- Who Can Take the NELH Exam
- Registration and Fee Mechanics
- Exam Format You'll Actually Sit For
- Domains You Must Master to Qualify
- After Passing: License Application Deadline
- Renewal and Continuing Education Requirements
- Building a Qualification Timeline
- Who Hires NELH-Licensed Producers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Nebraska has open eligibility - no state-approved prelicensing education is required before you sit for NELH.
- The combined exam costs $47 and covers 150 scored questions in 150 minutes through PSI.
- You need 105 correct answers (70%) to pass, and attempts are unlimited.
- Your license application must be filed within one year of passing the exam.
Who Can Take the NELH Exam
The Nebraska Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam (NELH) is administered under PSI's Series 13-03 catalog, covering Life and Annuities, Accident and Health or Sickness Insurance in a single combined test. Unlike many states, Nebraska operates under an open eligibility model. That means the Nebraska Department of Insurance does not require candidates to complete state-approved prelicensing coursework before scheduling the exam. You can register and test as soon as you're ready, whether that readiness comes from a formal course, self-study, or prior industry experience.
This is a meaningful structural difference from states that mandate a set number of prelicensing hours. It shifts responsibility onto the candidate to determine when they are actually prepared for the material, rather than relying on a mandatory course to gate that decision. If you're unsure what "prepared" looks like for this exam specifically, our NELH difficulty breakdown walks through what makes the content challenging even without a prelicensing requirement standing between you and the test.
Registration and Fee Mechanics
Because Nebraska doesn't require a prelicensing certificate of completion, the registration process is comparatively straightforward:
- Confirm you meet PSI's identification requirements for the Series 13-03 exam.
- Schedule your seat at a physical PSI testing site - Nebraska does not currently offer remote proctoring for this exam.
- Pay the $47 combined exam fee at registration.
- Arrive with valid ID and any required documentation on test day.
Because the exam is combined (life, annuities, accident, and health/sickness content in one sitting), there's no option to split the fee across two separate tests the way some states allow. You pay once and are tested on all 16 domains in the same 150-minute session. For a full cost breakdown, including what happens if you need to retake, see our NELH certification cost guide.
Key Takeaway
Because attempts are unlimited, there's no eligibility penalty for retaking - but each retake means paying the $47 fee again, so it pays to prepare thoroughly the first time.
Exam Format You'll Actually Sit For
Understanding the mechanics of the exam itself is part of qualifying to sit for it with confidence. The NELH combined exam consists of:
| Exam Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Question count | 150 scored multiple-choice questions |
| Time allowed | 150 minutes |
| Passing score | 70% (105 correct answers) |
| Fee | $47 combined |
| Retake policy | Unlimited attempts |
| Testing method | In-person at PSI test centers |
That works out to an average of one minute per question, which is a manageable pace if you know the material but punishing if you're guessing on regulatory definitions or policy provision language. For a deeper look at exactly how the 105-correct-answer threshold is calculated and what a realistic study target should look like, read our NELH passing score guide.
Domains You Must Master to Qualify
"Qualifying" for licensure in Nebraska isn't just about meeting administrative eligibility - it's about demonstrating competency across all 16 tested domains. Here's how the exam blueprint breaks down:
Domain 1: Insurance Regulation (15%)
The single largest domain on the exam. Candidates must know Nebraska-specific producer licensing rules, unfair trade practices, and the Department of Insurance's regulatory authority.
- Producer licensing and appointment requirements
- Unfair claims practices and market conduct
Domain 2: General Insurance (10%)
Foundational insurance concepts that apply across life and health products, including contract law basics and insurable interest.
- Elements of a valid insurance contract
- Concepts like adverse selection and risk pooling
Domains 3-5: Life Insurance Basics, Policies, and Provisions/Riders (26% combined)
Together these three domains make up more than a quarter of the exam. Expect detailed questions on policy types, riders, nonforfeiture options, and settlement choices.
- Term, whole, universal, and variable life distinctions
- Riders such as waiver of premium and accelerated death benefit
Domains 9-16: Accident, Health, and Specialty Coverage
The back half of the blueprint spans underwriting, disability, medical plans, group plans, dental, senior/special needs coverage, and federal tax treatment of A&H insurance.
- Medicare, Medicaid, and long-term care basics under Domain 15
- Group plan eligibility and COBRA-style continuation concepts under Domain 13
Notice how thin some domains are individually - Customer Relations and Privacy is only 1%, and Federal Tax Considerations for Sickness and Accident Insurance is just 2%. Spending equal study time across all 16 domains would be a mistake. For the complete weighting rationale and topic lists inside each domain, see our full NELH exam domains guide.
After Passing: License Application Deadline
Passing the exam is not the finish line - it's a checkpoint with a clock attached. Nebraska requires that your license application be filed within one year of the date you pass the exam. If you let that window close, your passing score no longer counts toward licensure, and you'll need to retest.
This deadline matters for anyone who passes the exam well ahead of a job offer, a carrier appointment, or a planned career transition. A year sounds generous, but life happens - file the application promptly rather than treating it as a someday task. If you're mapping out your testing date against other deadlines, our NELH exam dates and scheduling guide lays out how to plan backward from the one-year filing cutoff.
Key Takeaway
Mark your calendar the day you pass: the one-year license application clock starts immediately, not when you decide to start job hunting.
Renewal and Continuing Education Requirements
Qualifying to sit for the exam is only step one of a two-year cycle. Once licensed, Nebraska producers must renew their license every two years and complete 24 hours of continuing education during each renewal period, including 3 hours of ethics content. This CE obligation is separate from - and comes after - the initial exam requirement, but it's worth knowing upfront so you understand the full lifecycle of the license you're studying to earn.
- 24 total CE hours per two-year renewal cycle
- 3 of those hours must be ethics-specific
- CE requirements apply after initial licensure, not before the exam
Building a Qualification Timeline
Since Nebraska doesn't force you through a prelicensing course, you're free to build your own preparation schedule around the domain weights rather than a fixed curriculum. A domain-weighted timeline tends to work better than a generic week-by-week template because it puts your hours where the exam actually rewards them.
Regulation and General Insurance Foundations
- Master Domain 1 (Insurance Regulation, 15%) - the single biggest scoring opportunity
- Layer in Domain 2 (General Insurance, 10%) concepts like insurable interest and contract elements
Life Insurance Core
- Work through Domains 3-5 (Life Basics, Policies, Provisions/Riders) - combined 26% of the exam
- Drill policy types, nonforfeiture options, and rider terminology
Annuities, Taxation, and Underwriting
- Cover Domain 6 (Annuities, 6%) and Domain 7 (Federal Taxation, 4%)
- Move into Domain 9 (Sickness and Accident Risk and Underwriting, 8%)
Health, Group, and Specialty Domains
- Finish Domains 10-16, giving extra attention to Medical Plans, Group Plans, and Senior/Special Needs coverage
- Run full-length timed practice sets to build stamina for the 150-question, 150-minute format
For a structured walkthrough of this exact approach with practice question strategy layered in, our NELH study guide is the natural next step. And if you want to benchmark your readiness against how other candidates actually perform, the NELH pass rate data gives useful context - though remember that unlimited attempts mean a rough first pass doesn't disqualify you from trying again.
Who Hires NELH-Licensed Producers
Once you're licensed, the NELH credential opens doors with carriers and agencies writing life insurance, annuities, and accident/health products in Nebraska. Because the exam is combined rather than split into separate life-only and health-only tracks, license holders are positioned to sell across both product lines from day one - a practical advantage when applying to agencies that want producers who can cross-sell.
Employers commonly include independent insurance agencies, captive carrier sales forces, group benefits brokerages, and Medicare/senior-market specialists who need producers versed in Domain 15's senior citizen and special needs coverage material. If you're weighing whether the licensing effort translates into real opportunity, our NELH salary guide and ROI analysis dig into the career-value side of the equation in more depth than eligibility requirements alone can cover.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Nebraska uses open eligibility, so there is no state-approved prelicensing education requirement before you can register and sit for the exam.
Attempts are unlimited. There's no cap on retakes, though each attempt requires paying the $47 exam fee again.
You must file your license application within one year of passing the exam, or your passing result no longer counts toward licensure.
The exam is administered by PSI at physical testing sites as Series 13-03, covering Life and Annuities, Accident and Health or Sickness Insurance in one combined test.
Yes. Producer licenses renew every two years, and you must complete 24 hours of continuing education per cycle, including 3 hours of ethics.
Ready to see where your knowledge stands against the actual domain weights? Head to our NELH practice test platform to run a full-length simulation, or browse additional practice resources before you lock in your PSI testing date.