- NELH is the Nebraska Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam, administered by PSI as Series 13-03.
- The combined exam has 150 scored questions in 150 minutes and costs $47.
- A passing score is 70%, meaning 105 correct answers out of 150.
- Nebraska has open eligibility - no state-approved prelicensing course is required before testing.
What Is NELH?
NELH stands for the Nebraska Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam, the state licensing test that anyone who wants to sell life insurance, annuities, accident insurance, or health/sickness insurance in Nebraska must pass. It is not a voluntary professional certification you add to a resume for prestige - it is the mandatory regulatory gateway to becoming a licensed insurance producer in the state. If you plan to write life policies, sell annuity products, or advise clients on health and accident coverage in Nebraska, this exam is the checkpoint you cannot skip.
The Nebraska Department of Insurance oversees the licensing requirement, while the exam itself is delivered through PSI, a third-party testing vendor, under the designation Series 13-03: Life and Annuities, Accident and Health or Sickness Insurance. That naming convention explains why NELH is often described as a "combined" exam - it merges the life/annuity content and the accident/health content into a single test rather than splitting them into two separate licensing exams as some states do.
Who Regulates and Administers It
Two entities matter here, and it's worth keeping them separate in your head:
- Nebraska Department of Insurance - sets licensing law, eligibility rules, renewal cycles, and continuing education requirements.
- PSI - the testing organization that builds, schedules, and proctors the actual exam (Series 13-03) at physical testing centers.
Because Nebraska testing happens at physical PSI sites rather than remotely, candidates should plan their schedule around an actual test center appointment rather than assuming an at-home online option. If you're mapping out when to register versus when to sit for the exam, the NELH Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling guide walks through the scheduling mechanics in more detail.
Exam Format, Fees, and Registration
The NELH exam is administered as one combined test with the following structure:
- 150 scored multiple-choice questions
- 150 minutes to complete the exam
- Cost: $47 for the combined exam
- Passing score: 70%, which equals 105 correct answers
- Unlimited retakes if you don't pass on your first attempt
The one-minute-per-question pacing (150 questions, 150 minutes) means time pressure is rarely the biggest obstacle for well-prepared candidates - content mastery is. For a full pricing breakdown, including how the $47 fee compares against retake scenarios, see NELH Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. And if you want the exact math behind the 70%/105-question passing threshold, the NELH Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass article breaks it down question by question.
Key Takeaway
You need 105 of 150 questions correct to pass NELH - there's no partial credit for domain-by-domain performance, so weak spots in small domains can still be offset by strength elsewhere.
The 16 NELH Exam Domains
NELH content is organized into 16 domains, each weighted differently. Understanding these weights is the single most useful thing you can do before opening a study guide, because it tells you where your study hours will pay off the most.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1. Insurance Regulation | 15% |
| 2. General Insurance | 10% |
| 3. Life Insurance Basics | 8% |
| 4. Life Insurance Policies | 9% |
| 5. Life Insurance Policy Provisions, Options and Riders | 9% |
| 6. Annuities | 6% |
| 7. Federal Taxation of Life Insurance and Annuities | 4% |
| 8. Customer Relations and Privacy | 1% |
| 9. Sickness and Accident Risk and Underwriting | 8% |
| 10. Individual Accident and Sickness Insurance Policy General Provisions and Clauses | 6% |
| 11. Disability | 3% |
| 12. Medical Plans | 6% |
| 13. Group Plans | 6% |
| 14. Dental Insurance | 2% |
| 15. Insurance for Senior Citizens and Individuals with Special Needs | 5% |
| 16. Federal Tax Considerations for Sickness and Accident Insurance | 2% |
Notice that Insurance Regulation alone (15%) outweighs several smaller domains combined. Life-side content (Domains 3-7) collectively represents a bigger share of the exam than the health/accident side, so candidates coming from a health-insurance background shouldn't underestimate how much life insurance material they'll need to know.
Insurance Regulation
As the largest single domain, this section tests your knowledge of Nebraska-specific producer licensing rules, department authority, unfair trade practices, and general state insurance law.
- Producer license types and application procedures
- Department of Insurance powers and disciplinary actions
- Unfair claims practices and marketing rules
Life Insurance Policies & Provisions (Domains 4 & 5)
Combined, these two domains make up 18% of the exam - nearly as much as Regulation alone.
- Term, whole, universal, and variable life structures
- Riders such as waiver of premium, accelerated death benefit, and guaranteed insurability
- Nonforfeiture options and settlement provisions
For a domain-by-domain breakdown with study priorities mapped to each of the 16 areas, see NELH Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 16 Content Areas.
Eligibility and Prelicensing Rules
One detail that surprises out-of-state candidates: Nebraska uses open eligibility. Unlike states that mandate a set number of hours of state-approved prelicensing education before you can sit for the exam, Nebraska does not require any prelicensing coursework. You can register for the Series 13-03 exam and go directly to the testing center as long as you meet the general application requirements set by the Department of Insurance.
This doesn't mean the exam is easier to pass without preparation - it simply shifts responsibility for content mastery entirely onto the candidate. There's no mandated classroom hour count acting as a built-in study buffer. For a full rundown of exactly what Nebraska does and doesn't require before you can test, review NELH Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
After You Pass: Licensing and Renewal
Passing the exam is a milestone, not the finish line. Two mechanics matter right after test day:
- One-year filing window: You must submit your license application within one year of passing the exam, or your passing result can lapse.
- Two-year renewal cycle: Once licensed, Nebraska producers renew every two years, completing 24 hours of continuing education, including 3 hours specifically in ethics.
Because retakes are unlimited, there's no penalty structure discouraging a second or third attempt - but each attempt still costs $47 and consumes testing-center scheduling time, so it pays to prepare thoroughly rather than treat the exam as a low-stakes guess-and-check process. If you want a realistic sense of how difficult candidates generally find the material, How Hard Is the NELH Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 and NELH Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows both dig into that question from different angles.
Who Hires NELH-Licensed Producers
A Nebraska Life & Health producer license opens the door to selling and servicing:
- Individual and group life insurance policies
- Fixed and variable annuity products
- Individual and group health, accident, and sickness plans
- Dental coverage and supplemental products for seniors and individuals with special needs
Employers and agencies hiring for these roles range from captive insurance carriers and independent agencies to health insurance marketplaces, employee-benefits brokerages, and financial services firms that bundle annuities with retirement planning. Because the exam blends life, annuity, and health/accident content into one license, NELH holders are often more versatile hires than producers licensed in only one line - they can service a client's life policy, annuity, and supplemental health coverage without needing a second license. For a closer look at how this license translates into career paths and compensation ranges, see NELH Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis and NELH Jobs. If you're still deciding whether pursuing this license fits your career goals, Is the NELH Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 weighs the tradeoffs.
Preparing for the Content You'll Actually See
Because Nebraska's open eligibility removes any mandated coursework, the most efficient path is to study in proportion to each domain's weight rather than spending equal time everywhere. A simple way to sequence your prep:
Regulation and General Insurance
- Master Domain 1 (Insurance Regulation, 15%) and Domain 2 (General Insurance, 10%) first - together they're a quarter of the exam.
Life Insurance Core
- Work through Domains 3-7: basics, policies, provisions/riders, annuities, and federal life taxation.
Health, Accident, and Group Content
- Cover Domains 9-13: underwriting, individual A&H provisions, disability, medical plans, and group plans.
Small Domains and Full Practice
- Finish Domains 8, 14, 15, and 16, then run full-length timed practice sessions to simulate the 150-question, 150-minute format.
Timed practice matters here specifically because the real exam gives you exactly one minute per question on average - practicing under that same constraint on a full-length practice test builds the pacing instincts you'll need on test day. For a structured week-by-week plan built around these exact domain weights, see the NELH Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and for a condensed reference you can review the night before your exam, bookmark the NELH Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts.
Key Takeaway
Study the 16 domains in proportion to their weight - Regulation, General Insurance, and the life policy/provisions domains together account for well over half the exam.
Running practice questions on NELH Exam Prep's practice test platform before test day lets you gauge which of the 16 domains still need attention, rather than guessing based on how confident you feel in general.
Frequently Asked Questions
NELH stands for the Nebraska Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam, delivered by PSI as Series 13-03. For a deeper naming breakdown, see NELH Meaning or What Does NELH Stand For?
No. Nebraska uses open eligibility, meaning there is no state-approved prelicensing education requirement before you can register and sit for the exam.
The combined exam has 150 scored multiple-choice questions, allows 150 minutes to complete, and costs $47.
You need 70%, which is 105 correct answers out of the 150 scored questions.
You must file your license application within one year of passing. Once licensed, you'll renew every two years and complete 24 hours of continuing education, including 3 hours of ethics.