- NHLAH Exam Blueprint Overview
- All 13 Domains and Their Weights
- Foundational Domains: Regulation, Federal Law, General Concepts
- The Life Insurance Core: Domains 4-6
- Annuities and Accident & Health Basics: Domains 7-9
- Medical and Group Health Domains: 10-12
- Domain 13: Federal Tax Considerations
- Exam Format, Registration, and Fees
- Mapping a Study Schedule to the Domains
- Who This Exam Opens Doors With
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The NHLAH exam has 13 domains, with Life, Accident and Health Insurance Basics weighted heaviest at 17%.
- 150 scored outline items plus 5-10 unscored PSI experimental questions fill a 2-hour 30-minute session.
- Domains 4-6 (Basics, Policy Types, Provisions/Riders) together account for 42% of the exam.
- Testing is now test-center only through PSI's Series 12-63 program since remote proctoring ended July 6, 2026.
NHLAH Exam Blueprint Overview
The New Hampshire Life, Accident & Health Insurance Producer Exam - administered by PSI under the Series 12-63 designation on behalf of the New Hampshire Insurance Department - is built around 13 distinct content domains. Each domain represents a percentage slice of the 150 scored items you'll see on test day, and understanding those percentages is the fastest way to decide where your study hours should go. This guide breaks down every domain by name, weight, and the concrete topics tested inside it, so you walk into the PSI test center with a map instead of a guess.
Unlike some licensing exams, New Hampshire does not mandate a prelicensing study course before you sit for the NHLAH exam. That means the domain outline functions as your syllabus. If you haven't already reviewed the full mechanics of registration and eligibility, the NHLAH Requirements guide is a useful companion to this one.
All 13 Domains and Their Weights
Below is the complete NHLAH content outline as published for the exam. Percentages reflect the approximate share of the 150 scored items dedicated to each domain.
| Domain | Topic | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Insurance Regulation | 7% |
| 2 | Federal Laws and Regulations | 2% |
| 3 | General Insurance Concepts | 7% |
| 4 | Life, Accident and Health Insurance Basics | 17% |
| 5 | Types of Life Insurance Policies | 10% |
| 6 | Life Insurance Policy Provisions, Options, and Riders | 15% |
| 7 | Annuities | 7% |
| 8 | Individual Accident and Health Insurance Policy Provisions | 9% |
| 9 | Disability Income and Related Insurance | 6% |
| 10 | Medical Plans | 10% |
| 11 | Group Health Insurance | 2% |
| 12 | Specialized Health Insurance for Qualified Individuals | 4% |
| 13 | Federal Tax Considerations for Life and Health Insurance | 4% |
Notice that four domains - 4, 5, 6, and 10 - together make up more than half the exam. Any serious study plan should reflect that concentration rather than spreading effort evenly across all 13 areas. For a deeper dive into how these percentages translate into difficulty and pacing, see How Hard Is the NHLAH Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Foundational Domains: Regulation, Federal Law, General Concepts
Domains 1 through 3 lay the legal and conceptual groundwork before the exam moves into product-specific material. Together they represent 16% of scored content, and while no single domain here is huge, skipping them is a common reason candidates lose easy points.
Domain 1: Insurance Regulation (7%)
Covers the licensing authority of the New Hampshire Insurance Department and the producer's regulatory obligations.
- Producer licensing requirements, appointments, and lines of authority
- Continuing education obligations that follow licensure, including how CE hours must be completed
- Unfair trade practices, penalties, and department enforcement authority
Domain 2: Federal Laws and Regulations (2%)
The smallest domain on the exam, but still testable - expect a small number of questions on federal statutes that intersect with state-regulated insurance sales.
- Federal privacy and disclosure rules relevant to producers
- Federal oversight boundaries versus state insurance department authority
Domain 3: General Insurance Concepts (7%)
Foundational vocabulary and risk principles that underpin every later domain.
- Insurable interest, risk pooling, and indemnity principles
- Contract elements: offer, acceptance, consideration, and legal purpose
- Underwriting basics and the producer's role in the application process
The Life Insurance Core: Domains 4-6
This cluster is the heart of the exam. Domains 4, 5, and 6 together account for 42% of the 150 outline items - meaning a candidate who masters this section alone is positioned to answer nearly half the exam correctly. This is exactly the kind of NHLAH-specific weighting discussed in the NHLAH Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
Domain 4: Life, Accident and Health Insurance Basics (17%)
The single largest domain on the exam. It blends foundational life and health concepts that recur throughout every other domain.
- Personal and business uses of life insurance
- Health insurance terminology: premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and benefit periods
- Group versus individual coverage distinctions
- Underwriting classifications and risk factors for life and health applicants
Domain 5: Types of Life Insurance Policies (10%)
Tests your ability to distinguish policy structures and match product features to client needs.
- Term life variations: level, decreasing, increasing, renewable, convertible
- Whole life, universal life, and variable life mechanics
- Endowment and other cash-value product structures
Domain 6: Life Insurance Policy Provisions, Options, and Riders (15%)
The second-largest domain overall, and one of the densest in terms of memorization.
- Standard provisions: grace period, incontestability, reinstatement, entire contract
- Nonforfeiture options and dividend options
- Common riders: waiver of premium, accidental death, guaranteed insurability, accelerated benefits
- Settlement and beneficiary designation options
Key Takeaway
If your study time is limited, prioritize Domains 4 and 6 first - together they represent 32% of the exam and are the most rider- and provision-heavy content areas.
Annuities and Accident & Health Basics: Domains 7-9
These three domains shift from life insurance products into annuities and individual accident & health coverage, together representing 22% of the exam.
Domain 7: Annuities (7%)
Focuses on annuity structure, payout options, and the distinction between accumulation and distribution phases.
- Fixed, variable, and indexed annuity characteristics
- Immediate versus deferred annuities
- Annuitization options and surrender charge mechanics
Domain 8: Individual Accident and Health Insurance Policy Provisions (9%)
Covers the standard clauses found in individual A&H contracts.
- Insuring clauses, exclusions, and limitations
- Renewability provisions and pre-existing condition clauses
- Claims procedures and time limits on legal actions
Domain 9: Disability Income and Related Insurance (6%)
Tests knowledge of disability income products and the definitions that determine when a benefit is payable.
- Own-occupation versus any-occupation definitions of disability
- Elimination periods and benefit period structures
- Business disability applications, including buy-sell and overhead expense coverage
Medical and Group Health Domains: 10-12
Domains 10 through 12 round out the health insurance portion of the exam, spanning individual medical plans through specialized coverage for qualified individuals.
Domain 10: Medical Plans (10%)
A substantial domain covering how medical coverage is structured and delivered.
- HMO, PPO, POS, and indemnity plan structures
- Managed care concepts: gatekeepers, referrals, and networks
- Health Savings Accounts and high-deductible health plan pairing rules
Domain 11: Group Health Insurance (2%)
A small but distinct domain focused on employer-sponsored coverage mechanics.
- Eligibility, enrollment periods, and COBRA continuation basics
- Group underwriting versus individual underwriting differences
Domain 12: Specialized Health Insurance for Qualified Individuals (4%)
Covers coverage designed for specific populations rather than the general market.
- Medicare parts and supplement (Medigap) plan structures
- Medicaid eligibility basics and long-term care insurance features
Domain 13: Federal Tax Considerations
The final domain, Federal Tax Considerations for Life and Health Insurance, closes out the outline at 4%. It's a compact domain, but it tests specific, easily memorized rules that show up in scenario-based questions.
Domain 13: Federal Tax Considerations for Life and Health Insurance (4%)
- Taxation of life insurance death benefits and cash value withdrawals
- Taxation of annuity distributions and the exclusion ratio concept
- Tax treatment of disability income benefits based on who paid the premium
- Employer-provided group life insurance tax rules
Because this domain is worth only 4%, it's a good candidate for a focused final review session rather than weeks of dedicated study - but don't skip it entirely, since the concepts are testable in isolation and easy to get wrong without review.
Exam Format, Registration, and Fees
Knowing the domains is only half the picture - you also need to understand how the exam is actually delivered. The NHLAH exam is a $72 computer-based test consisting of 150 outline items, with a 2-hour 30-minute time limit. PSI may also insert 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions, which are indistinguishable from scored items, so every question deserves full attention regardless of where it falls in the outline.
Because New Hampshire does not require a prelicensing course, candidates are free to self-study using the domain outline directly. That flexibility is a double-edged sword: it saves time and course fees, but it also means there's no built-in structure forcing you to cover every domain. A structured resource like the NHLAH Cheat Sheet 2026 can help fill that gap for last-mile review.
Once you're licensed, maintaining it requires 24 continuing education hours per biennium, including 3 to 10 ethics hours, all completed no later than 60 days before your renewal date. Passing the exam is the entry point - the CE cycle is the ongoing obligation. For a full walkthrough of what it costs to sit for the exam and maintain licensure afterward, see the NHLAH Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
If you want to understand exactly how PSI scores the 150 items and what raw score you need across the domains, the NHLAH Passing Score 2026 guide breaks that down in detail.
Mapping a Study Schedule to the Domains
Rather than studying domains in numerical order, sequence your review by weight. Spend the most calendar time on Domains 4, 5, and 6, moderate time on Domains 8 and 10, and treat Domains 2, 11, 12, and 13 as consolidated review sessions near the end.
Foundations and the Biggest Domain
- Cover Domain 3 (General Insurance Concepts) to build vocabulary
- Begin Domain 4 (Life, Accident and Health Insurance Basics) - the 17% domain
- Review Domain 1 (Insurance Regulation) alongside it
Life Insurance Products and Provisions
- Complete Domain 5 (Types of Life Insurance Policies)
- Work through Domain 6 (Policy Provisions, Options, and Riders) - the second-largest domain
Annuities and Accident & Health
- Study Domain 7 (Annuities)
- Study Domain 8 (Individual A&H Policy Provisions)
- Study Domain 9 (Disability Income)
Health Plans, Tax Rules, and Final Review
- Cover Domain 10 (Medical Plans), Domain 11 (Group Health), and Domain 12 (Specialized Health)
- Finish with Domain 13 (Federal Tax Considerations) and Domain 2 (Federal Laws)
- Run full-length timed practice sessions mirroring the 150-item, 2.5-hour format
This sequencing lets the heaviest domains benefit from spaced repetition across multiple weeks while lighter domains get a single, focused pass. For more detail on how long total preparation typically takes and how pass outcomes track with study time, review NHLAH Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Who This Exam Opens Doors With
Passing the NHLAH exam qualifies you to hold a New Hampshire producer license across life, accident, and health lines of authority. That license is the credential insurance agencies, independent brokerages, and carriers look for when hiring producers who sell life policies, annuities, disability income products, and individual or group health plans within the state. If you're weighing whether the licensing process is worth the time investment relative to the roles it unlocks, Is the NHLAH Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 walks through that decision in more depth, and the NHLAH Salary Guide 2026 covers earnings considerations for licensed producers.
Before you commit to a test date, it's worth confirming the practical scheduling details - testing windows, blackout periods, and how far in advance PSI requires you to book. That's covered fully in NHLAH Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling. And once you're ready to gauge your readiness against the real domain weighting, running full practice sessions at our NHLAH practice test platform is the most direct way to see how your knowledge lines up with Domains 1 through 13 before exam day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Domain 4, Life, Accident and Health Insurance Basics, is the largest at 17% of the 150 outline items, making it the single highest-priority domain for study time.
The exam contains 150 scored outline items, and PSI may add 5 to 10 additional unscored experimental questions that are not distinguishable from scored ones.
No. New Hampshire does not require a prelicensing study course for this exam, so candidates typically self-study the domain outline directly using resources like practice exams and cheat sheets.
No. Remote proctoring for this exam ended July 6, 2026, so all candidates must now test at a physical PSI test center.
The lowest-weighted domains - Domain 2 (Federal Laws and Regulations, 2%) and Domain 11 (Group Health Insurance, 2%) - contribute the fewest questions and are reasonable to review last, but should not be skipped entirely.