- Passing score is 70% correct on the Arkansas General Adjuster exam - a fixed threshold, not a curve.
- Only 25 questions count; PSI may add 5-10 unscored experimental items you can't identify.
- You get three attempts inside a 90-day approval window before you must wait four weeks and reapply.
- Exam fee is $40 per attempt, so a missed passing score is a real added cost, not just lost time.
The Passing Score, Stated Plainly
The Arkansas Insurance Department, working with PSI Services LLC as its testing vendor, sets the passing score for the Arkansas General Adjuster exam at 70% correct. That figure applies to the 25 scored questions on the General outline - the exam is administered separately from the Property, Casualty, and Workers' Compensation adjuster examinations, so if you're pursuing multiple lines you'll clear each passing threshold on its own exam session.
There's no sliding scale, no scaled scoring model, and no bonus for speed. You need roughly 18 of the 25 scored questions correct (70% of 25) to clear the bar. That's a small, tight number - missing a cluster of questions in one domain can matter more on a 25-question exam than it would on a longer test.
How Scoring Actually Works on Test Day
The Arkansas General Adjuster exam is computer-based and closed-book, delivered either at a PSI test center or via remote proctoring. You won't be allowed to bring a personal calculator - if the outline requires any calculation-based reasoning, it will be handled through an on-screen tool provided by the testing platform, not your own device.
You have 90 minutes to work through the exam. That's a generous window relative to the 25 scored questions, so time pressure is rarely the reason candidates miss 70%. The more common failure point is uneven domain preparation - strong on definitions, thin on licensing procedure, for example - which is exactly what a domain-by-domain review is meant to catch. For a full breakdown of each content area, see the AR-ADJ Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 4 Content Areas.
What the 25 Scored Questions Cover
The General outline is organized into four official topic sections. Every scored question you answer falls into one of these four domains, and your 70% target is calculated across all of them combined - there's no requirement to hit 70% within each individual domain, but a weak domain still drags down your overall percentage.
Domain 1: General Insurance Definitions
Foundational vocabulary and concepts that underpin every other domain - the terminology examiners expect you to apply correctly in context, not just recognize.
- Core policy and claims terminology used across adjusting scenarios
- Distinctions between related terms that are easy to confuse under time pressure
Domain 2: Arkansas Insurance Commissioner, Licensing
The regulatory structure candidates must understand before ever handling a claim in Arkansas - who oversees licensing and what authority the Commissioner holds.
- Licensing process fundamentals administered through the Arkansas Insurance Department
- The Commissioner's regulatory role and enforcement authority
Domain 3: Unfair Trade Practices
Prohibited conduct in claims handling and sales - a domain that tests judgment as much as memorization.
- Recognizing practices that violate Arkansas insurance trade regulations
- Applying prohibited-conduct rules to realistic claims scenarios
Domain 4: General Adjusting Practices
The day-to-day mechanics of the job - how an independent adjuster is expected to investigate, document, and resolve claims correctly.
- Standard claims-handling procedures and documentation expectations
- Practical adjusting scenarios that mirror what licensed adjusters do in the field
Because the passing score is a single blended percentage, a candidate who is excellent at Domain 4 but shaky on Domain 2 can still fall short of 70%. That's part of why understanding the exam's actual difficulty profile matters before you schedule - see How Hard Is the AR-ADJ Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 for a candid look at where preparation typically breaks down.
Why Your Exam Might Feel Longer Than 25 Questions
PSI may insert 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions into your exam session alongside the 25 scored ones. These experimental items are used to evaluate potential future exam content and are not identified as such during the test - you won't know which questions count and which don't.
This matters for your passing-score strategy in one concrete way: don't try to guess which questions are "real." Treat every question on screen as scored, because functionally, from your seat, it might be. The 70% threshold is calculated only against the 25 official scored items regardless of how many total questions appear on your screen.
Key Takeaway
Answer every question with full effort - you cannot identify experimental items, and skipping or rushing through any question risks missing a scored point toward your 70%.
Fees, Attempts, and the 90-Day Clock
Understanding the passing score also means understanding the cost and timing structure around it. The exam fee is $40 per paper and attempt - meaning every time you sit for the exam, whether it's your first try or your third, you pay again. Resident applicants also pay a $55 resident adjuster application fee before they're even approved to schedule with PSI.
Arkansas allows three examination attempts within a 90-day approval period. If you fail all three attempts, or your approval window expires before you pass, you must wait four weeks and reapply for approval before scheduling again. This structure makes the 70% passing score less forgiving in practice than it looks in theory - a rushed first attempt that misses the mark still burns time against your 90-day clock.
Once you do clear 70%, your exam result stays valid for one year, giving you a reasonable runway to complete the rest of the licensing process without rushing. For the full cost picture - application fees, exam fees, and the biennial $120 renewal fee - see AR-ADJ Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Passing score | 70% correct |
| Scored questions | 25 |
| Unscored experimental questions | 5-10 (not identifiable during exam) |
| Time allowed | 90 minutes |
| Exam fee | $40 per attempt |
| Attempts allowed | 3 within a 90-day approval period |
| Result validity | 1 year |
Allocating Study Time to Hit 70%
Because the passing threshold is blended across four domains, the smartest use of limited study time is uneven on purpose - you spend more time where your baseline knowledge is weakest, not where content simply feels comfortable. A short, domain-aware schedule built around the actual outline works better than a generic weekly template.
Domain 1 & 2 Foundations
- Drill general insurance definitions until terminology recall is automatic
- Study the Arkansas Insurance Commissioner's licensing authority and process
Domain 3 Judgment Calls
- Work through unfair trade practices scenarios, not just definitions
- Practice distinguishing permitted conduct from prohibited conduct in claims contexts
Domain 4 Application
- Review general adjusting practices: documentation, investigation steps, claim resolution
- Run full-length timed practice sets to simulate the 90-minute session
Mixed Review Toward 70%
- Take mixed-domain practice exams and score them against the 70% benchmark
- Revisit only the domains where practice scores fall below your target
This kind of staged approach - spending early weeks on foundational domains and later weeks on mixed, timed practice - is covered in more depth in AR-ADJ Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. If you want a fast, single-page reference to keep alongside your notes as exam day approaches, the AR-ADJ Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts condenses the highest-value facts from all four domains.
Where Candidates Lose Points
A few patterns show up repeatedly among candidates who narrowly miss the 70% mark:
- Treating licensing content as background noise. Domain 2 questions about the Commissioner's authority and the licensing process are concrete and testable - they're not filler between definition questions and adjusting scenarios.
- Under-preparing for scenario-based Unfair Trade Practices questions. These items often describe a situation and ask you to judge whether it violates trade practice rules, which requires applied understanding, not memorized definitions.
- Confusing adjusting activity types. Arkansas prohibits public adjusting, and independent adjusting is a distinct licensing activity from public adjusting - candidates who blur these concepts can misread Domain 4 questions about the scope of an adjuster's authority.
- Ignoring the calculator restriction until test day. Personal calculators are prohibited, so any practice that relies on your own calculator habits should be retooled around on-screen tools before the actual sitting.
Independent adjusters licensed under this exam typically work for independent adjusting firms, insurance carriers handling catastrophe or overflow claims, and third-party administrators - a hiring landscape worth understanding if you're evaluating whether this credential fits your career plans. See AR-ADJ Jobs and Is the AR-ADJ Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 for more on where this license leads.
If you're still deciding when to schedule relative to your prelicensing coursework and NIPR application, review AR-ADJ Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling before locking in a test date. And if you want a broader look at how the exam's difficulty and pass data compare to expectations, AR-ADJ Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows lays out what's actually known versus assumed.
Whatever stage of preparation you're at, running full-length timed sets under real exam conditions is the most reliable way to know if you're actually at 70% or just close. You can start building that habit now with the practice test platform on this site, then return here to recheck your domain-by-domain readiness against the outline above.
FAQ
70% correct on the 25 scored questions in the General outline. Unscored experimental questions PSI may add do not count toward this percentage.
Roughly 18 of the 25 scored questions, since 70% of 25 rounds to about 17.5. Exact rounding rules aren't published, so aim comfortably above the raw threshold.
No. The 70% benchmark is always calculated against the 25 official scored questions, regardless of how many additional unscored items (5 to 10) appear on your screen.
Three attempts are allowed within your 90-day approval period. After three failures, or if your approval expires, you must wait four weeks and reapply for approval before scheduling again.
Exam results are valid for one year, giving you time to complete the remaining licensing steps with the Arkansas Insurance Department after you clear the 70% mark.