Most study guides tell you that you need "70%" to pass the insurance licensing exam. For many states that is simply wrong. We verified the passing score for every line of authority in all 50 states and DC directly from the official candidate handbooks and information bulletins, and the real answer ranges from 60% to 76% - and in more than a dozen states, no percentage exists at all.
The verified passing score in every state
The table below shows the passing requirement for each of the three major lines. "Scaled score" means the state converts your raw result to a scaled passing point (usually reported as 70 on a scale that is not a percentage) and does not publish a fixed percent-correct requirement. "Not published" means the state's official materials do not state a passing score at all.
| State | Life | Health | Property & Casualty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | ~70% | 70% | 70% |
| Alaska | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| Arizona | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Arkansas | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| California | 60% | 60% | 60% |
| Colorado | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| Connecticut | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Delaware | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| District of Columbia | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| Florida | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Georgia | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Hawaii | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| Idaho | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Illinois | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| Indiana | Scaled score | Not published | Not published |
| Iowa | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Kansas | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Kentucky | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Louisiana | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Maine | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| Maryland | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Massachusetts | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| Michigan | 72% | 76% | 74% |
| Minnesota | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Mississippi | 65% | 65% | 70% |
| Missouri | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| Montana | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| Nebraska | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Nevada | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| New Hampshire | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| New Jersey | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| New Mexico | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| New York | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| North Carolina | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| North Dakota | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Ohio | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Oklahoma | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Oregon | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Pennsylvania | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Rhode Island | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| South Carolina | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| South Dakota | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| Tennessee | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| Texas | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| Utah | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Vermont | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Virginia | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Washington | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| West Virginia | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
| Wisconsin | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Wyoming | Scaled score | Scaled score | Scaled score |
The lowest and highest bars in the country
California sets the lowest explicit passing score we verified: 60% on the life exam. California's life insurance exam is a notable example at 60% - a full ten points below the commonly repeated "70%" figure. At the other extreme, Michigan requires 76% on its Accident & Health exam - the highest cut score for that line in the country. Michigan's health exam also pairs that high bar with a separate 72% requirement for life and 74% for property & casualty, so the target genuinely changes exam to exam.
Why "70%" is the most repeated mistake in exam prep
Most prep sites copy each other rather than reading the candidate handbooks. 70% is the single most common requirement, so it gets repeated as if it were universal. But if you are studying for a 60% state you may be over-stressing, and if you are in a 74-76% state and aiming for "just above 70", you are practicing to fail. Your practice targets should come from your state's actual number - which is why our mock exams grade you against the verified cut score for your state and line, not a generic 70%.
Scaled-score states: why your practice percentage is only a guide
20 jurisdictions (Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Wyoming) use scaled scoring for at least one line. In these states the exam vendor converts your raw score onto a standard scale, and a "70" result is a scaled point, not 70% of questions answered correctly. The honest takeaway for practice: aim comfortably above 70% on realistic mocks and you cover the plausible range - but no practice site can tell you the exact raw score you will need, and any site that claims to is guessing.
How to use these numbers
- Find your state's row above and note your line's real requirement.
- Take a full-length <a class="text-primary underline underline-offset-4" href="/free-mock-tests">state-specific mock exam</a> - ours mirror your state's real question count and time limit.
- Aim for a consistent margin of about ten points above your state's cut score before you book the real exam - passing twice in a row at that level is the strongest readiness signal.
Every figure on this page comes from the official candidate handbook or vendor bulletin for that state, verified in July 2026. Sources for each state are listed on that state's practice page, and our verification process is documented on the Sources & Updates page. Requirements do change - always confirm with your state insurance department before booking.