PassProfessor’s South Dakota program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog. The 9,988-question South Dakota 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.
The South Dakota P&C exam, in one paragraph
The SD Property & Casualty Producer exam (Pearson VUE series InsSD_PropCas46 at a test center; OPSD_PropCas46 online through OnVUE) is the licensing exam for South Dakota’s combined property and casualty producer authority, administered by Pearson VUE for the South Dakota Division of Insurance. You will see 145 multiple-choice questions in 150 minutes: 130 are scored — 100 on general insurance knowledge (50 property, 50 casualty) and 30 on South Dakota statutes, rules, and regulations — and 15 are unscored pretest questions you cannot identify. You pass with a score of 70 on Pearson’s 0–100 reporting scale. South Dakota requires no pre-licensing education for this license, so the exam is the whole gate: pass it, and apply to the Division of Insurance within 180 days.
Who can take the South Dakota P&C exam?
South Dakota keeps the front door simple. Under SD Codified Laws §58-30-148, before the Director of Insurance approves a resident producer application, the Division must find that you:
- Are at least 18 years old.
- Have not committed any act that is a ground for denial, suspension, or revocation of a license under §58-30-167 — the statute’s conduct list is the level at which the state publishes its disqualifiers.
- Have paid the required fees.
- Have successfully passed the examinations for the lines of authority you applied for — for both property and casualty, this combined exam.
Three further points from the official sources:
- Complete no pre-licensing education. The Division of Insurance states it in one sentence on its resident-producer page: “No pre-licensing education is required to obtain a resident or non-resident producer license in South Dakota.” Preparation is entirely your choice — which makes the quality of your preparation the variable you control.
- You do not have to wait until you live in South Dakota to test. The candidate handbook notes that a new resident may take South Dakota licensing exams at any Pearson test center nationwide before moving to the state.
- Passing is not the license. The handbook is explicit that passing an exam does not automatically guarantee a license: issuance also depends on the Division’s review and approval of your application materials.
South Dakota also licenses property and casualty separately — a standalone SD Property Producer exam and a standalone SD Casualty Producer exam — for candidates who want a single line. The combined exam is the route this guide covers, and it is the efficient one: one sitting, one fee, both lines.
The exam, piece by piece
The combined exam is a single sitting built from three outline parts in Pearson VUE’s South Dakota content outlines (effective March 1, 2024): a property general-knowledge part, a casualty general-knowledge part, and a South Dakota-specific part. The handbook states the combination rule plainly: combination exam results are presented as one score, you must pass the complete exam, and you cannot be licensed for either single line unless you pass the whole thing.
| Part / section | Scored questions | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| General knowledge — Property | ||
| I. Types of Property Policies | 22 | Homeowners (HO-2 through HO-8), dwelling forms, commercial property and package policies, business income, inland marine, flood, farm, and other property forms — what each covers and excludes |
| II. Insurance Terms and Related Concepts | 15 | Insurance, risk, hazards, perils, insurable interest, valuation (actual cash value, replacement cost, market and stated value), negligence and liability basics |
| III. Policy Provisions and Contract Law | 13 | Declarations, insuring agreements, conditions, exclusions, duties after a loss, and the contract principles insurance policies are built on |
| General knowledge — Casualty | ||
| IV. Types of Casualty Policies, Bonds, and Related Terms | 23 | Commercial general liability, personal and business auto, workers’ compensation and employers liability, crime, bonds, professional liability, umbrella and excess, businessowners policies |
| V. Insurance Terms and Related Concepts | 15 | Risk, hazards, indemnity, insurable interest, loss valuation, negligence, liability, occurrences, binders, warranties and representations |
| VI. Policy Provisions | 12 | Declarations, insuring agreements, conditions, exclusions, duties after a loss, supplementary payments, proof of loss, subrogation, and related casualty provisions |
| South Dakota statutes, rules, and regulations | ||
| SD Statutes, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life, Accident and Health, Property, and Casualty Insurance | 18 | The Director of Insurance, insurance definitions, licensing, producer responsibilities and appointments, the Insurance Guaranty Association, marketing practices and unfair acts, fraud regulation |
| SD Statutes Pertinent to Property and Casualty Insurance | 12 | P&C-specific South Dakota law: binders, rating, certificates of insurance, the valued policy law, flood and surplus lines rules, cancellation and nonrenewal, the Automobile Insurance Plan (assigned risk), private-passenger auto rules, and workers’ compensation provisions |
| Total scored | 130 | Plus 15 unscored pretest questions (5 in each part) = 145 on screen |
Three structural facts that shape how you should prepare:
- The two Types of Policies sections carry 45 of the 100 general questions. Policy forms — what each one covers, excludes, and how it pays — are the exam’s center of gravity.
- South Dakota law is 30 of 130 scored questions — 23% of the exam. It is also the most concrete material tested: the Director’s powers and penalty authority, licensing and appointment mechanics, named South Dakota institutions and programs, and specific statutory rules. Candidates who prepare from a national textbook alone walk in underprepared for nearly a quarter of the test.
- There is one score, not three. The property, casualty, and South Dakota parts combine into a single result. A weak South Dakota section can be offset by a strong general performance — and the reverse is also true. There are no separately-passed portions to bank.
Pretest questions. Each part carries 5 pretest items (15 total). These are tryout questions Pearson VUE is evaluating for future exams. They are indistinguishable from scored questions, they do not affect your result, and there is no way to game them — the only correct strategy is to treat every question as scored.
The passing standard, explained
You pass with a score of 70.
Pearson reports South Dakota scores on a scale that runs from 0 to 100, and the handbook’s score explanation carries a warning worth taking literally: the score “should not be interpreted as the percentage or number of correct answers.” The passing score is set by the South Dakota Division of Insurance, and Pearson standardizes results so that no individual has an unfair advantage or disadvantage because of a particular examination form — a form whose questions run slightly harder is held to the same standard as an easier one through the scale. Two consequences:
- “70%” study targets are misleading. A 70 is a position on a standardized scale, not seven questions in ten. You cannot convert a practice percentage into a predicted score precisely. The safe approach is to practice until your full-simulation performance sits comfortably above the passing zone, with no outline section left weak — because the single combined result draws on the whole exam.
- Your score report is the only official reading. You receive a score report marked “pass” or “fail” before you leave the test center. If you passed, the report carries information on completing the licensure process. If you did not, the report includes a numeric score — which shows how close you came, not a percentage — plus diagnostic information about your performance, which is the starting point for a retake plan.
One honest gap: neither Pearson VUE nor the Division of Insurance publishes a South Dakota pass-rate report in the official sources for this exam, so this guide states no pass rate. Anyone who quotes you a precise South Dakota P&C pass rate is working from something other than the vendor’s or the Division’s published figures.
Fees and registration, step by step
Keep the payments separate in your mind — they go to different places at different times, and only two are involved.
| Payment | Amount | Paid to | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam fee (combined exam) | $95 | Pearson VUE | When you reserve your appointment |
| License application | $25 plus a service fee | South Dakota Division of Insurance, via the online application | After you pass |
The $95 exam fee includes a $10 South Dakota administrative fee, per the handbook. Exam fees are paid at reservation by credit card, debit card, or voucher; they are not accepted at the test center, and they are non-refundable and non-transferable except as the handbook’s Change/Cancel Policy allows. (For scale: a standalone single-line exam costs $85; the combined exam’s $95 replaces two separate $85 sittings.)
The sequence, in order:
- Reserve the exam. Book online on Pearson VUE’s South Dakota insurance page or call (888) 873-6205. Reservations must be made at least 24 hours before the exam day, and walk-in examinations are not available. Before you reserve, have ready your legal name, address, email address, Social Security number, daytime telephone number, and date of birth, plus the exam name and your preferred date and location. Your account name must match your government-issued ID exactly — including suffixes such as “Jr.” — because that name is what appears on your score documentation and licensing reports.
- Choose your delivery mode. The combined exam is offered at Pearson VUE test centers nationwide (series InsSD_PropCas46) and online through OnVUE remote proctoring (series OPSD_PropCas46). The content, time limit, and fee are the same; test-day rules differ, and §7 covers both.
- Take the exam. Arrive at least 30 minutes early for a test-center sitting, with the identification the handbook requires. You receive your official score report before you leave.
- Apply for the license — after passing. The handbook directs you to apply online through the state licensing system (State Based Systems, www.statebasedsystems.com), and the Division’s resident-producer page routes the application through NIPR, with access also available through SBS. The application can be made 48 hours (2 days) after you pass, to allow your exam results to upload to SBS and NIPR. The electronic payment due is $25 plus a service fee.
- Respect the 180-day deadline. South Dakota requires candidates who pass a major-line examination to apply within 180 days to be eligible for licensure. The clock starts on exam day, not when you feel ready — apply as soon as the application opens.
- Get appointed. A license gives you the authority; an appointment by an insurance company is what lets you sell that company’s products. The content outline tests producer appointments and termination of appointment for a reason — appointment follows licensure and is arranged with each carrier you will represent.
A note on fingerprinting, because candidates from other states expect it: the handbook’s process overview mentions completing fingerprinting only “if required,” and the Division’s resident-producer page lists no fingerprint step for this license. Nothing in the official sources consulted for this guide imposes a fingerprint requirement on South Dakota P&C producer applicants — confirm the current position on the Division’s producer pages when you apply, as rules change.
After you pass
- Wait the 48 hours, then apply. Your results need time to upload to SBS and NIPR before the application can be made. Trying earlier does not speed anything up.
- Apply through NIPR / SBS with the $25 fee plus service fee, inside the 180-day window described above. Passing alone does not make you licensed — the Division reviews and approves your application materials, and the handbook says so directly.
- Keep the license. Resident producer licenses renew biennially, keyed to your birth month, with renewals completed electronically through NIPR (access also via SBS); the Division opens the renewal period 60 days before the deadline. License maintenance — including continuing education, address changes, and reporting obligations — is itself tested material on the exam’s South Dakota-specific outline, so the rules you study are the rules you will live under.
Retakes and score validity
- Retakes. If you do not pass, you may retake the exam after 24 hours from your last attempt. The retake is scheduled the same way as the first attempt, and another exam fee is due. Reservations for reexamination cannot be made at the test center — and you must wait the 24 hours before making the reexamination reservation at all. The handbook states no attempt limit for this exam; the discipline is financial and practical, not regulatory: each attempt costs $95 and tests the same outline, so a retake with the same preparation usually produces the same result. Use the diagnostic information on your score report to rebuild around the sections that cost you.
- Score validity. Your pass is usable for 180 days: South Dakota requires the license application within that window for you to be eligible for licensure. Miss it, and the pass no longer supports an application.
- A passed exam is a passed exam. Combination results are one score for the whole exam — there is no partial credit toward a single line, and no reason to re-sit a pass.
Test day
At a Pearson VUE test center:
- Arrive 30 minutes early to complete registration. Check in with the test center administrator; your identification and documentation will be reviewed, you will be photographed for the score report, and you will review and sign a Candidate Rules Agreement.
- Bring one form of identification that is government-issued, current (not expired), photo-bearing, and signed, in English, and exactly matching the name on your registration. Driver’s licenses, passports, passport cards, military IDs, and national/state identification cards are among the accepted forms. Pearson recognizes no grace periods: an ID that expired yesterday is expired, even if your state allows a renewal grace period. A name mismatch means no admission and a forfeited fee.
- Leave personal items behind. No phones, watches, wallets, hats, bags, coats, books, notes, pens, or pencils enter the testing room; stored items must be turned off, and the center is not responsible for them. Studying is not allowed in the test center, and visitors — including children — are not permitted.
- What is provided: the administrator gives you erasable notebooks for notes and calculations once you are seated; you may not write on them before the exam begins or remove them from the room. A computer tutorial is available before you start, and tutorial time does not reduce your 150 minutes.
- Breaks: if you take an unscheduled break, you raise your hand for the administrator, you must leave the testing room, you may not leave the floor or building, and the exam clock does not stop.
- Results are immediate. The exam ends automatically when time expires, and you leave with your official score report in hand.
Online through OnVUE (series OPSD_PropCas46):
- You need a quiet, private location, a reliable device with a webcam, and a strong internet connection, and you must stay in the proctor’s screen view for the entire session with your workspace prepared and your phone out of reach.
- There are no unscheduled breaks in the online exam — be prepared to commit your full attention for the whole sitting to avoid the exam being revoked.
- Review Pearson’s OnVUE materials and video before exam day; the online rules are enforced as strictly as the test-center ones.
Change and cancellation: you may cancel or reschedule without penalty at least 24 hours before the exam, online or by phone. Miss that window — or miss the exam — and you are responsible for the full fee, subject to the handbook’s excused-absence process for documented emergencies (illness, a death in the immediate family, a disabling traffic accident, court appearance or jury duty, military duty, or a weather emergency), which must be requested within 14 days.
How to study for this exam
The outline is the syllabus — Pearson VUE publishes exactly what the exam covers, section by section, and the weights above are question counts, not suggestions. The Division does not endorse any official study material; the handbook says you are free to use whatever materials you believe fit the content outlines. A plan built on that structure:
- Start with the South Dakota sections. Thirty questions — nearly a quarter of the exam — come from South Dakota statutes, rules, and regulations, and they reward direct study of concrete material: the Director of Insurance’s duties, powers, and penalty authority; licensing types, qualifications, and maintenance; producer appointments and fiduciary responsibilities; unfair trade and claims practices; insurance fraud regulation; the Insurance Guaranty Association’s purpose; the valued policy law; the Automobile Insurance Plan; and South Dakota’s private-passenger auto and workers’ compensation provisions. The handbook itself points candidates to the statutes on the Division’s website as a supplement to study materials. This is the highest-yield study block on the exam and the one national materials underweight.
- Give the two Types of Policies sections their combined weight. At 45 of 100 general questions, policy forms decide the general half — homeowners and dwelling forms, commercial property and package policies, CGL, personal and commercial auto, workers’ compensation, crime, bonds, umbrella. Learn them comparatively: what each form covers, what it excludes, and how it settles losses.
- Learn terms in context, not as a glossary. The two Terms and Related Concepts sections (30 general questions) test vocabulary — risk, hazards, indemnity, insurable interest, valuation, negligence — through scenarios. Definitions learned inside questions stick; definitions learned off a list leak.
- Practice at full length, against the clock. 145 questions in 150 minutes is roughly a minute per question, and pacing is a skill separate from knowledge. Full generated practice exams at the real weights build both; short quizzes build only one.
- 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. Explanations are where scenario knowledge actually forms.
- Schedule the exam when your simulations say so — consistently comfortable full-exam practice scores, with the South Dakota sections no longer your weakest block. And book at least a day ahead: reservations close 24 hours before test day.
This program’s South Dakota practice bank (9,988 questions, including 2,494 on South Dakota statutes and rules) is built section-by-section on this same outline. The South Dakota Insurance Exam Prep program page shows the full coverage table — and the notify list there will email you when enrollment opens.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the South Dakota P&C exam?
145 questions appear on screen in 150 minutes. 130 are scored — 100 general knowledge (50 property and 50 casualty) and 30 South Dakota statutes, rules, and regulations — and 15 are unscored pretest questions (5 in each part) mixed in so candidates cannot tell them apart.
What is the passing score for the South Dakota insurance exam?
A score of 70, on a reporting scale that runs from 0 to 100. The handbook states that the score is not the percentage or number of questions answered correctly; the Division of Insurance sets the passing standard, and Pearson standardizes results across exam forms.
Does South Dakota require pre-licensing education for a P&C license?
No. The Division of Insurance states that no pre-licensing education is required to obtain a resident or non-resident producer license in South Dakota. You prepare on your own, pass the Pearson VUE exam, and apply.
How much does the South Dakota P&C exam cost?
The combined exam fee is $95, paid to Pearson VUE when you reserve; it includes a $10 South Dakota administrative fee. The standalone Property and Casualty exams cost $85 each. After you pass, the license application costs $25 plus a service fee, paid with the electronic application.
How do I register for the South Dakota insurance exam?
Reserve through Pearson VUE’s South Dakota insurance page or by calling (888) 873-6205. Appointments must be made at least 24 hours in advance, walk-ins are not available, and the name on your account must match your government-issued ID exactly.
Can I take the South Dakota insurance exam online?
Yes. The combined P&C exam is offered both at Pearson VUE test centers (series InsSD_PropCas46) and online through OnVUE proctoring (series OPSD_PropCas46), at the same 150 minutes and $95 fee. The online sitting has no unscheduled breaks and requires a quiet, private space, a webcam-equipped device, and a strong connection.
What happens after I pass the South Dakota P&C exam?
Wait about 48 hours for your results to upload to SBS and NIPR, then submit the license application online through NIPR (access is also available through SBS) with the $25 fee plus service fee. You must apply within 180 days of passing to be eligible for licensure, and the Division reviews your application materials before issuing the license — passing alone is not licensure.
How long is my South Dakota exam score valid?
The application window defines it: apply within 180 days of passing a major-line exam, or the pass no longer makes you eligible for licensure.
If I fail, how soon can I retake the South Dakota exam?
After 24 hours from your last attempt. You reserve the retake the same way as the original exam, pay the exam fee again, and cannot make the reexamination reservation at the test center. Your score report’s numeric score and diagnostic information show how close you came and where the attempt was lost.
Is the combined exam scored as one test or two?
One. Combination exam results are presented as a single score, you must pass the complete exam, and a combined pass cannot be converted into a license for property alone or casualty alone.
Does South Dakota fingerprint insurance producer applicants?
The official sources for this license list no fingerprint step: the candidate handbook mentions fingerprinting only as an “if required” step in its general process overview, and the Division’s resident-producer page describes the exam and the online application without one. Confirm the current position on the Division’s producer pages when you apply.
What South Dakota-specific topics does the exam cover?
The 30-question South Dakota part covers statutes and rules common to all lines — the Director of Insurance, insurance definitions, licensing, producer responsibilities and appointments, the Insurance Guaranty Association, marketing practices, unfair acts, and fraud regulation — and rules pertinent to P&C: binders, rating, certificates of insurance, the valued policy law, flood and surplus lines, cancellation and nonrenewal, the Automobile Insurance Plan (assigned risk), private-passenger automobile rules including uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and financial responsibility, and workers’ compensation provisions.
What is the difference between the combined exam and taking Property and Casualty separately?
The standalone SD Property Producer and SD Casualty Producer exams (120 minutes, $85 each) each qualify you for one line. The combined exam (150 minutes, $95) qualifies you for both in one sitting and one score — cheaper and faster than two sittings, but all-or-nothing: there is no single-line license from a combined result.
Does this guide’s companion program count as pre-licensing education?
South Dakota requires no pre-licensing education for this license, and the PassProfessor program is exam preparation only — it provides no education credit in any state and is not a substitute for any state-required course. It is not affiliated with the South Dakota Division of Insurance or Pearson VUE.
Disclaimer
PassProfessor is an independent exam-preparation provider and is not affiliated with the South Dakota Division of Insurance, Pearson VUE, or any state agency or exam vendor. This guide is general information about the South Dakota licensing exam, current as of October 2026; Division of Insurance and Pearson VUE publications govern if anything here differs from them.