- The MD-PC (Series 20-32) has 120 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest items, all four-option multiple choice.
- You get 2 hours 30 minutes, and the exam costs $62 through Prometric.
- Insurance Regulation carries the heaviest weight at 30% of the exam.
- Maryland-approved prelicensing coursework is no longer required for exams taken on or after October 1, 2024.
What "Pass Rate" Really Means for the MD-PC
Anyone searching for a single published pass-rate percentage for the Maryland Property and Casualty Producer Combo Exam will run into a wall: the Maryland Insurance Administration and Prometric do not release a public, candidate-facing statistic breaking down how many people pass this specific exam each year. That's different from some other licensing tests where a headline number gets repeated across every prep site. For the MD-PC, the more useful exercise is understanding the mechanics that actually determine whether a given candidate passes - the scored question count, the domain weights, the time allowed, and the scoring threshold - and then using those mechanics to prepare deliberately.
That's the approach this article takes. Instead of quoting a number that can't be verified, we'll walk through the structural facts of the exam and translate them into what they mean for your preparation. If you want the exact scoring cutoff itself, see our dedicated breakdown of the MD-PC passing score, which explains how the scored questions convert into a pass/fail result.
Exam Structure That Shapes Your Score
The Series 20-32 exam consists of 120 scored questions plus 10 additional unscored questions used for future item testing, for a total of 130 four-option multiple-choice questions. You won't know which ten are unscored, so every question deserves the same level of attention. Candidates are given 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete the exam, which works out to a little over one minute per question if you were to pace evenly - though in practice, most candidates move faster through the general insurance basics and slower through the policy-specific scenario questions.
The exam fee is $62, paid to Prometric during scheduling. You can sit for the exam at a physical Prometric test center or take it remotely through ProProctor, Prometric's online proctoring platform. That flexibility matters for pass-rate discussions because environment control is a real factor in exam performance: a quiet, distraction-free space (whether at a center or at home) removes one variable that has nothing to do with your knowledge of insurance but can still cost you points.
Key Takeaway
Treat all 130 questions as scored since you can't identify the 10 pretest items. Pacing yourself for the full 150-minute window, rather than rushing, protects your accuracy on the later, more scenario-heavy questions.
Domain Weighting: Where Points Are Won and Lost
The single biggest lever you control before test day is how you allocate study time across the ten content domains. The Maryland Insurance Administration publishes official rounded weights (they total 101% due to rounding), and they are not evenly distributed. Insurance Regulation alone accounts for 30% of the exam - nearly a third of your score is tied to one domain.
Domain 1: Insurance Regulation (30%)
This is the largest domain by a wide margin, covering Maryland-specific licensing rules, producer conduct, and regulatory oversight.
- Highest-yield domain for review time given its outsized weight
- Expect questions on state-specific producer obligations and MIA authority
Domain 3: Property and Casualty Insurance Basics (13%)
Foundational terminology and concepts that underpin the policy-specific domains later in the exam.
- Master this before tackling Dwelling, Homeowners, and Auto sections
- Weak fundamentals here compound errors elsewhere
Domain 5: Homeowners Policy (13%) and Domain 7: Commercial Package Policy (CPP) (13%)
Two mid-weight domains that together equal Insurance Regulation's share when combined.
- Homeowners questions often test coverage forms and exclusions
- CPP questions test how multiple commercial coverage parts interact
Domain 4: Dwelling Policy (8%) and Domain 6: Auto Insurance (8%)
Moderate-weight domains that still require dedicated review, particularly around policy differences and endorsements.
- Compare dwelling forms against homeowners forms to avoid mixing them up
- Auto insurance questions frequently touch state financial responsibility concepts
Smaller Domains: General Insurance (7%), Other Coverages and Options (5%), Workers' Compensation (3%), Businessowners Policy (1%)
These four domains combine for only 16% of the exam, but skipping them entirely is risky since they're still individually testable.
- Allocate lighter, focused review sessions rather than skipping outright
- Businessowners Policy at 1% still deserves a pass through core concepts
For a full walkthrough of every domain with example concepts and terminology, see our complete guide to all 10 MD-PC content areas. Understanding not just the percentages but the specific topics tested inside each domain is what separates candidates who guess intelligently from those who genuinely know the material.
| Domain | Weight | Relative Study Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance Regulation | 30% | Highest |
| Property and Casualty Insurance Basics | 13% | High |
| Homeowners Policy | 13% | High |
| Commercial Package Policy (CPP) | 13% | High |
| Dwelling Policy | 8% | Moderate |
| Auto Insurance | 8% | Moderate |
| General Insurance | 7% | Moderate |
| Other Coverages and Options | 5% | Light |
| Workers' Compensation Insurance | 3% | Light |
| Businessowners Policy | 1% | Light |
The October 2024 Prelicensing Change
One structural shift that directly affects how candidates prepare - and, by extension, outcomes on exam day - is that Maryland-approved prelicensing education is no longer required for examinations taken on or after October 1, 2024. Previously, candidates completed a state-approved prelicensing course before sitting for the exam. Now, that requirement has been removed for the exam itself, which means self-study and independent exam prep carry more weight than ever in determining readiness.
This is a meaningful change because it shifts responsibility for content mastery entirely onto the candidate's own study plan. Without a mandated course walking you through the material, the burden of covering all ten domains falls on whatever prep resources you choose. Our MD-PC study guide lays out how to structure independent preparation now that a formal course isn't a prerequisite for testing.
Who Sits for This Exam
The MD-PC combo exam is taken by individuals seeking a property and casualty producer license in Maryland - typically people entering insurance agency or brokerage roles, captive or independent agents adding P&C lines to their book, and career changers moving into insurance sales or account management. Because it's a "combo" exam covering both property and casualty lines in a single sitting, it's the standard path for anyone whose intended role touches homeowners, auto, dwelling, or commercial package business rather than life or health products.
Employers hiring for these roles generally expect an active, unrestricted producer license, which means passing this exam is a hard gate before you can bind coverage or earn commission on P&C policies. If you're evaluating whether this career path fits your goals, our salary guide and ROI analysis look at the broader career picture beyond the exam itself, and our jobs overview covers the kinds of positions that require this license.
Registration, Fees, and Scheduling
Scheduling logistics are straightforward but worth confirming before you commit to a study timeline. The exam is administered by Prometric, costs $62, and can be taken either in person at a test center or remotely through ProProctor. Because the state removed the prelicensing prerequisite for exams on or after October 1, 2024, eligibility checks now focus more on meeting Maryland's producer license eligibility criteria rather than proof of course completion - details worth confirming against our requirements guide before you register.
Once licensed, producers renew biennially and must complete 24 continuing-education hours per renewal cycle, including 3 hours specifically in ethics. That ongoing CE obligation is separate from the initial licensing exam but is worth knowing upfront since it's part of the total commitment of holding this license long-term. For scheduling windows and how far in advance to book your seat, see our exam dates and scheduling guide.
Key Takeaway
Because there's no mandated prelicensing course requirement for exams taken after October 1, 2024, budget your own timeline for content coverage rather than assuming a course provider will pace you through the material.
Building a Study Plan Around the Weights
Rather than studying domains in the order they appear on the outline, allocate time proportional to their weight. Insurance Regulation, Property and Casualty Insurance Basics, Homeowners Policy, and Commercial Package Policy together make up 69% of the exam - more than two-thirds of your score rides on these four domains alone. A study plan that treats every domain equally wastes hours on low-yield material while under-preparing for the sections most likely to appear repeatedly.
Foundations and the Heaviest Domain
- Build core insurance vocabulary from Property and Casualty Insurance Basics
- Begin Insurance Regulation, given its 30% weight, and revisit it throughout every remaining week
Policy-Specific Coverage
- Work through Homeowners Policy and Dwelling Policy side by side to avoid confusing coverage forms
- Add Auto Insurance, focusing on how it differs structurally from property lines
Commercial Lines and Smaller Domains
- Study Commercial Package Policy in depth given its 13% weight
- Cover General Insurance, Other Coverages and Options, Workers' Compensation, and Businessowners Policy in shorter, focused blocks
Timed Practice and Review
- Take full-length timed practice sessions matching the 2 hour 30 minute format
- Revisit Insurance Regulation one more time since it remains the single highest-weight domain
Use short review cycles rather than one long cram session - revisiting Insurance Regulation multiple times across the month reinforces the domain that matters most to your final score. For a condensed reference you can run through in the final days before your test, our one-page cheat sheet compiles the must-know facts across all ten domains. And if you're still deciding how demanding this exam will feel relative to your background, our difficulty guide breaks down what makes certain domains harder than others.
Throughout your prep, running full-length timed sets on our practice test platform is one of the most direct ways to simulate the real 130-question, 150-minute format before you sit for the actual exam. Repeated exposure to that pacing and question style at mdpropcasualtyexam.com helps you walk into the Prometric center or ProProctor session without surprises.
Frequently Asked Questions
No public, verified pass-rate statistic specific to the Series 20-32 exam is published for candidates. Rather than relying on unverified numbers, focus on the exam's actual structure - 120 scored questions, ten domains, and the official domain weights - to gauge your own readiness.
The exam includes 120 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest questions, for 130 total four-option multiple-choice questions in 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Maryland-approved prelicensing education is not required for examinations taken on or after October 1, 2024, which shifts more of the preparation responsibility onto the candidate's own study plan.
Insurance Regulation, at 30% of the exam, is the largest domain by a significant margin and deserves the most repeated review across your study schedule.
Yes. Testing is available either at a Prometric test center or remotely through ProProctor, Prometric's online proctoring service.