PassProfessor’s New Mexico program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog. The 9,956-question New Mexico practice bank is built and audited, and enrollment opens as the catalog expands. Join the notify list and we will email you when enrollment opens — then use this guide to plan your path to the exam.
This program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog — join the notify list and we’ll email you when enrollment opens.
1. The New Mexico P&C exam, in one paragraph
The New Mexico Property and Casualty Insurance Producer exam — PSI Series 18-31 — is the licensing exam for New Mexico’s combined property and casualty producer authority, administered by PSI Services LLC under contract with the New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurance (OSI). It is a single combined sitting: 150 scored items in 2½ hours, covering property and casualty together, with a small number of unscored experimental questions (5 to 10) possibly mixed in. You pass by getting 70% correct. New Mexico requires no pre-licensing study course for this license, so the path is direct: pass the exam, complete a fingerprint background check, and apply for the license through NIPR within one year of passing.
2. Who can take the New Mexico P&C exam?
New Mexico’s requirements for an individual resident producer license are set out in the New Mexico Administrative Code (13.4.2.9 NMAC) and administered by OSI’s Producer Licensing Bureau. In substance, an applicant must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have passed the examination required for each line of authority sought — for combined property and casualty authority, that is this exam, Series 18-31. (New Mexico also offers separate Property-only and Casualty-only producer exams, Series 18-28 and 18-29, for candidates who want only one line; the combined 18-31 is the standard route to full P&C authority, and a candidate cannot hold both a Personal Lines license and a Property and Casualty license.)
- Not have committed an act that is a ground for license denial, suspension, or revocation under the New Mexico Insurance Code. The application asks background questions; a “yes” answer requires a written statement with official court documents submitted through NIPR’s Attachments Warehouse — printouts from a court’s website are not acceptable.
- Have submitted fingerprints for a state and federal background check (see §5). One federal rule deserves plain statement: under 18 U.S.C. §1033, a person convicted of a felony involving dishonesty or a breach of trust may not be licensed as a resident producer unless the Superintendent gives written consent. OSI does not issue a license until it has received the background check results.
- Provide an in-state residential or business address — a post office box does not satisfy the address requirement — and, if a citizen of another country, proof of eligibility to reside and work in the United States (visa, work permit, or green card, per NIPR’s New Mexico business rules).
- Complete no pre-licensing education. This is worth stating as its own item because so many states require a course: New Mexico does not. PSI’s bulletin says OSI does not specify an official study manual and that you are not required to take a pre-licensing study course. How you prepare is your choice; the exam is the gate.
Two situations change the exam step itself:
- Moving to New Mexico with a license. If you hold a resident license in another state and relocate, you may request an exam waiver: become a New Mexico resident, show you held a valid resident license with equivalent lines before applying, submit a written request identifying the state, the exam taken, and when the license was issued, apply and pay the fees within 90 days of becoming a resident, and submit a fingerprint receipt.
- Nonresidents. Examination requirements do not apply to most nonresidents, who generally license through reciprocity via NIPR; most residents, and some nonresident adjusters, are the candidates who sit these exams.
3. The exam, piece by piece
Series 18-31 is one exam, one sitting, one score — property and casualty are not split into separate tests or separately passed portions. PSI builds it from a published content outline, and the outline is unusually transparent: every section lists its item count and, for the regulation section, the exact New Mexico statutes and rules it draws on.
| Outline section | Items | Share | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insurance Regulation | 15 | 10% | The New Mexico licensing process and types of licensees; maintenance, renewal, and continuing education; disciplinary actions; the Superintendent’s duties and powers; company regulation and certificates of authority; unfair claims settlement practices; producer appointment and termination; prohibited practices — misrepresentation, false advertising, twisting, defamation, unfair discrimination, rebating, boycott and coercion; the New Mexico Insurance Fraud Act; consumer information privacy |
| Federal Laws and Regulations | 3 | 2% | The Fair Credit Reporting Act; 18 U.S.C. §§1033–1034; flood insurance education and the National Flood Insurance Program |
| General Insurance Concepts | 12 | 8% | Risk and methods of handling it; elements of insurable risk; classifications of insurers; elements of a contract; authority and powers of producers; the law of agency; legal interpretations affecting contracts — reasonable expectations, indemnity, good faith, fraud, warranties, representations, misrepresentations, concealment |
| Property and Casualty Insurance Basics | 25 | 16% | Insurable interest; compensatory vs. punitive and general vs. special damages; absolute, strict, and vicarious liability; underwriting; rate development; hazards, perils, and types of loss; valuation (actual cash value, replacement cost, market and agreed value); negligence and torts; policy structure; cancellation and non-renewal; deductibles and other-insurance rules; limits of liability and coinsurance; insureds, duties after loss, subrogation, and third-party provisions |
| Dwelling Policy Concepts | 3 | 2% | Purpose and eligibility; perils (basic, broad, special); Coverages A–E; dwelling conditions, exclusions, and endorsements; the personal liability supplement |
| Homeowners Policy Concepts | 18 | 12% | Eligibility and the HO forms (HO-2, HO-3, HO-4, HO-5, HO-6, HO-8); Section I property coverages A–D and additional coverages; Section II liability Coverages E and F; exclusions, conditions, and endorsements |
| Personal Automobile Policy | 18 | 12% | Definitions; liability coverage and supplementary payments; medical payments; uninsured and underinsured motorists, including rejection; collision and other-than-collision; duties after an accident; general provisions and endorsements |
| Commercial Automobile Policy | 6 | 4% | Commercial auto coverage forms; covered, hired, and non-owned autos; liability and physical damage; mobile equipment; selected endorsements |
| Commercial Property Policies | 22 | 15% | The commercial package policy; building and business personal property forms; builders risk; business income and extra expense; causes of loss forms; commercial crime; equipment breakdown; inland marine; farm coverage |
| Commercial General Liability | 15 | 10% | CGL coverages — bodily injury and property damage, personal and advertising injury, medical payments; occurrence vs. claims-made, triggers, and retroactive dates; premises/operations and products/completed operations exposures; contractual liability |
| Businessowners Policy | 6 | 4% | Characteristics and purpose; Section I property and Section II liability — coverages, exclusions, limits, deductibles, conditions, and optional coverages |
| Other Types of Property and Casualty Insurance | 4 | 3% | Specialty liability (directors and officers, professional/E&O, employment practices, employee benefits, cyber); surety contracts and the parties to a bond; umbrella and excess policies; mobile home, earthquake, and flood insurance |
| Workers’ Compensation Laws | 3 | 2% | Workers’ compensation coverages and benefits; rating and job classification; definitions; occupational accident vs. occupational disease; levels of disability; federal laws |
| Total scored | 150 | 100% | Plus 5–10 unscored experimental items may be added |
Four structural facts that shape how you should prepare:
- The policy forms are the exam. Add the form-specific sections — dwelling, homeowners, personal auto, commercial auto, commercial property, commercial general liability, businessowners, and other policy types — and they account for 92 of the 150 items. Add Property and Casualty Insurance Basics, the section that teaches how all policies are structured and valued, and you are at 117 of 150. This is a forms exam with a regulation section attached, not the reverse.
- Commercial lines outweigh their reputation. Commercial property (22), commercial general liability (15), commercial auto (6), and businessowners (6) total 49 items — nearly a third of the exam. Candidates whose experience is personal lines only should budget study time accordingly.
- The regulation section is New Mexico law, cited by statute. Its 15 items draw on named provisions of the New Mexico Insurance Code — the licensing articles (59A-11 and 59A-12), the Superintendent’s powers (59A-2), unfair practices (59A-16), and the Insurance Fraud Act (59A-16C), among others. It is only 10% of the exam, but it is the most concrete 10%: defined terms, named authorities, and specific prohibitions that reward direct study.
- There is one score. Property knowledge and casualty knowledge combine into a single result. A weak section can be offset by strength elsewhere — and a neglected section can pull a strong overall performance under the line.
Experimental items. In addition to the 150 outline items, PSI may administer a small number — 5 to 10 — of experimental questions. They are not scored; they are tryouts for future exams. They are indistinguishable from scored items, and there is no strategy for them other than the obvious one: answer every question as if it counts, because almost all of them do.
4. The passing standard, explained
You pass Series 18-31 by getting 70% correct. PSI states the standard in exactly those terms in its bulletin: “You must get 70% correct to pass.”
That directness is worth appreciating, because it is not how every vendor works. Some testing companies convert raw results to a scaled score, leaving candidates to guess how their practice percentages translate. New Mexico’s standard needs no translation: the percentage you earn is the result that decides. Two practical consequences follow:
- Your practice scores mean something concrete. If your full-length practice exams — taken at the real outline weights, under the real time limit — sit comfortably above 70% with no section collapsing, you are practicing above the actual passing line. If a section sits below it, the arithmetic of one combined score means the rest of the exam has to carry it.
- Margin matters more than precision. Experimental items do not count, borderline forms vary, and test-day performance wobbles. Study to a cushion, not to the line.
Your score report. Your score is displayed on screen at the end of the examination, and a score report is emailed to you; you can also view it from your PSI online account. If you do not pass, the emailed report includes a diagnostic report indicating your strengths and weaknesses by examination type — the natural starting point for a retake plan, because it is organized the way the exam is.
On pass rates: PSI and OSI do not publish a pass rate for Series 18-31 in the candidate bulletin or on OSI’s licensing pages, and this guide does not substitute a third-party figure. What can be said honestly is structural: the exam is 150 items of published-outline material with a 70% standard, and it is passed routinely by candidates who study the outline — including the regulation section most candidates underweight.
5. Fees and registration, step by step
Keep the payments separate in your mind — they go to different places at different times, and only one of them is the exam.
| Payment | Amount | Paid to | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam fee | $75 | PSI | When you schedule your appointment |
| Fingerprinting | IdentoGO’s fee (separate; check current pricing when you register) | IDEMIA / IdentoGO | When you register for and complete fingerprinting |
| License application | $30 state fee (NIPR transaction fees are additional) | OSI, via NIPR | After you pass, with your application |
The exam fee is not refundable and not transferable, and PSI notes that an examination fee remains valid for one year from the date of payment. New Mexico license fees, PSI notes in the bulletin, are subject to updates each biennial birth month — confirm the current application fee on OSI’s or NIPR’s site when you apply.
The sequence, in order:
- Schedule the exam. Create an account at PSI’s New Mexico insurance portal (test-takers.psiexams.com/nmins) or call 855-560-3714. Choose your modality: test center or online proctored. The first and last name on your account must match your current, valid, government-issued ID exactly. In-state test centers are in Albuquerque, Farmington, Las Cruces, Roswell, and Santa Fe, and PSI centers in other states may also be used.
- Reschedule carefully if plans change. You may cancel and reschedule without forfeiting your fee if your cancellation notice is received 2 days before the scheduled examination date — through the PSI website or by speaking directly with a PSI representative; voicemail or email does not count as cancellation. Miss the appointment, arrive after check-in, or arrive without proper ID, and the fee is forfeited.
- Take the exam. Arrive 30 minutes early (see §8). Your score appears on screen when you finish, and the report follows by email.
- Register for fingerprinting. New Mexico requires resident applicants to submit fingerprints electronically for a background check run through both the New Mexico Department of Public Safety and the FBI. DPS has partnered with IDEMIA to provide IdentoGO fingerprint services, and OSI’s instruction is to register before being fingerprinted, following the individual licensing instructions on OSI’s site. Do not leave this step until the end of your application window: OSI will not issue a license until it receives the background check results, and NIPR does not consider the application complete until the background check process is completed.
- Apply through NIPR — after passing. Allow at least 48 hours after your exam for the result to be submitted to NIPR before trying to apply; if the application will not go through after that time, PSI’s customer service is the contact OSI names. NIPR verifies your exam before allowing submission. OSI must receive all required application materials, including the nonrefundable license fee, within one year after you pass the exam.
- Get appointed. The license confers the authority; an appointment by an insurance company is what lets you sell that company’s products, and the outline itself tests how producer appointments are made and terminated under New Mexico law. Appointment arrangements follow licensure with each carrier you will represent.
What OSI does with your application. The bulletin describes the review plainly: after receiving an application, OSI has up to 10 days to determine whether it is administratively complete, and it processes most license applications within 10 days. If the Department denies an application, it sends a notice describing the reason and your appeal rights; denial grounds are those listed in NMSA §59A-11-14. An incomplete application is rejected and the licensing decision delayed — accuracy on the form is part of the process, not paperwork after it.
6. After you pass
- Your license term. A first New Mexico license issued to someone who does not already hold one runs an initial term of between 13 and 24 months and expires in your birth month; renewals after that are full two-year terms expiring on the last day of your birth month. A license may be renewed up to 90 days before it expires, and renewing on time is the licensee’s responsibility whether or not OSI sends a reminder.
- Continuing education. CE applies to New Mexico insurance producers, and the specific requirement depends on the license type and dates; OSI’s website carries the current requirements for your license. (Long-term care training rules apply to accident and health producers, not to this P&C path.)
- Keeping your information current. Producers are responsible for timely reporting changes of address and for renewing on time; NIPR’s site can be used to report changes of email, address, and telephone information at no charge.
- Use your legal business name. When conducting insurance business, New Mexico law requires you to use your legal business name.
7. Retakes and score validity
- The four-attempt rule — the most important retake fact in New Mexico. You are eligible for up to four attempts to pass an exam for a line of authority. After a fourth unsuccessful attempt, you are placed into a six-month waiting period and cannot retake the exam until it is over. PSI cites NMSA 59A-11-6(E) for this rule. It converts the fourth attempt from “another try” into a last try before a half-year pause — one more reason to schedule the first attempt when your preparation, not your impatience, says you are ready.
- Between attempts, retakes are quick. You cannot make a new appointment on the same day you tested — results need processing — but a candidate who tests unsuccessfully on a Wednesday can call the next day, Thursday, and retest as soon as Friday, depending on space availability. Scheduling is online or by phone, and the $75 exam fee applies to each attempt.
- Score validity. Your passing result supports a license application for one year: OSI must receive all required application materials, including the fee, within one year after you pass the exam. Let that window close and the pass no longer gets you licensed.
- Exam fee validity is separate. A paid examination fee is valid for one year from the date of payment — a scheduling fact, not a score-validity fact. Keep the two one-year clocks distinct.
8. Test day
- Arrive 30 minutes early. That time is for sign-in, identification, and familiarizing yourself with the process. If you arrive late, you may not be admitted, and your registration fee is forfeited.
- Bring one form of identification. It must be government-issued, current, and include your name, signature, and photograph — a state driver’s license or ID card, a U.S. or foreign government passport, U.S. military ID (not permitted for remote testing), or an alien registration card. No temporary identification is accepted, and failure to provide appropriate ID is treated as a missed booking with no refund. The name on your PSI account must match it exactly.
- Leave everything else behind. PSI’s prohibited list covers reference materials, scratch paper, pens and pencils, electronic devices of every kind (phones, cameras, smart watches, calculators, earbuds, headsets), hats and headgear not worn as religious apparel, bulky outerwear, and personal items from backpacks and wallets to food, drinks, and chewing gum. During check-in you may be asked to empty and turn out your pockets, and proctors inspect eyeglass frames and similar items. Prohibited items go to secure storage or back to your vehicle; PSI is not responsible for their security.
- Conduct rules are enforced. Giving or receiving assistance, copying or communicating exam content, reading questions aloud, or leaving without proctor approval can end your exam, void your results, and be reported to OSI. At a test center, once seated you may leave the room only for the restroom, with proctor permission, and the clock does not stop.
- If you test online instead: run PSI’s compatibility checks — audio/video, webcam, and system — before your appointment; launch within 30 minutes of your booked time and start within 15 minutes of it or you forfeit the fee and eligibility. Remote exams allow no breaks, scratch paper is not permitted, your webcam must give the proctor a clear view, and you may not change computers or spaces mid-exam. If you cannot sit 2½ hours without a break, PSI’s own advice is not to register for the remote option.
- Emergencies. If severe weather or another emergency closes a test center, PSI reschedules your exam at no additional charge and without penalty.
- Results are immediate. Your score is displayed on screen at the end; the emailed report follows, with diagnostics if you did not pass. If you passed, your next clock — one year to a complete application, 48 hours before NIPR will take it — is already running.
9. How to study for this exam
PSI publishes exactly what this exam covers, section by section, with item counts. A plan built on that structure beats a plan built on a generic textbook’s table of contents:
- Start with the regulation section — and study the statutes it names. Fifteen items (10%) come from Insurance Regulation, and the outline cites the New Mexico Insurance Code provision by provision: licensing process and types of licensees, maintenance and renewal, disciplinary actions, the Superintendent’s powers, appointment and termination, unfair claims and trade practices, the Insurance Fraud Act, privacy. This material is concrete and finite — defined terms, named offices, specific prohibitions — which makes it the most reliably learnable block on the exam and the one national materials cover thinnest.
- Give the P&C Basics section its full weight. At 25 items it is the largest single section, and it is the exam’s foundation: policy structure, valuation, negligence, liability types, limits, coinsurance, duties after loss. Weakness here leaks into every form-specific section that builds on it.
- Study the forms comparatively, heaviest first. Commercial property (22), homeowners (18), personal auto (18), and CGL (15) lead the form sections. For each form, learn the same four questions: what it covers, what it excludes, how it pays, and which endorsements change it. Comparative learning is what the exam’s scenario questions actually test.
- Do not starve commercial lines. Forty-nine items sit in the commercial sections. Personal-lines experience does not transfer automatically to commercial property forms, claims-made CGL triggers, or businessowners policy structure — schedule those sections explicitly.
- Treat workers’ compensation and federal laws as cheap points. Together they are 6 items — small, bounded topics (benefits and disability levels; the Fair Credit Reporting Act, §§1033–1034, flood insurance) that can be learned completely rather than approximately.
- Practice at full length, against the real clock. 150 scored items in 150 minutes, plus up to 10 experimental items you cannot identify, is one minute per question. Full simulations at the outline’s weights build pacing and knowledge together; section drills fix the specific weaknesses simulations expose.
- Read every explanation, especially for questions you got right. A right answer from a wrong reason is a wrong answer waiting for a different question. And remember the four-attempt rule: this exam rewards arriving ready the first time, because the fourth failure costs six months.
This program’s New Mexico practice bank — 9,956 questions, including a 2,000-question Insurance Regulation section carrying New Mexico regulation content alongside general regulation, with an explanation on every question — is built on this same outline structure. The New Mexico Insurance Exam Prep program page shows the full coverage table — and the notify list there will email you when enrollment opens.
10. Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the New Mexico P&C exam?
150 scored items, drawn from PSI’s published outline, plus 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions that may be added and cannot be identified. You have 2½ hours (150 minutes) for everything on screen.
What score do I need to pass Series 18-31?
70% correct. PSI states the standard directly rather than as a scaled score: “You must get 70% correct to pass.”
Does New Mexico require pre-licensing education for a P&C license?
No. PSI’s bulletin states that OSI does not specify an official study manual and that you are not required to take a pre-licensing study course. You prepare as you choose, pass the exam, complete fingerprinting, and apply.
How much does the New Mexico P&C exam cost?
The exam fee is $75, paid to PSI when you schedule, per attempt; it is non-refundable and non-transferable. After you pass, the license application carries a $30 state fee through NIPR (plus NIPR transaction fees), and fingerprinting through IdentoGO carries its own separate fee.
How do I register for the New Mexico insurance exam?
Create an account at PSI’s New Mexico insurance portal (test-takers.psiexams.com/nmins) or call 855-560-3714. You choose test-center or online-proctored delivery, and your account name must match your government-issued ID exactly.
Can I take the New Mexico insurance exam online?
Yes. PSI offers Series 18-31 at test centers and by online proctoring. The remote version has its own rules — compatibility checks, no breaks, no scratch paper, start within 15 minutes of your booked time — detailed in §8.
What happens after I pass?
Wait at least 48 hours for your result to reach NIPR, register for and complete the fingerprint background check, and apply through NIPR with the $30 state fee. OSI must receive all required materials within one year of your passing date, and it does not issue the license until your background check results are in.
How long is my New Mexico exam score valid?
One year — the window OSI gives you to get a complete application, with fees, on file after passing.
If I fail, how soon can I retake?
Not the same day. You can schedule the day after testing and retest as soon as the following day, space permitting, at $75 per attempt. But New Mexico caps attempts: after a fourth unsuccessful attempt on a line of authority, a six-month waiting period applies before you can test again.
Do I need to be fingerprinted?
Yes, as a resident applicant. Fingerprints are submitted electronically through IdentoGO (IDEMIA), under a partnership with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, and the check runs through both DPS and the FBI. Register before being fingerprinted, and do not leave it late — your license cannot be issued before OSI receives the results.
Who is exempt from the New Mexico P&C exam?
Most nonresident applicants license by reciprocity without a New Mexico exam, and a producer relocating to New Mexico with an equivalent resident license may request an exam waiver if they apply within 90 days of becoming a resident and meet OSI’s conditions. Most first-time New Mexico residents must test.
What New Mexico-specific topics does the exam cover?
The 15-item Insurance Regulation section is built from the New Mexico Insurance Code: the licensing process and license types, the Superintendent’s general duties and powers, certificates of authority, producer appointment and termination, unfair claims settlement practices, unfair trade practices (misrepresentation, twisting, rebating, defamation, boycott and coercion), the New Mexico Insurance Fraud Act, and consumer information privacy — with federal overlays (the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 18 U.S.C. §§1033–1034, and flood insurance) tested in their own 3-item section.
Is the exam available in Spanish?
PSI’s bulletin lists a Spanish title for Series 18-31 alongside the English title, under the same series number. Confirm the Spanish administration details with PSI when you schedule.
Disclaimer
PassProfessor is an independent exam-preparation provider. This guide is exam preparation and general information only: it is not pre-licensing education, provides no education credit, and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurance, PSI, NIPR, or any other government agency or exam vendor. Exam facts are summarized from the official sources above as of October 2026 — confirm current fees, rules, and scheduling with OSI and PSI before you register.