- How the NH-ADJ Exam Is Structured
- The 12 Domains at a Glance
- Domains 1-2: Insurance Regulation and Licensing
- Domains 3-4: General Concepts and P&C Basics
- Domains 5-6: Dwelling and Homeowners Policies
- Domains 7-8: Personal and Commercial Auto
- Domains 9-10: Commercial Property and CGL
- Domains 11-12: Other Policies and the Adjustment Process
- Building a Timeline Around Domain Weight
- Who Actually Tests These Domains on the Job
- FAQ
- Property and Casualty Insurance Basics is the largest domain at 21% of the 150 scored questions.
- The current blueprint runs through September 14, 2026, before a revision takes effect September 15, 2026.
- Homeowners Policy Concepts (13%) and General Insurance Concepts (10%) are the next-heaviest domains to master.
- Licensing and Regulation and Other Types of Insurance Policies are the lightest domains at 3% and 2%.
How the NH-ADJ Exam Is Structured
The New Hampshire Adjuster's Property and Casualty Insurance Exam (NH-ADJ), also referenced as Series 12-75, is governed by the New Hampshire Insurance Department and delivered through PSI. Candidates answer 150 scored multiple-choice questions in 2 hours and 30 minutes, plus an additional 5-10 unscored experimental items mixed in without identification. The exam costs $72 and can be taken at a PSI test center or via remote proctoring. There is no state-mandated prelicensing course, which means the 12 content domains covered in this guide function as your entire syllabus.
Because every domain is weighted differently, not all topics deserve equal study time. This guide breaks down all 12 areas in the order they appear on the official blueprint, effective through September 14, 2026, with a revised blueprint taking effect September 15, 2026. If you're still deciding whether the exam fits your timeline, the NH-ADJ Exam Dates 2026 guide covers scheduling logistics, and the NH-ADJ Requirements guide explains resident versus nonresident eligibility paths in detail.
The 12 Domains at a Glance
Here is the complete NH-ADJ content outline with each domain's share of the 150 scored questions:
| Domain | Topic | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Insurance Regulation | 7% |
| 2 | Licensing and Regulation | 3% |
| 3 | General Insurance Concepts | 10% |
| 4 | Property and Casualty Insurance Basics | 21% |
| 5 | Dwelling Policy Concepts | 6% |
| 6 | Homeowners Policy Concepts | 13% |
| 7 | Personal Automobile Policy | 10% |
| 8 | Commercial Automobile Policy | 6% |
| 9 | Commercial Property Policies | 7% |
| 10 | Commercial General Liability | 6% |
| 11 | Other Types of Insurance Policies | 2% |
| 12 | Adjustment Process | 9% |
Notice how four domains - Property and Casualty Insurance Basics, Homeowners Policy Concepts, General Insurance Concepts, and the Adjustment Process - together account for over half of the scored questions. That concentration should directly shape how you sequence review, a strategy detailed further in the NH-ADJ Study Guide 2026.
Domains 1-2: Insurance Regulation and Licensing
Domain 1: Insurance Regulation (7%)
This domain tests your understanding of how insurance activity is overseen and constrained at the state level, including how regulators supervise market conduct and enforce unfair trade practices.
- Unfair claims settlement practices and prohibited conduct
- Regulatory authority over rates, forms, and market behavior
- Consumer protection provisions applicable to adjusters
Domain 2: Licensing and Regulation (3%)
The smallest domain on the blueprint, but candidates still need to know the mechanics of maintaining an active license once they've passed the exam.
- License issuance, renewal cycles, and expiration timing
- Continuing education obligations for residents and designated-home-state adjusters
- Grounds for license denial, suspension, or revocation
Key Takeaway
New Hampshire adjuster licenses expire on the second October 1 after issuance and every 2 years after that, with residents and NH designated-home-state adjusters needing 24 CE hours including 3-10 ethics hours. Know these numbers cold for Domain 2 questions.
Domains 3-4: General Concepts and Property and Casualty Basics
Domain 3, General Insurance Concepts, at 10%, covers the foundational vocabulary and mechanics that every other domain builds on - insurable interest, indemnity, subrogation, and the structure of a typical policy contract. If you're unclear on any of these terms, review them before moving into policy-specific material, since they resurface throughout the rest of the exam.
Domain 4: Property and Casualty Insurance Basics (21%)
This is the single largest domain on the entire NH-ADJ blueprint, nearly double the size of the next-largest area. Expect the deepest concentration of questions here.
- Policy structure: declarations, insuring agreements, conditions, exclusions, and endorsements
- Property valuation methods, including actual cash value versus replacement cost
- Types of coverage limits, deductibles, and coinsurance mechanics
- Liability concepts such as negligence, duty to defend, and third-party claims
Because Domain 4 alone can represent roughly 30 of the 150 scored questions, underestimating it is one of the most common reasons candidates fall short. The How Hard Is the NH-ADJ Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide discusses why this domain in particular trips up first-time test takers.
Domains 5-6: Dwelling and Homeowners Policy Concepts
Domain 5, Dwelling Policy Concepts, at 6%, focuses on the standalone dwelling forms used for rental and secondary properties, including the differences between the basic, broad, and special dwelling forms and what perils each one covers.
Domain 6: Homeowners Policy Concepts (13%)
The second-largest domain overall, homeowners coverage questions test both the structure of the policy and how it responds to real claim scenarios.
- HO policy forms and the coverage each provides (dwelling, other structures, personal property, loss of use)
- Liability and medical payments coverage under homeowners forms
- Common endorsements and exclusions specific to homeowners contracts
- Claims scenarios combining property damage and personal liability
Together, Domains 5 and 6 make up nearly a fifth of the exam, so treat dwelling and homeowners material as a paired study block rather than two separate topics.
Domains 7-8: Personal and Commercial Automobile Policies
Domain 7: Personal Automobile Policy (10%)
Auto claims are among the most common adjuster assignments, and this domain reflects that with a full 10% weighting.
- PAP coverage parts: liability, medical payments, uninsured/underinsured motorist, physical damage
- Exclusions and conditions unique to personal auto policies
- Rating and territory factors that affect coverage application
Domain 8: Commercial Automobile Policy (6%)
This domain shifts the same core auto concepts into a business context.
- Business auto coverage forms and covered autos symbols
- Differences between personal and commercial auto exposures
- Hired and non-owned auto liability considerations
Domains 9-10: Commercial Property and Commercial General Liability
Domain 9: Commercial Property Policies (7%)
Commercial property questions test how business-owned buildings and contents are insured differently from residential property.
- Building and personal property coverage forms
- Business income and extra expense coverage
- Causes-of-loss forms and their scope of covered perils
Domain 10: Commercial General Liability (6%)
CGL coverage introduces occurrence-based liability concepts that differ meaningfully from personal lines liability.
- Coverage A, B, and C distinctions within the CGL form
- Products-completed operations and premises liability exposures
- Additional insured endorsements and their claim impact
Domains 11-12: Other Policy Types and the Adjustment Process
Domain 11, Other Types of Insurance Policies, is the lightest weighted area at just 2%, but it still appears on every exam form. Expect a small number of questions on miscellaneous coverages that don't fit neatly into the property or auto categories already covered.
Domain 12: Adjustment Process (9%)
This domain ties the entire exam together by testing how claims are actually handled from first notice of loss through settlement - the practical core of the adjuster's job.
- Claim investigation steps and documentation requirements
- Coverage verification and reservation of rights communications
- Loss valuation, negotiation, and settlement procedures
- Proper handling of subrogation and salvage
At 9%, Domain 12 is nearly as large as some coverage-specific domains, and it's arguably the most "real world" section since it mirrors day-to-day adjuster tasks rather than pure policy language.
Building a Timeline Around Domain Weight
Rather than studying domains in blueprint order, allocate time proportional to weight. A simple four-week structure built around the heaviest domains first looks like this:
Foundation and the Heaviest Domain
- Review Domain 3 (General Insurance Concepts) terminology
- Spend the majority of study time on Domain 4 (Property and Casualty Insurance Basics)
Property Lines
- Cover Domain 5 (Dwelling) and Domain 6 (Homeowners) together
- Begin light review of Domain 9 (Commercial Property)
Auto and Liability
- Study Domain 7 (Personal Auto) and Domain 8 (Commercial Auto)
- Add Domain 10 (Commercial General Liability)
Regulation, Process, and Review
- Finish Domains 1, 2, and 11 (lighter-weighted areas)
- Focus heavily on Domain 12 (Adjustment Process) and run full timed practice sessions
This sequencing front-loads the domains worth the most points while still leaving dedicated time for the lighter regulatory sections. For a condensed reference you can revisit during this final week, the NH-ADJ Cheat Sheet 2026 consolidates must-know facts across all 12 domains in one page. If you want a deeper breakdown of exactly how the score is calculated, see the NH-ADJ Passing Score 2026 guide.
Who Actually Tests These Domains on the Job
The 12 domains aren't abstract - they map directly onto the daily work of independent adjusters, staff adjusters at carriers, and public adjusters operating in or around New Hampshire. Property and casualty claims professionals who handle homeowners, dwelling, and personal auto losses will draw most heavily on Domains 4 through 7, while those working commercial lines lean more on Domains 9 and 10. The NH-ADJ Jobs guide outlines the types of roles that typically require this license, and the NH-ADJ Salary Guide 2026 looks at how compensation varies by role type. If you're still weighing whether pursuing this license is worthwhile given the effort required to master all 12 domains, the Is the NH-ADJ Certification Worth It? analysis walks through the tradeoffs.
Understanding the full scope of what the exam covers also clarifies why no prelicensing course is legally required - the domains above effectively function as the curriculum. New candidates unfamiliar with the credential itself may want to start with What Is NH-ADJ? before diving into domain-level study, and residents specifically should confirm their eligibility path using the requirements guide before registering through PSI.
Frequently Asked Questions
Property and Casualty Insurance Basics is the largest domain at 21% of the 150 scored questions, making it the top priority for study time.
There are 12 domains total, ranging from Insurance Regulation and Licensing and Regulation down to specialized areas like the Adjustment Process and Other Types of Insurance Policies.
The listed blueprint and domain weights are effective through September 14, 2026, with a revised version taking effect September 15, 2026.
No. Domain weights range from 2% to 21% of the 150 scored questions, so proportional study time based on weight is more efficient than treating all 12 domains equally.
No prelicensing course is required for the NH-ADJ exam, so candidates typically self-study the 12 domains using outlines, practice questions, and reference materials.