big domains is risky; a candidate hovering near 70% overall can't afford to zero out on a 12% chunk. Treat every domain in the complete domains guide as required reading, just not in equal proportions.

A Study Timeline Built Around the Threshold

Rather than studying topics in the order they appear in a textbook, sequence your weeks around domain weight and how each concept interlocks with your 70% target. Spaced repetition works well here specifically because the two heaviest domains-policy provisions and Arkansas statutes-both rely on precise recall of terms and timeframes, which fades quickly without review.

Whatever pacing you use, rehearse the actual test conditions before exam day: closed-book, no calculator, and if you're testing remotely, no breaks. Practicing under those constraints on a full-length practice test exposes pacing problems you won't catch from flashcards alone. For a compact review pass in the final days before your appointment, the ARLH Cheat Sheet condenses the highest-yield facts across all eight domains onto a single page.

Frequently Asked Questions