- What Is the ARLH, Exactly?
- Who Administers It and Why That Matters
- Exam Format: Questions, Time, and Scoring
- The 8 ARLH Content Domains
- Eligibility, Prelicensing, and Application Mechanics
- Attempts, Permits, and What Happens If You Fail
- After You Pass: Licensing and Continuing Education
- Who Actually Takes the ARLH?
- How to Prepare Without Wasting Time
- Frequently Asked Questions
- ARLH refers to the Arkansas Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam, administered by PSI for the Arkansas Insurance Department.
- The Life exam has 110 questions (100 scored, 10 pretest) in 150 minutes, and 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.
- You get three attempts within a 90-day permit before a mandatory four-week wait and a full application restart.
What Is the ARLH, Exactly?
ARLH stands for the Arkansas Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam - the state licensing test that anyone who wants to sell life or health insurance in Arkansas must pass. It isn't a private industry designation, a marketing certification, or an optional credential you can skip. It's a statutory gate: no passing score, no producer license, no legal authority to sell life or health products in the state.
Arkansas actually runs the Life and Health exams as two separate tests, though candidates can schedule both in the same testing appointment if they're pursuing both lines. This site is focused specifically on the Life examination, since that's where most new producers start and where the bulk of first-time confusion happens.
Who Administers It and Why That Matters
The Arkansas Insurance Department owns the licensing requirement, but the actual exam delivery is handled by PSI, a third-party testing vendor. That division matters practically: the Department sets the rules (education hours, background checks, license renewal), while PSI controls scheduling, test-center logistics, remote proctoring rules, and how your score gets reported.
Understanding this split helps when something goes wrong - a scheduling issue or ID problem is a PSI matter, while a licensing or application status question goes back to the Arkansas Insurance Department. For a full walkthrough of what's required before you can even book a seat, see ARLH Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Exam Format: Questions, Time, and Scoring
The Life examination is computer-based and closed book. There's no reference material, no calculator, and no formula sheet - everything you need has to be memorized or reasoned through in the moment. You can take it at a physical test center or through remote proctoring, but remote sessions come with a catch: no scratch paper and no breaks. If you're deciding between the two formats, that restriction alone is worth weighing carefully.
- Total questions: 110 (100 scored, 10 unscored pretest items you can't identify during the test)
- Time limit: 150 minutes
- Passing score: 70%
- Fee: $50
- Format: Closed book, computer-based, test center or remote proctoring
Because 10 of the 110 questions are pretest items mixed in without notice, treat every question on screen as if it counts. There's no way to skip the unscored ones on purpose, and guessing which ones they are is a waste of mental energy. For the exact math behind the passing threshold, read ARLH Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Key Takeaway
150 minutes for 110 questions gives you roughly 80 seconds per question - plenty of time if you know the material, but not enough time to work through unfamiliar concepts from scratch during the exam.
The 8 ARLH Content Domains
The exam blueprint splits into eight domains, and they are not weighted evenly. Two domains alone account for 40% of the entire scored exam, so where you spend your study hours should directly track these percentages rather than being split evenly across topics.
Domain 4: Life Policy Provisions, Riders and Options (20%)
This is one of two largest domains. It covers how life policies are structured after issue - provisions, nonforfeiture options, riders, and the mechanics of how policyholders can modify or use their coverage.
- Know standard provisions (grace period, reinstatement, incontestability) cold, since they show up in multiple question variations
Domain 7: Arkansas Statutes, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life and Health Insurance (20%)
Tied with Domain 4 as the largest section. This is state-specific law, not general insurance theory, which means outside study materials that aren't Arkansas-specific can actively mislead you here.
- Focus on producer conduct rules, replacement regulations, and unfair trade practices as defined under Arkansas law
Domain 3: Types of Life Insurance Policies (14%)
Term, whole, universal, and variable products, along with the distinctions examiners use to test whether you actually understand the differences rather than just the names.
- Be able to compare policy types side by side, not just define each in isolation
Domain 2: Life Insurance Basics (13%)
Foundational concepts - insurable interest, risk, underwriting basics - that other domains assume you already know.
Domain 8: Arkansas Statutes and Rules Pertinent to Life Insurance Only (10%)
Narrower than Domain 7, this section isolates state rules that apply specifically to life products rather than both lines.
Domain 1: General Insurance Concepts (11%)
Broad terminology and principles that underpin every other domain on the test.
Domain 5: Annuities (8%)
Annuity structures, payout options, and how they differ from life insurance products in purpose and tax treatment.
Domain 6: Federal Tax Considerations for Life Insurance (4%)
The smallest domain by weight, but still worth a focused review pass since a handful of predictable questions almost always appear on tax treatment of proceeds and premiums.
For a question-style breakdown of each domain and how deeply to study each one, see ARLH Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 8 Content Areas. And if you're trying to gauge overall difficulty before you commit study time, How Hard Is the ARLH Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 breaks down what makes this exam harder or easier than candidates expect.
Eligibility, Prelicensing, and Application Mechanics
Before you can sit for the ARLH, there's a checklist to complete - and skipping a step here is the most common reason candidates get delayed, not the exam content itself.
- Complete prelicensing education: 20 hours of approved coursework per line (Life, in this case) is required before you're eligible to test.
- Submit your NIPR application: This is done through the National Insurance Producer Registry along with required criminal-background-check materials.
- Obtain authorization to test: Once your application and background check clear, you receive authorization from the state, which is what actually lets you book an exam appointment with PSI.
- Pass within your 90-day permit window: Your testing authorization isn't indefinite - you have 90 days to sit for and pass the exam.
Every one of these steps has a paperwork trail, and the background-check portion in particular can take longer than candidates expect. Build in buffer time rather than assuming you'll test the week you finish coursework. For the full sequence with timing guidance, see ARLH Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify and check current scheduling windows at ARLH Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Attempts, Permits, and What Happens If You Fail
Your 90-day permit allows a maximum of three attempts at the exam. If you fail all three, you can't simply pay again and retry the next day - you must wait four weeks and then restart the entire application process from the beginning, including re-verifying your authorization to test.
This structure is exactly why cramming the night before is a poor strategy for the ARLH specifically - the penalty for an unprepared attempt is disproportionate to a typical exam retake. If you want a realistic sense of how candidates actually perform, ARLH Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows covers what's publicly known about outcomes.
After You Pass: Licensing and Continuing Education
Passing the ARLH gets you the score you need, but the resident producer license itself renews on a two-year cycle. To maintain it, license holders must complete 24 continuing-education hours per renewal period, including 3 hours specifically in ethics. This isn't a one-and-done credential - it's an ongoing professional obligation tied to your ability to keep selling.
Curious about the full cost picture, including the exam fee, prelicensing coursework, and renewal cycle? See ARLH Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown for a line-item view.
Who Actually Takes the ARLH?
Candidates for this exam generally fall into a few groups: career-changers entering insurance sales for the first time, agents who already hold a property/casualty line and are adding life and health to their book, and captive or independent agency recruits who need licensing completed before their start date. Because the license is a legal requirement rather than a résumé enhancer, virtually every insurance sales role involving life or health products in Arkansas requires it.
If you're weighing whether pursuing this license is worth the time and cost relative to your career goals, Is the ARLH Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and ARLH Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis both dig into that question. For active postings and role types that require this license, see ARLH Jobs.
How to Prepare Without Wasting Time
Given the domain weighting, an even split of study time across all eight domains is inefficient. Domains 4 and 7 together make up 40% of the scored exam, so they deserve roughly double the study time of a domain like Federal Tax Considerations, which is worth just 4%.
Foundations First
- Cover Domain 1 (General Insurance Concepts) and Domain 2 (Life Insurance Basics) since later domains assume this vocabulary
Heaviest Domains
- Spend the bulk of this week on Domain 4 (Life Policy Provisions, Riders and Options) and Domain 3 (Types of Life Insurance Policies)
Arkansas Law
- Focus entirely on Domain 7 and Domain 8 - the two Arkansas-specific statute domains that together equal 30% of the exam
Smaller Domains and Full Review
- Cover Domain 5 (Annuities) and Domain 6 (Federal Tax Considerations), then run full-length timed practice sessions mimicking the 150-minute limit
Since the exam is closed book with no calculator, practicing under those exact conditions matters more than it does for open-resource tests. Get comfortable working through scenario-based questions without any aids, and if you're testing remotely, rehearse without scratch paper too, since that option won't be available on exam day. For a structured week-by-week plan built around this exact weighting, see ARLH Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and for a compact reference of must-know facts in the final days before your test, check ARLH Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts.
You can also build familiarity with the question format itself by running full-length simulated exams on our practice test platform before your scheduled date, so the 150-minute pacing and closed-book conditions feel familiar rather than stressful on test day.
| Exam Detail | Specification |
|---|---|
| Total questions | 110 (100 scored, 10 pretest) |
| Time allowed | 150 minutes |
| Passing score | 70% |
| Exam fee | $50 |
| Attempts per permit | 3 (within 90-day permit period) |
| Failed permit wait time | 4 weeks, then reapply |
| Prelicensing hours required | 20 hours per line |
| License renewal cycle | Biennial, 24 CE hours (3 ethics) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly - it's specifically the Life examination portion of Arkansas's producer licensing process, administered separately from the Health line exam, though Arkansas allows candidates to schedule both together.
Your testing permit allows up to three attempts within the 90-day permit period. After three failures, you must wait four weeks and then restart the full application process before testing again.
Yes. Arkansas requires 20 hours of approved prelicensing education per line, plus a submitted NIPR application and background-check materials, before you receive authorization to test.
No. The exam is strictly closed book with no reference materials or calculator allowed, whether you test at a physical center or via remote proctoring.
No. Resident producer licenses renew every two years, and maintaining your license requires 24 continuing-education hours per renewal cycle, including 3 hours of ethics training.