- PA-PC is the Pennsylvania Property & Casualty Insurance Producer Exam, built on PSI's Series 16-06 outline.
- The $55 exam has 150 scored questions, 170 minutes, and a 70% (105 correct) passing score.
- Pennsylvania dropped mandatory prelicensing education effective April 29, 2025 - you can go straight to the exam.
- Insurance Regulation is the single largest domain at 20% of the test.
What Is PA-PC?
PA-PC stands for the Pennsylvania Property & Casualty Insurance Producer Exam. It is the state licensing test that anyone who wants to sell, solicit, or negotiate property and casualty insurance in Pennsylvania must pass before applying for a resident producer license. This is not a voluntary professional certification you add to a resume for prestige - it's a legal prerequisite enforced by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department for anyone doing P&C insurance business in the state.
If you've seen "PA-PC" used elsewhere to describe something unrelated to insurance licensing, that's a different credential entirely. On this site, and in this article, PA-PC refers exclusively to the Pennsylvania Property & Casualty Insurance Producer Exam and nothing else. For a deeper dive into the terminology itself, see PA-PC Meaning and What Does PA-PC Stand For?
Who Administers and Regulates the Exam
Two organizations sit behind PA-PC. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department is the regulatory authority - it sets licensing rules, approves the exam content outline, and ultimately issues the producer license. PSI Services LLC is the third-party testing vendor that builds and delivers the actual exam under the Series 16-06 outline.
Understanding this split matters practically: questions about license status, renewal, and continuing education go to the Department, while questions about exam scheduling, scoring, and test-center logistics go through PSI. Candidates can sit for the exam either at a physical PSI test center or via online proctoring from home, giving some flexibility in how and where you test.
Exam Format, Timing, and Cost
PA-PC is a closed-book, computer-based exam. Every candidate faces the same structural facts:
- 150 scored multiple-choice questions
- 170 minutes to complete the exam
- 70% required to pass - that's 105 correct answers out of 150
- $55 exam fee, paid to PSI at scheduling
- No reference materials or calculators allowed in the testing room
Because the exam is closed-book, you cannot look up policy definitions or coverage limits mid-test - everything from ISO form terminology to regulatory thresholds needs to be memorized in advance. This is a meaningful difference from some other licensing environments and is worth internalizing early in your prep. For a full breakdown of what the score threshold actually means in practice, read PA-PC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass, and for the complete fee picture across the whole licensing process, see PA-PC Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Key Takeaway
With 170 minutes for 150 questions, you have roughly 68 seconds per question on average - enough time to think, but not enough to second-guess every answer. Pacing practice matters as much as content review.
The 13 PA-PC Exam Domains
The Series 16-06 outline splits PA-PC into 13 content domains, each carrying a different weight on the exam. Knowing these weights lets you allocate study time proportionally instead of spreading effort evenly across topics that don't deserve equal attention.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1. Insurance Regulation | 20% |
| 2. General Insurance Concepts | 8% |
| 3. Property and Casualty Basics | 14% |
| 4. Dwelling Policy | 4% |
| 5. Homeowners Policy Concepts | 7% |
| 6. Personal Automobile Policy | 10% |
| 7. Commercial Automobile Policy | 5% |
| 8. Commercial General Liability | 7% |
| 9. Commercial Crime | 2% |
| 10. Commercial Property Policies | 7% |
| 11. Businessowners Policy | 3% |
| 12. Workers Compensation Law | 5% |
| 13. Other Types of Property and Casualty Insurance | 8% |
Domain 1: Insurance Regulation (20%)
The largest single domain on PA-PC. Expect questions on producer licensing rules, Department authority, unfair trade practices, and the regulatory framework governing how insurance is sold in Pennsylvania.
- License requirements and appointment rules
- Prohibited practices and penalties
- Department oversight and enforcement authority
Domain 3: Property and Casualty Basics (14%)
The second-heaviest domain covers foundational insurance principles that apply across every policy type tested later in the exam.
- Risk, peril, and hazard distinctions
- Policy structure: declarations, conditions, exclusions, endorsements
- Underwriting and rating fundamentals
Domain 6: Personal Automobile Policy (10%)
The largest of the specific product-line domains, focused on the personal auto policy's structure and coverage parts.
- Liability, medical payments, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
- Physical damage coverage (collision and other-than-collision)
- Pennsylvania-specific auto insurance requirements
Domains 1, 3, and 6 together make up 44% of the exam - nearly half your score rides on mastering regulation, P&C fundamentals, and personal auto. For a full walkthrough of every domain with the sub-topics tested, see PA-PC Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 13 Content Areas.
The Licensing Path Beyond the Exam
Passing PA-PC is necessary but not sufficient on its own - it's one of three required steps for a resident producer license in Pennsylvania:
- Pass the PA-PC exam (150 questions, 70% required)
- Submit the license application along with a $55 application fee
- Complete fingerprint-based background review
One notable change worth flagging: Pennsylvania eliminated its mandatory prelicensing education requirement effective April 29, 2025. Before that date, candidates typically had to complete a set number of prelicensing hours before sitting for the exam. Now, the exam and application process is the direct path - though many candidates still choose to study using structured materials even without a mandatory course requirement, simply because the exam content is dense and closed-book.
For the complete, itemized eligibility and application checklist, read PA-PC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Who Needs PA-PC and Who Hires For It
Anyone planning to work as a property and casualty insurance producer in Pennsylvania - whether at an independent agency, a captive carrier, or a brokerage - needs to hold this license, and passing PA-PC is the gateway to getting it. Common employers and roles built around this license include:
- Independent insurance agencies selling home, auto, and commercial lines
- Captive agents working under a single carrier brand
- Commercial lines account managers and account executives
- Insurance brokerages handling businessowners and commercial property accounts
- Carrier-side underwriting support roles that require producer licensure
If you're weighing whether pursuing this license fits your career plans, or comparing it against other paths into insurance, Is the PA-PC Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and PA-PC Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis dig into the career angle in more detail. For a look at the kinds of roles actively hiring licensed producers, see PA-PC Jobs.
A Domain-Weighted Study Approach
Because PA-PC weights its 13 domains unevenly - from 2% for Commercial Crime up to 20% for Insurance Regulation - an effective study plan mirrors those weights rather than treating every topic equally. A practical way to sequence prep:
Regulation and Fundamentals
- Master Domain 1 (Insurance Regulation, 20%) and Domain 3 (Property and Casualty Basics, 14%)
- These two domains alone cover more than a third of the exam
Personal Lines
- Study Domain 6 (Personal Automobile, 10%), Domain 5 (Homeowners Policy Concepts, 7%), and Domain 4 (Dwelling Policy, 4%)
- Drill coverage forms and exclusions specific to each policy type
Commercial Lines
- Cover Domain 8 (Commercial General Liability, 7%), Domain 10 (Commercial Property, 7%), Domain 7 (Commercial Automobile, 5%), Domain 12 (Workers Compensation Law, 5%), Domain 11 (Businessowners Policy, 3%), Domain 9 (Commercial Crime, 2%)
Review and Timed Practice
- Revisit Domain 2 (General Insurance Concepts, 8%) and Domain 13 (Other Types of P&C Insurance, 8%)
- Run full-length timed practice sessions targeting the 170-minute, 150-question format
Because the exam is closed-book with no calculator, timed multiple-choice drilling matters more here than flashcard memorization alone. Practicing against a full-length, 150-question simulation on our practice test platform is one of the most direct ways to build the pacing instincts the real exam demands. For a structured week-by-week plan built entirely around these domain weights, see PA-PC Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
Keeping Your License Active After You Pass
Passing PA-PC and getting licensed is the start of an ongoing obligation, not a one-time event. Pennsylvania producer licenses renew on a two-year cycle, and renewal requires 24 continuing education hours, including:
- 3 ethics hours - mandatory for every renewal cycle
- 2 flood hours - specifically required for producers holding property and casualty authority
Budgeting for this recurring CE requirement is worth factoring into your career planning from day one, since it's a permanent part of holding the license rather than a one-time hurdle tied to the exam itself.
Key Takeaway
Passing the exam gets you licensed; staying licensed requires 24 CE hours every two years, including ethics and flood-specific hours for P&C authority. Plan CE credits well before your renewal deadline approaches.
Curious how difficult the exam actually is relative to the effort required to prepare? How Hard Is the PA-PC Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 breaks down the format and content load in more detail, and PA-PC Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows looks at what's publicly known about outcomes. If you want a condensed reference for last-minute review, PA-PC Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts distills the highest-yield facts into one page, and PA-PC Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling covers scheduling logistics with PSI.
Frequently Asked Questions
PA-PC refers to the Pennsylvania Property & Casualty Insurance Producer Exam, administered under PSI's Series 16-06 outline and required for anyone seeking a resident P&C producer license in Pennsylvania.
The exam has 150 scored multiple-choice questions, and candidates are given 170 minutes to complete it. It is closed-book, so no reference materials or calculators are permitted.
No. Pennsylvania eliminated its mandatory prelicensing education requirement effective April 29, 2025. Candidates can move directly toward scheduling the exam without completing a state-mandated prelicensing course.
You need 70%, which equals 105 correct answers out of the 150 scored questions on the exam.
You submit a license application with a $55 fee and complete a fingerprint-based background review through the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. Once approved, your producer license is active and subject to renewal every two years with 24 continuing education hours.