- MA A&H is the Massachusetts Producer - Accident and Health, or Sickness Insurance Exam, run through Pearson.
- The exam costs $37 and has 80 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest questions.
- You need a scaled score of 70 to pass; all testing happens in person at Pearson centers.
- Massachusetts law topics (Domains 6 and 7) make up 37.5% of the exam combined.
What the MA A&H Certification Actually Is
MA A&H stands for the Massachusetts Accident & Health Insurance Producer Exam - formally the Producer - Accident and Health, or Sickness Insurance Exam. Passing it is the licensing step that allows an individual to sell, solicit, or negotiate accident, health, or sickness insurance products in Massachusetts. It is not a voluntary professional designation you add to a resume for prestige; it's a state-mandated qualification exam administered under the authority of the Massachusetts Division of Insurance.
If you've landed here searching for a quick definition, the short version is: it's a state producer exam, not a national certification, not a continuing-education badge, and not affiliated with any private credentialing body. For a broader breakdown of the acronym itself, see What Is MA A&H? or MA A&H Meaning.
Who Administers the Exam and Why It Matters
The exam is overseen by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance and delivered through Pearson Professional Assessments, the third-party testing vendor Massachusetts uses for all producer licensing exams. This matters for two practical reasons.
- Test-taking logistics are fixed. Because Pearson runs the exam, you schedule your seat through Pearson's system and take the test in person at a Pearson test center - there is no remote-proctoring or take-at-home option for this exam.
- Content and rules come from the state, not a private organization. The Division of Insurance sets the content outline, meaning every question you'll face traces back to Massachusetts statute, regulation, or standard insurance practice as codified for the Commonwealth - not generic industry material.
Because two different well-known credentials share the "MA A&H" abbreviation in different industries, it's worth being explicit: everything on this site refers only to the Massachusetts state producer exam described above. If you've seen conflicting fee amounts or domain weights elsewhere online, you're likely looking at an unrelated credential.
Exam Format, Fee, and Scoring
The mechanics of the MA A&H exam are straightforward once you know the numbers:
- Cost: $37 per attempt
- Question count: 80 scored multiple-choice questions, plus 10 additional unscored pretest questions mixed in (you won't know which ones are unscored, so treat every question as if it counts)
- Passing score: a scaled score of 70
- Delivery: in person only, at a Pearson test center
- Content outline effective date: July 22, 2026
The unscored pretest questions exist so the Division of Insurance can trial new items before they become permanently scored, but from your seat in the testing room, all 90 questions look identical. This is a key reason to maintain consistent focus for the entire session rather than assuming later questions matter less. For a full walkthrough of what "passing" actually requires numerically, see MA A&H Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass, and for the complete cost picture including any ancillary fees, check MA A&H Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Key Takeaway
Budget for the $37 exam fee and plan to sit for all 90 questions (80 scored + 10 unscored) at a physical Pearson test center - there's no remote option to plan around.
The 7 Domains You're Tested On
The content outline breaks the exam into seven domains. Knowing the weight of each one tells you exactly where to invest study hours.
Domain 1: Types of Policies - 20%
The single largest domain. Covers the structure and features of the various accident, health, and sickness policy types a Massachusetts producer needs to recognize and explain.
- Highest point value on the exam - master this first
Domain 2: Policy Provisions, Clauses, and Riders - 18.75%
Tests your understanding of standard contract language: what provisions must appear in a policy, how riders modify coverage, and what clauses mean for claims.
Domain 6: Massachusetts Laws and Rules Pertinent to All Lines of Insurance - 18.75%
General state insurance law that applies across every line, not just accident and health.
Domain 7: Massachusetts Laws and Regulations Pertinent to Accident, Health or Sickness Insurance Only - 18.75%
State-specific rules that apply narrowly to A&H products. Combined with Domain 6, Massachusetts law makes up 37.5% of the whole exam.
Domain 5: Field Underwriting Procedures - 10%
Practical producer-side responsibilities: what happens at the point of application and how underwriting information gets collected and handled.
Domain 3: Social Insurance - 7.5%
Government-administered programs that interact with private accident and health coverage.
Domain 4: Other Insurance Concepts - 6.25%
The smallest domain, covering supplementary concepts that don't fit neatly into the other six categories.
For question-by-question breakdowns of what each domain actually tests, along with sample scenarios, see the full MA A&H Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 7 Content Areas.
Who Needs This License
The MA A&H exam is typically required for anyone who wants to sell or advise on:
- Individual and group health insurance policies within Massachusetts
- Disability income products
- Supplemental accident and sickness coverage
- Other accident and health products regulated under Massachusetts insurance law
This includes new insurance agents entering the field, career-changers moving into insurance sales, and existing property/casualty or life producers who want to add accident and health to their line of authority. Employers such as insurance agencies, health insurance brokerages, and carriers operating in Massachusetts often require this license as a condition of employment or contracting. If you're evaluating whether this path fits your career goals, Is the MA A&H Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and MA A&H Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis dig into that question in more depth, and MA A&H Jobs covers the kinds of roles this license opens up.
Before you register, it's worth confirming you meet the state's baseline eligibility criteria - pre-licensing education, application steps, and background requirements are covered in MA A&H Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
How to Prepare Without Wasting Time
Because Massachusetts law makes up more than a third of the exam, and Types of Policies alone accounts for a fifth, your prep schedule should mirror the domain weights rather than treating all seven areas equally.
Types of Policies + Policy Provisions
- Build a working knowledge of policy structures (Domain 1) and standard provisions/riders (Domain 2) - together nearly 39% of the exam
Massachusetts Law, Both Domains
- Study Domain 6 (all-lines law) and Domain 7 (A&H-specific law) back to back since they overlap conceptually and total 37.5%
Underwriting, Social Insurance, Other Concepts
- Cover Field Underwriting Procedures, Social Insurance, and Other Insurance Concepts - smaller domains but still scored questions
Mixed Review and Timed Practice
- Run full-length practice sessions simulating 80 scored plus 10 unscored questions under test-day conditions
Within that structure, standard techniques like spaced repetition for terminology and active recall for policy provisions work well - but only in service of the domain weighting above, not as a substitute for it. A step-by-step version of this approach, including how to sequence review sessions in the final week, is laid out in the MA A&H Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
If you want a realistic gauge of how tough the exam feels once you're in the seat - question phrasing, time pressure, common trip-up areas - read How Hard Is the MA A&H Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 before test day, not after. And for aggregate pass-rate context to calibrate your expectations, see MA A&H Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
After You Pass: What Comes Next
Passing the exam is the gateway step, not the finish line. Once you clear the scaled score of 70, the next steps typically involve completing your license application with the Massachusetts Division of Insurance, satisfying any outstanding background or fingerprinting requirements, and - once licensed - pursuing continuing education to keep the license active.
Many candidates ask about scheduling logistics before they even sit for the exam. Testing windows, how far in advance to register with Pearson, and how the July 22, 2026 content outline update affects timing are covered in MA A&H Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling. If you retake the exam, it's worth having a condensed reference on hand - the MA A&H Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts is built for that kind of last-mile review.
For readers who arrived here from a related search - "what does MA A&H stand for," "what is a MA A&H," or similar - the short answer stays consistent throughout this site: it's the Massachusetts producer license exam for accident and health insurance, nothing else. Related explainer pages like What Does MA A&H Stand For?, What Does MA A&H Mean?, What Is A MA A&H?, and MA A&H Certification all point back to this same definition, and MA A&H Training covers pre-licensing coursework options if you haven't started studying yet.
Ready to test your knowledge against realistic questions modeled on the actual domain weights? Start with a diagnostic run at the main MA A&H practice test site to see where your Domain 1 and Domain 6/7 knowledge stands before you commit to an exam date.
| Exam Detail | Specification |
|---|---|
| Governing Body | Massachusetts Division of Insurance |
| Test Administrator | Pearson Professional Assessments |
| Exam Fee | $37 |
| Scored Questions | 80 |
| Unscored Pretest Questions | 10 |
| Passing Score | Scaled score of 70 |
| Delivery Method | In person at Pearson test centers |
| Content Outline Effective Date | July 22, 2026 |
| Largest Domain | Types of Policies (20%) |
| Massachusetts Law Weight (Combined) | 37.5% (Domains 6 & 7) |
Frequently Asked Questions
No. It is a Massachusetts state producer licensing exam administered by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance through Pearson. It applies specifically to selling accident, health, or sickness insurance within Massachusetts.
The exam includes 80 scored multiple-choice questions and 10 unscored pretest questions, for 90 total. Because you can't identify which questions are unscored during the test, you should answer every question as if it affects your final score.
You need a scaled score of 70. See MA A&H Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass for more detail on how scaled scoring works.
Types of Policies carries the highest single weight at 20%, making it a strong starting point. However, Massachusetts law (Domains 6 and 7) totals 37.5% combined, so law topics deserve equal or greater overall study time.
No. All Massachusetts Division of Insurance licensing exams, including the MA A&H exam, are delivered in person at Pearson Professional Assessments test centers.