Two neighboring states, different routes
| Requirement | New York | New Jersey |
|---|---|---|
| Life + health route | Combined 17-55 available | Separate line examinations |
| Prelicensing minimum | 40 combined hours | 20 hours per line |
| Exam fee | $40 combined | $47 per examination |
| Spanish materials | Spanish combined exam reported | Exam and registration materials required in EN/ES |
Do not compare pass rates that are not comparable
New York publishes statewide outcomes: 13,164 English and 166 Spanish examinees took the combined exam in 2025. New Jersey does not publish a comparable statewide table on its public licensing pages.
New Jersey instead requires tuition-charging prelicensing providers to disclose their own pass rates by line of authority for the preceding six months. A provider-specific rate must never be presented as the statewide rate.
What can be shared — and what must stay separate
- National life and health principles can form a common foundation.
- State licensing duties, replacement rules, prohibited practices and deadlines require separate instruction.
- Exam structure, fees and retake procedure must be learned for the state in which you test.
One method, state-specific execution
CertiAcademy provides more than 1,300 learning questions for New York, with 500 devoted to New York law and rules. The New York program uses diagnosis, rule-based explanations, spaced review and realistic simulations in complete English and Spanish paths. New Jersey web access is also available now.
Official sources and further reading
Facts and requirements were checked against the linked primary sources on the article's publication date. Licensing authorities and testing providers remain controlling.
- PSI / New York Department of Financial Services: New York Insurance Examination Candidate BulletinOfficial exam series, 150-item format, 2.5-hour limit, scoring, fee and retake procedure.
- New York Department of Financial Services: Annual Report on Insurance Agent Licensing Examinations 2025Official 2025 examinee counts and pass rates by exam, language and voluntarily reported demographic group.
- New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance: Producer Frequently Asked QuestionsOfficial $47 examination fee, 20-hour-per-line education requirement and current online application fees.
- New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance: Producer Licensing Regulation — Provider DisclosuresOfficial rulemaking text requiring tuition-charging prelicensing providers to disclose their own pass rates by line of authority.
- New Jersey Legislature: P.L. 2015, Chapter 150State law requiring producer examination and registration materials in English and Spanish.