- Exam Format and Scoring
- Domain Weight Breakdown
- Domain 1: Insurance Regulation
- Domain 2: General Insurance Concepts
- Domain 3: Property and Casualty Insurance Basics
- Domain 4: Dwelling Policy
- Domain 5: Homeowners Policy
- Domain 6: Automobile Insurance
- Domain 7: Commercial Package Policy
- Domain 8: Businessowners Policy
- Domain 9: Workers' Compensation Insurance
- Domain 10: Other Coverages and Options
- Building a Domain-Based Study Plan
- Who Takes This Exam
- FAQ
- The MI-PC exam covers 10 domains, with Property and Casualty Insurance Basics the largest at 20%.
- You need 111 of 150 scored questions correct (74%) to pass; up to 10 unscored questions may appear too.
- Homeowners Policy and Automobile Insurance together make up 30% of the exam - nearly a third of your score.
- Dwelling Policy is the smallest domain at just 2.5%, but don't skip it entirely.
Exam Format and Scoring
The Michigan Property & Casualty Insurance Producer Exam is administered by PSI on behalf of the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS), under the official exam code Series 16-81, titled "Property and Casualty Producer/Solicitor." Understanding how the exam is scored matters just as much as knowing the content, because it tells you where to spend your study hours.
You'll answer 150 scored questions, and PSI may slip in anywhere from 1 to 10 additional unscored experimental questions that look identical to the real ones. You won't know which is which, so treat every question on screen as if it counts. The time limit is 2 hours and 30 minutes, and the exam costs $41 per attempt. To pass, you need 111 correct scored answers - a 74% passing standard.
Every one of those 150 scored questions is pulled from the 10 content domains below, weighted according to the percentages Michigan publishes for Series 16-81. That weighting is the single most useful piece of information for planning your prep - it tells you exactly how many questions to expect from each domain and how much attention each one deserves. For a full walkthrough of the scoring math, see MI-PC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Domain Weight Breakdown
Here's how the 150 scored questions are distributed across the 10 domains that make up the Series 16-81 exam blueprint:
| Domain | Weight | Approx. Scored Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Insurance Regulation | 10% | ~15 |
| 2. General Insurance Concepts | 10.5% | ~16 |
| 3. Property and Casualty Insurance Basics | 20% | ~30 |
| 4. Dwelling Policy | 2.5% | ~4 |
| 5. Homeowners Policy | 15% | ~23 |
| 6. Automobile Insurance | 15% | ~23 |
| 7. Commercial Package Policy (CPP) | 12% | ~18 |
| 8. Businessowners Policy | 6% | ~9 |
| 9. Workers' Compensation Insurance | 5% | ~8 |
| 10. Other Coverages and Options | 4% | ~6 |
Notice that four domains - Property and Casualty Insurance Basics, Homeowners Policy, Automobile Insurance, and Commercial Package Policy - account for 62% of the exam between them. That's where most of your prep hours should live. For a broader look at how difficulty stacks up across these domains, check How Hard Is the MI-PC Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Domain 1: Insurance Regulation (10%)
Insurance Regulation
This domain tests your knowledge of how insurance is regulated in Michigan and the producer's legal obligations under DIFS oversight.
- Licensing requirements, renewals, and continuing education rules for producers
- Unfair trade practices, misrepresentation, and rebating prohibitions
- Producer duties around disclosure, fiduciary responsibility, and record-keeping
- Penalties for violations and the role of DIFS as the regulatory authority
Domain 2: General Insurance Concepts (10.5%)
General Insurance Concepts
This domain covers the foundational vocabulary and legal principles that show up embedded inside almost every other domain's questions.
- Insurable interest, indemnity, and the definition of "risk"
- Policy structure: declarations, insuring agreements, exclusions, conditions, endorsements
- Underwriting concepts and the role of the application
- Contracts of adhesion, utmost good faith, and other legal doctrines unique to insurance
Domain 3: Property and Casualty Insurance Basics (20%)
Property and Casualty Insurance Basics
This is the single largest domain on the exam, representing one out of every five scored questions. It builds the shared vocabulary and principles that both property and casualty coverage lines rely on.
- Property vs. casualty coverage distinctions and how each responds to a loss
- Perils, hazards, and covered vs. excluded causes of loss
- Basic policy provisions: coinsurance, loss valuation methods, deductibles
- Liability fundamentals: negligence, bodily injury, property damage, defense costs
Key Takeaway
Because Property and Casualty Insurance Basics carries 20% weight, it's worth mastering before you move to the narrower policy-specific domains - many of its concepts get reused, not repeated, in later sections of the exam.
Domain 4: Dwelling Policy (2.5%)
Dwelling Policy
The smallest domain on the exam, but don't treat it as optional - a handful of missed questions here can still swing a borderline score.
- Dwelling policy forms (DP-1, DP-2, DP-3) and what each covers
- Differences between named-peril and open-peril dwelling forms
- When a dwelling policy is used instead of a homeowners policy
Domain 5: Homeowners Policy (15%)
Homeowners Policy
One of the exam's heaviest-weighted domains, testing your ability to apply homeowners forms to real claim scenarios.
- HO-2, HO-3, HO-4, HO-5, HO-6, and HO-8 form differences
- Coverage A through F structure and how limits interact
- Personal liability and medical payments to others under Section II
- Common endorsements and exclusions candidates must recognize on sight
Domain 6: Automobile Insurance (15%)
Automobile Insurance
Tied with Homeowners Policy for the second-largest domain weight, and arguably the most Michigan-specific content on the exam given the state's unique auto insurance framework.
- Personal auto policy (PAP) structure: liability, medical, uninsured motorist, physical damage
- Michigan-specific no-fault insurance concepts and required coverages
- Rating factors, exclusions, and coverage territory
- Named driver exclusions and other common endorsements
Domain 7: Commercial Package Policy (CPP) (12%)
Commercial Package Policy
The largest commercial-lines domain on the exam, requiring familiarity with how multiple coverage parts combine into one policy.
- Commercial property coverage forms and causes-of-loss options
- Commercial general liability (CGL) coverage triggers and exclusions
- How CPP bundles multiple lines under a single policy structure
- Additional insured endorsements and certificate-of-insurance basics
Domain 8: Businessowners Policy (6%)
Businessowners Policy (BOP)
A mid-weight domain focused on the packaged alternative to CPP for smaller, lower-risk businesses.
- Eligibility criteria for BOP vs. CPP
- Property and liability coverage included automatically in a BOP
- Optional coverages and common endorsements
Domain 9: Workers' Compensation Insurance (5%)
Workers' Compensation Insurance
A smaller but distinct domain testing how employer liability and statutory benefits interact.
- Coverage A (statutory benefits) vs. Coverage B (employer's liability)
- Monopolistic vs. competitive state fund concepts
- Exclusions and how workers' comp interacts with other liability coverage
Domain 10: Other Coverages and Options (4%)
Other Coverages and Options
A catch-all domain covering supplemental products and endorsements that don't fit neatly into the major policy categories above.
- Umbrella and excess liability policies
- Flood, inland marine, and other specialty coverage basics
- Miscellaneous endorsements that commonly appear across policy types
Building a Domain-Based Study Plan
Rather than studying domains in the order they're listed, sequence your prep by weight and complexity. Spend the most calendar time on the four heaviest domains - Property and Casualty Insurance Basics, Homeowners Policy, Automobile Insurance, and Commercial Package Policy - since together they determine well over half your score.
Foundations
- Insurance Regulation
- General Insurance Concepts
Highest-Weight Domain
- Property and Casualty Insurance Basics
Personal Lines
- Dwelling Policy
- Homeowners Policy
- Automobile Insurance
Commercial Lines and Review
- Commercial Package Policy
- Businessowners Policy
- Workers' Compensation Insurance
- Other Coverages and Options
- Full-length practice exam review
This weighting-first approach is expanded further in MI-PC Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, which walks through pacing, review cycles, and how to use practice questions to find domain-specific weak spots. Running full-length simulations on a practice test platform is one of the fastest ways to see which of these 10 domains still need work before exam day.
Who Takes This Exam
Candidates pursuing this exam are typically working toward a resident producer license in property and casualty lines in Michigan. Resident applicants generally need 40 hours of DIFS-approved prelicensing education before they're eligible to sit for Series 16-81, and the completion certificate from that coursework is only valid for 12 months - so timing your exam date matters. Full eligibility details are covered in MI-PC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Insurance agencies, independent brokerages, and carriers hiring producers in Michigan generally expect this license as a baseline credential before an agent can legally sell property and casualty products in the state. If you're evaluating whether the license fits your career goals, Is the MI-PC Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 breaks down the considerations, and MI-PC Jobs outlines the kinds of roles this license opens up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Property and Casualty Insurance Basics is the largest domain at 20% of the exam, followed by Homeowners Policy and Automobile Insurance, each at 15%.
Domain question counts scale with their percentage weight out of 150 total scored questions. For example, a 20% domain like Property and Casualty Insurance Basics translates to roughly 30 scored questions, while a 2.5% domain like Dwelling Policy translates to roughly 4.
Yes. While it's the smallest domain, missing every dwelling-related question could still cost several points, and with a 74% passing standard, every point matters.
No. PSI may add 1 to 10 unscored experimental questions that look identical to scored ones, but they don't count toward your result. Since you can't tell them apart, prepare across all 10 domains according to their published weights.
You need 111 correct scored answers out of 150, a 74% passing standard. For a full explanation of how that threshold is calculated, see MI-PC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.