- Property has 85 questions (75 scored) and Casualty has 90 questions (80 scored); each costs $75 and allows two hours.
- Combination exams are no longer offered - you must sit Property and Casualty separately.
- A scaled score of 70 passes; the current content outline took effect September 2, 2025.
- Domains 1 and 7 (policy types) and Domains 4 and 10 (common DC law) carry the heaviest weight on each exam.
Exam Snapshot: Fees, Format, and Scoring
The District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) owns the licensing requirements, but Pearson VUE builds, delivers, and scores the actual exam. That distinction matters: DISB sets the rules (prelicensing proof, license application deadlines), while Pearson VUE controls the testing experience (scheduling, seat availability, exam-day identification rules). If you want the full breakdown of how these pieces fit together before you register, the DC-PC Requirements guide walks through eligibility step by step.
Here is the one-page version of what you're actually walking into:
- Property exam: 85 total questions - 75 scored, 10 unscored pretest items you can't identify - two-hour time limit, $75 fee.
- Casualty exam: 90 total questions - 80 scored, 10 unscored pretest items - two-hour time limit, $75 fee.
- Combination exam: not available. Candidates who want both lines register and pay for Property and Casualty as two separate exam events.
- Passing score: a scaled score of 70 on each exam. For a deeper explanation of how scaled scoring works and why "70" doesn't mean 70% correct, see the DC-PC Passing Score breakdown.
If you're still deciding how much runway to give yourself before test day, the DC-PC Study Guide lays out a fuller prep timeline, and How Hard Is the DC-PC Exam? gives an honest look at where most candidates lose points.
Property Exam Domains (1-6)
The Property exam's content outline is organized into six domains, weighted by the number of scored items assigned to each. Two domains dominate the exam and deserve the majority of your review hours.
Domain 1: Types of Policies - 29.3%
The single largest slice of the Property exam. Expect detailed questions on dwelling forms, homeowners policy structures, commercial property forms, and how coverage triggers differ across policy types.
- Know which forms are named-peril versus open-peril and why that distinction changes claims outcomes.
Domain 2: Insurance Terms and Related Concepts - 20.0%
Foundational vocabulary and mechanics: how deductibles, coinsurance, valuation methods, and endorsements function inside a Property contract.
- Be able to distinguish actual cash value from replacement cost without hesitation.
Domain 3: Policy Provisions and Contract Law - 17.3%
Covers the legal skeleton of an insurance contract - conditions, warranties, representations, and the requirements that make a contract enforceable.
- Expect scenario questions testing whether a contract element (offer, acceptance, consideration) is present.
Domain 4: DC Laws Common to Life, A&H, Property, and Casualty - 26.7%
This is the second-largest domain on the Property exam and it is shared conceptually with the Casualty exam's Domain 10. Producer licensing rules, unfair trade practices, and general DISB regulatory authority live here.
- Study this domain once, thoroughly - the concepts recur almost identically on the Casualty exam.
Domain 5: DC Laws Pertinent to Property and Casualty - 4.0%
Narrower regulatory content specific to how DISB governs P&C business generally, not just one line.
Domain 6: DC Laws Pertinent to Property Insurance Only - 2.7%
The smallest domain by weight, but don't skip it entirely - a handful of Property-only regulatory quirks show up here and nowhere else.
For a domain-by-domain deep dive with sample question phrasing and study sequencing, the DC-PC Exam Domains guide covers all twelve domains in far more depth than a one-page cheat sheet can.
Casualty Exam Domains (7-12)
The Casualty exam mirrors the Property exam's structure - six domains, with policy types and DC-specific law again taking the largest shares - but the substantive content shifts toward liability, bonds, and auto/general liability mechanics.
| Domain | Topic | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Types of Policies, Bonds, and Related Terms | 28.8% |
| 8 | Insurance Terms and Related Concepts | 18.8% |
| 9 | Policy Provisions | 15.0% |
| 10 | DC Laws Common to Life, A&H, Property, and Casualty | 25.0% |
| 11 | DC Laws Pertinent to Property and Casualty | 3.8% |
| 12 | DC Laws Pertinent to Casualty Insurance Only | 8.8% |
Two things stand out compared with the Property side. First, Domain 7 (Types of Policies, Bonds, and Related Terms) is slightly heavier than Property's Domain 1, and it adds surety bonds into the mix - a topic that trips up candidates who studied Property first and assume policy structures transfer directly. Second, Domain 12 (DC Laws Pertinent to Casualty Insurance Only) carries noticeably more weight than its Property counterpart (Domain 6), so casualty-specific statutory content deserves dedicated review time rather than a quick skim.
Key Takeaway
Study Domain 4 and Domain 10 together as one unit - they cover the same DC regulatory framework and represent roughly a quarter of whichever exam you're sitting.
Registration and Licensing Mechanics
Passing the exam is only step one. DISB requires proof of a prelicensing course of study before you sit for either exam, though it does not mandate a specific 40-hour minimum the way some other jurisdictions do - check your course provider's requirements rather than assuming a fixed hour count.
- Testing vendor: Pearson VUE administers both exams and enforces its own ID and scheduling rules.
- Fee structure: $75 per exam attempt, per line - Property and Casualty are billed separately since combination testing was discontinued.
- License application window: you must apply for licensure within one year after passing. Miss that window and you'll need to retest.
- Current outline: the content outline referenced throughout this cheat sheet has been effective since September 2, 2025 - confirm you're studying against the current version, not an older PDF.
For the complete cost picture - course fees, exam fees, retake costs, and license application fees - see the DC-PC Certification Cost breakdown. If you're mapping out when to schedule your test around other commitments, DC-PC Exam Dates covers scheduling windows and deadlines in detail.
Renewal and Continuing Education
Once licensed, resident producers renew every two years and must complete 24 continuing-education hours per renewal cycle. That total isn't a free-for-all - it has structure:
- 3 hours must be ethics-specific.
- At least 6 hours must relate to each line of authority you hold (so a dual Property/Casualty producer has line-specific minimums for both).
- Property or Casualty producers must complete 3 flood-specific hours during their first renewal period after initial licensure.
This renewal structure is worth internalizing now, before you're licensed, because it shapes which CE courses you'll want to prioritize in your first two years on the job. It also underscores why the exam's law domains (4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12) aren't just testable trivia - they reflect the regulatory framework you'll be operating under indefinitely.
Week-by-Week Review Priorities
Generic study techniques only go so far without mapping them to the actual weight distribution above. Here's how to sequence a focused review window based on which domains carry the most scored items.
Policy Types (Domain 1 or Domain 7)
- Build flashcards for every named-peril vs. open-peril distinction, or every liability/bond category if you're on the Casualty track.
- This single domain is roughly 28-29% of your scored questions - treat it as the anchor of your review.
Common DC Law (Domain 4 / Domain 10)
- Study this once if you're sitting both exams - the content is nearly identical across Property and Casualty.
- Focus on licensing rules, unfair trade practices, and DISB's general regulatory authority.
Terms, Concepts, and Contract Law (Domains 2-3 or 8-9)
- Drill vocabulary-heavy questions: valuation methods, deductible structures, contract elements.
- Run timed practice sets to simulate the two-hour limit under real pacing pressure.
Line-Specific DC Law and Final Review (Domains 5-6 or 11-12)
- Casualty candidates: give Domain 12 real attention - it's nearly triple the weight of Property's equivalent Domain 6.
- Finish with full-length timed practice exams to confirm pacing and identify weak domains before test day.
If you want a more granular breakdown of exactly which sub-topics live inside each domain, cross-reference this timeline with the DC-PC Exam Domains guide rather than guessing from the domain titles alone.
Day-Before and Day-Of Checklist
- Confirm your Pearson VUE appointment details and acceptable ID list the night before - not the morning of.
- Bring nothing extraneous into the test center; personal items are typically restricted at check-in.
- Budget your two hours across either 85 or 90 questions - that's roughly 80-85 seconds per question if you want an even pace, though law-domain questions often move faster than scenario-based policy questions.
- Remember: 10 of your questions are unscored pretest items you cannot identify, so don't waste mental energy trying to spot them mid-exam.
- Recheck your license application timeline mentally - you have one year post-pass to apply, so know what comes next before you even sit down.
Once you've passed, it's worth thinking ahead to what the license actually opens up. The DC-PC Salary Guide and ROI analysis are useful next reads, and if you're weighing whether the effort is worth it before you even start studying, run a few timed sets on our DC-PC practice test platform to get a realistic feel for pacing and difficulty first.
Key Takeaway
Practicing under real two-hour, 85/90-question conditions on a full-length practice exam reveals pacing problems that flashcards never will.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Combination exams are no longer offered. Property and Casualty are separate exam events, each with its own $75 fee, its own two-hour time limit, and its own question count.
On the Property exam, 75 of the 85 questions are scored (10 are unscored pretest items). On the Casualty exam, 80 of the 90 questions are scored. You can't identify which questions are unscored, so treat every item as if it counts.
A scaled score of 70 passes each exam. This is a scaled figure, not a raw percentage - see the DC-PC Passing Score guide for a full explanation of how scaled scoring is calculated.
DISB requires proof of a prelicensing course of study, but does not mandate a specific 40-hour minimum. Requirements can vary by course provider, so confirm the specific hour count with whichever prelicensing program you enroll in.
You must apply for licensure within one year after passing the exam. If that window lapses, you will need to retake the exam before applying. Full eligibility details are covered in the DC-PC Requirements guide.