New York Life Insurance Practice Exam Free - 2026
New York is the most demanding licensing state in the country, with the Department of Financial Services requiring more prelicensing study than almost anywhere else. Make those hours pay off with free exam-style practice. Access 336+ free Life Insurance questions with detailed explanations.
Exam quick facts. The New York Life Insurance exam: 100 questions in 120 minutes; passing score 70%; exam fee $40; administered by PSI; 20-hour prelicensing course required. Verified July 2026 against the official candidate handbook. Full details and source
Taking New York's combined Life, Accident and Health exam (17-55)? New York life and health exam guide
Our New York bank includes 30 questions written specifically on New York life insurance law - each citing the statute or rule it tests - alongside the national question bank.
How the New York Life Insurance exam compares
The New York Life exam is 100 questions, 120 minutes, a 70% cut score. The examination fee is $40.
New York requires 20 hours of prelicensing education for the Life line alone, or 40 hours for the combined Life, Accident & Health license, before you may sit (the heavier 90-hour course applies only to Property & Casualty).
Life Insurance questions reviewed by Michael Bennett — Life Insurance, 17 years' experience, Tampa, FL.
Figures above are taken from PSI New York Insurance Licensing Candidate Information Bulletin and were verified in July 2026. Requirements change - confirm current details with your state insurance department before you book.
Official content outline: what the New York Life exam tests
New York Life Insurance Agent/Broker (Series 17-51)
100 questions, 2-hour time limit, 70% to pass
| Outline section | Questions / weight |
|---|---|
| Insurance regulation | 10% |
| General insurance | 10% |
| Life insurance basics | 19% |
| Life insurance policies | 20% |
| Life insurance policy provisions, options and riders | 20% |
| Federal tax considerations for life insurance and annuities | 5% |
| Qualified plans | 4% |
| Life settlements | 2% |
| Annuities | 10% |
New York state law on the exam: 10% as a named section, with Insurance Law citations inside the product sections
- Agent and broker licensing, appointment and termination of appointment (2103, 2104, 2112; Regulations 9, 18, 29)
- Unfair and prohibited practices: misrepresentation (2123; Regulation 64), rebating, false advertising (2603), controlled business
- Required life policy provisions: grace period, reinstatement, incontestability, misstatement of age, free look (3203, 3204)
- Replacement of life insurance and annuities (Regulation 60) and the regulation of variable products (4240; Regulations 47 and 77)
- Life settlements: broker licensing, prohibited practices and stranger-originated life insurance (Article 78)
- Group life conversion rights (3220) and life insurance on minors (3207)
New York's life exam is only 100 questions, but nearly a third of them touch state law once you count the citations inside the policy-provisions section. Regulation 60 replacement rules and the Article 78 life settlement rules are the two areas candidates from other states most often miss.
Source: PSI New York Insurance Licensing Candidate Information Bulletin - Series 17-51 content outline (effective Current bulletin (read September 2026)). Outlines change; confirm with the current document before you book.
Taking New York's combined Life, Accident and Health exam (17-55)?
New York candidates applying for both the Life and the Accident & Health lines can sit one PSI exam, Series 17-55: 150 items in 2.5 hours with the same 70% cut score as the 100-question 17-51 Life exam covered on this page. The combined line needs 40 prelicensing hours instead of 20.
Practice this life bank and the New York health bank, and use the combined-exam guide for the percentage weights PSI publishes for each section.
Choose Your Practice Mode
- Vendor: PSI Services
- Questions: 100 questions (plus 5-10 unscored experimental questions may be added)
- Time limit: 120 minutes
- Passing: 70% correct to pass
- Exam fee: $40 examination fee (Life Agent/Broker, Series 17-51)
- Prelicensing: 20 hours for a single line (Life alone, or Accident & Health alone); 40 hours for the combined Life, Accident & Health license. DFS: 'Life, Accident and Health Agent: 40 hours' - the 90-hour course applies only to Property/Casualty
Verified July 2026 from the PSI New York Insurance Licensing Candidate Information Bulletin. Always confirm with the current official candidate handbook.
Don't just aim to pass a practice test once - retake it until you score comfortably above your state's passing mark two or three times in a row. Read the explanation after every question, even the ones you get right, to lock in the rule before exam day.
New York Life Insurance Exam Topics
Free New York Life Practice Questions with Answers
12 sample questions from the 336-question Life bank behind the interactive tests. Expand a question to check the answer and the reasoning behind it.
- A. Every five years
- B. Only at policy maturity or surrender
- C. Annually
- D. Whenever the board of directors chooses
Correct answer: C. Annually
Explanation: A New York individual life policy must provide that the insurer shall annually ascertain and apportion any divisible surplus accruing on the policy. See N.Y. Ins. Law 3203(a)(6).
- A. Three full years
- B. One full year
- C. Five full years
- D. Ten full years
Correct answer: A. Three full years
Explanation: New York individual life policies must grant a loan up to the loan value after three full years' premiums have been paid. See N.Y. Ins. Law 3203(a)(8).
- A. One year
- B. Five years
- C. There is no time limit
- D. Two years
Correct answer: D. Two years
Explanation: New York permits a life policy to exclude death by suicide only within two years from the date of issue; after that, suicide must be covered. See N.Y. Ins. Law 3203(b)(1)(B).
- A. A substantial interest engendered by love and affection
- B. A lawful and substantial economic interest in the co-owner's continued life
- C. Only the co-owner's written consent
- D. That she is named executor of the co-owner's estate
Correct answer: B. A lawful and substantial economic interest in the co-owner's continued life
Explanation: For persons not closely related by blood or law, New York defines insurable interest as a lawful and substantial economic interest in the continued life, health or bodily safety of the insured. The love-and-affection standard applies only to close relatives. See N.Y. Ins. Law 3205(a)(1).
- A. Conversion of term coverage to permanent coverage at any time without a new application
- B. Purchase of additional coverage at specified times without new proof of insurability
- C. Reinstatement of a lapsed policy at specified times without paying back premiums
- D. Renewal of the policy at specified times without an increase in premium for attained age
Correct answer: B. Purchase of additional coverage at specified times without new proof of insurability
Explanation: A guaranteed insurability rider lets the insured buy additional coverage at certain option dates or events without proving insurability again.
- A. any illness after retirement
- B. nonpayment of premium
- C. a covered accident
- D. policy surrender
Correct answer: C. a covered accident
Explanation: An accidental death benefit rider pays an extra amount if death results from a covered accident and rider conditions are satisfied.
- A. Accidental death benefit rider
- B. Guaranteed insurability rider
- C. Cost of living adjustment rider
- D. Accelerated death benefit rider
Correct answer: D. Accelerated death benefit rider
Explanation: An accelerated death benefit rider may allow early access to a portion of the death benefit when the insured meets the rider's qualifying condition, such as terminal illness.
- A. waive premiums if the adult payor dies or becomes disabled
- B. waive premiums if the insured child becomes disabled
- C. pay the death benefit to the payor if the child dies
- D. allow the child to buy more coverage at specified ages
Correct answer: A. waive premiums if the adult payor dies or becomes disabled
Explanation: A payor benefit rider can waive premiums on a juvenile policy if the adult responsible for paying premiums dies or becomes disabled, as defined by the rider.
- A. Additional permanent coverage purchased with dividends
- B. Additional temporary life insurance protection
- C. A guaranteed minimum interest rate on cash value
- D. A waiver of premiums during total disability
Correct answer: B. Additional temporary life insurance protection
Explanation: A term rider adds temporary life insurance coverage to the base permanent policy, often for a specific person or time period.
- A. the beneficiary's tax filing date
- B. the producer's commission schedule
- C. inflation
- D. the insurer's office rent
Correct answer: C. inflation
Explanation: A cost-of-living rider can increase coverage based on an inflation measure or policy formula, helping reduce the effect of rising costs.
- A. The process of adjusting a claim after the insured's death
- B. The process of setting mortality rates for a class of insureds
- C. The process of delivering the policy and collecting the first premium
- D. The process of evaluating risk before issuing coverage
Correct answer: D. The process of evaluating risk before issuing coverage
Explanation: Underwriting is the insurer's risk-evaluation process. It helps determine whether to issue coverage and at what premium classification.
- A. Application information and health history
- B. A beneficiary's favorite investment account
- C. The producer's personal opinion only
- D. The state capital city
Correct answer: A. Application information and health history
Explanation: Life underwriting commonly considers application answers, health history, medical information, lifestyle factors, and other allowed risk information.
Want to study offline? Download the free Life questions & answers PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
Other Insurance Exams in New York
Prepare for multiple insurance licenses in New York
Life Insurance Exams in Nearby States
Planning to get licensed in multiple states? Practice for neighboring state exams too.
Official New York Insurance Resources
Important external links for New York insurance licensing information
New York Department of Financial Services
Official state regulator for insurance licensing, requirements, and exam information.
New York Department of Financial Services
New York's insurance regulator - licensing requirements, applications, and consumer information.
PSI Services - Exam Scheduling
Official testing vendor for this state's insurance licensing exams - scheduling, locations, and policies.
Official Candidate Handbook / Content Outline
PSI New York Insurance Licensing Candidate Information Bulletin - exam structure, fees, and the authoritative topic outline.
NAIC - National Association of Insurance Commissioners
The standard-setting and regulatory support organization for state insurance regulators.
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