- What Does "NY-LAH" Actually Mean?
- Who Administers the NY-LAH Exam?
- Exam Mechanics Behind the Name
- The 18 Domains That Give NY-LAH Its Content
- From Passing Score to Active License
- Why the "Life, Accident & Health" Naming Matters for Your Career
- Studying the Exam, Not the Name
- Frequently Asked Questions
- NY-LAH stands for New York Life, Accident & Health Insurance Agent/Broker Exam, given via PSI as Series 17-55.
- The exam has 150 questions, a 2 hour 30 minute limit, and a 105-correct (70%) passing score.
- The 2025 English-language pass rate was 46.63% across 13,164 examinees.
- Passing results must be used for a license application within two years.
What Does "NY-LAH" Actually Mean?
"NY-LAH" is shorthand for the New York Life, Accident & Health Insurance Agent/Broker Exam - the state licensing test that anyone selling life insurance, annuities, accident coverage, or health insurance products in New York must pass before applying for an agent or broker license. Each letter maps to a real word in the credential's name: New York (the jurisdiction), Life, Accident, and Health (the three lines of insurance the license covers).
The name is intentionally broad because the underlying license is broad. A single passing result and license authorize you to work across life insurance, annuities, accident insurance, and health insurance products, rather than requiring four separate exams. If you're wondering exactly what this label refers to before digging into study material, the companion piece "What Is NY-LAH?" walks through the same definition in more depth, and "What Does NY-LAH Stand For?" breaks the acronym down letter by letter.
Who Administers the NY-LAH Exam?
The exam is a state-regulated requirement, not a private certification. The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) sets the licensing requirements and content outline, while PSI is the third-party testing vendor that builds, schedules, and delivers the exam itself. Practically, this means:
- DFS decides who is eligible to sit for the exam and what a license permits once you pass.
- PSI runs the testing infrastructure - test centers, remote proctoring, scoring, and score reporting.
- The official exam code you'll see on registration and score reports is Series 17-55.
If you're just starting to research eligibility, NY-LAH Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify covers the prelicensing education and age requirements in detail.
Exam Mechanics Behind the Name
Understanding what "NY-LAH" refers to also means understanding the shape of the test itself, since candidates often confuse this exam's format with other state licensing tests.
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Exam code | Series 17-55 |
| Question count | 150 multiple-choice questions |
| Time allowed | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Passing score | 105 correct answers (70%) |
| Exam fee | $40 |
| Delivery method | Electronic, at PSI test centers or remote online proctoring |
| 2025 pass rate (English) | 46.63% across 13,164 examinees |
Every question is multiple-choice and delivered electronically, whether you sit at a physical PSI center or test remotely with online proctoring. There's no essay, simulation, or oral component - just 150 scored items covering the topic outline described below. For a deeper breakdown of what "70%" actually means in terms of raw correct answers and scoring logic, see NY-LAH Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass. If you want the full statistical picture behind that 46.63% figure, NY-LAH Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows puts it in context.
Key Takeaway
Because the exam fee is only $40, many candidates underestimate the exam and skip structured review - but the 46.63% pass rate shows nearly half of test-takers do not clear 105 correct answers on their first sitting.
The 18 Domains That Give NY-LAH Its Content
The "LAH" in the name isn't just a label - it corresponds directly to the current DFS-linked Series 17-55 topic locator, which organizes the exam into 18 domains spanning life, accident, and health topics. This outline is labeled 2018-2019 and remains the active reference for exam content.
Domain 5: Life Insurance Policy Provisions, Options, and Riders (10%)
This is the single largest domain on the exam, and it sits squarely under the "Life" half of NY-LAH's name.
- Nonforfeiture options and policy loan provisions
- Riders such as waiver of premium, accelerated death benefit, and guaranteed insurability
- Settlement options and beneficiary designations
Domain 14: Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (6%)
Representing the "Health" portion of the name, this domain tests federal rules that intersect with state-licensed health products.
- Essential health benefits and guaranteed issue requirements
- Marketplace mechanics and subsidy eligibility basics
- How ACA provisions interact with individual and group health policies
The remaining domains cover everything from Insurance Regulation (7%) and General Insurance (4%) to Annuities (7%), Disability Income and Related Insurance (6%), Long-Term Care Insurance (6%), and Government Health Insurance Plans (5%). For the complete list with all 18 weightings and study priorities, NY-LAH Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 18 Content Areas is the most detailed resource on this site.
From Passing Score to Active License
Passing the Series 17-55 exam is a milestone, not the finish line - the name "NY-LAH" describes the exam, but the license that follows has its own rules and costs.
- Age and education: Applicants must be at least 18 and complete 40 hours of DFS-approved combined prelicensing education before sitting for the exam.
- Time limit: A passing exam result must be used to apply for a license within two years, or it expires.
- License fee: The individual license fee is $40 per year or fraction of a year, and licenses may be issued for up to two years at a time.
- Renewal: Once a license has been active for more than two years, renewal requires 15 continuing-education credits.
- Variable products: Selling variable life insurance or variable annuities also requires FINRA registration and a CRD number, on top of the state license.
These mechanics are worth mapping out before you even register for the exam. NY-LAH Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown totals up the exam fee, prelicensing education, and license costs so there are no surprises. If timing is your main concern, NY-LAH Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling explains how PSI scheduling and the two-year usage window fit together.
Why the "Life, Accident & Health" Naming Matters for Your Career
The scope embedded in the exam's name is exactly what makes the resulting license valuable to employers. Because a single Series 17-55 pass covers life insurance, annuities, accident coverage, and health insurance, agents and brokers holding this license can be productive across multiple product lines without sitting for additional state exams. Carriers, independent agencies, and brokerages hiring in New York frequently list this license as a baseline requirement precisely because of that breadth.
If you're evaluating whether pursuing this license fits your career plans, Is the NY-LAH Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 weighs the costs against the earning potential, and NY-LAH Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis looks at how licensed agents and brokers are typically compensated. For a sense of where the license actually gets used day to day, NY-LAH Jobs surveys the kinds of roles that require it.
Key Takeaway
The breadth signaled by "Life, Accident & Health" in the exam's name is a hiring advantage - it's one license covering four product categories, not four separate credentials to maintain.
Studying the Exam, Not the Name
Once you understand what NY-LAH stands for, the practical question becomes how to prepare for its actual content. Generic study techniques only help when they're anchored to this exam's specific domain weights and 150-question format.
Anchor on the Heaviest Domains
- Build a foundation in Domain 5 (Life Insurance Policy Provisions, Options, and Riders, 10%) since it carries the most weight
- Layer in Life Insurance Basics and Life Insurance Policies (8% each)
Cover Health and Regulatory Domains
- Work through Medical Plans, Disability Income, Long-Term Care, and the ACA domain (each 6%)
- Review Insurance Regulation (7%) alongside Annuities (7%)
Full-Length Practice Under Timed Conditions
- Simulate the 2 hour 30 minute, 150-question format
- Target consistent scores above the 105-correct passing threshold before test day
For a full week-by-week plan built around this exact structure, see NY-LAH Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. If you're still gauging how much effort this exam requires relative to other licensing tests, How Hard Is the NY-LAH Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 addresses that directly, and once you're closer to test day, a condensed reference like NY-LAH Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts can help with final review. Running full-length, timed questions on our practice test platform is one of the most direct ways to confirm you can hit 105 correct answers before you sit for the real Series 17-55 exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
NY-LAH stands for the New York Life, Accident & Health Insurance Agent/Broker Exam, the state licensing test administered as Series 17-55 through PSI on behalf of the New York State Department of Financial Services.
It's a licensing exam, not a voluntary certification. Passing it is a prerequisite for applying for a life, accident, and health insurance agent or broker license in New York.
The exam has 150 multiple-choice questions delivered electronically, with 2 hours and 30 minutes allowed to complete it.
You need 105 correct answers out of 150, which equals 70%.
No. Passing gives you a result you must use to apply for a license within two years. Licensing also involves a separate $40 per year (or fraction of a year) license fee, and licenses can be issued for up to two years before renewal, which then requires 15 continuing-education credits.
Understanding exactly what NY-LAH means - the exam, the regulator, the domains, and the licensing steps that follow - is the first real step toward passing it. For related definitions and quick-reference explainers, see "What Is A NY-LAH?", "What Does NY-LAH Mean?", and "What Is NY-LAH Certification?", or explore NY-LAH Training and NY-LAH Certification for next steps.