- 80 scored questions, 90 minutes, passing score is 70 scaled - not 70% correct.
- Policy types and coverages carries 41 of 80 questions - nearly double the other two domains combined.
- Exam fee is $89 per attempt; initial license is $75; fingerprinting adds $47 under the 2026 fee schedule.
- Online (OnVUE) candidates get four attempts total, with 7-, 14-, and 30-day waits after each of the first three fails.
Exam Snapshot: The Numbers You Must Memorize
Before you touch a single practice question, lock these administrative facts into memory. Adjusters get tripped up on exam-day logistics far more often than they get tripped up on insurance theory, so treat this table as your baseline reference for the Alaska Independent Adjuster Exam.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regulator | Alaska Division of Insurance, Dept. of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development |
| Delivery vendor | Pearson VUE |
| Exam name/codes | Alaska Adjuster, Level 14 - test-center code InsAK-Adj14, online code OPAdj14 |
| Format | Computer-based, closed-book; test-center or OnVUE remote |
| Length/time | 80 scored questions in 90 minutes |
| Passing score | 70 scaled (not 70% correct) |
| Exam fee | $89 per attempt |
| Results validity | One year |
For a deeper explanation of how the scaled score actually works, see AK-IADJ Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass. If you want the full context behind these numbers rather than a summary, the AK-IADJ Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt walks through each in more depth.
Domain Breakdown: 80 Questions, Three Buckets
The content outline (effective March 3, 2025) splits the 80 scored questions into three named domains. Memorize the split - it tells you exactly where to spend your study hours.
Domain 1 - General Insurance Terms and Concepts (18 questions)
Covers foundational vocabulary and principles: indemnity, insurable interest, subrogation, proximate cause, and the mechanics of how claims move from loss to payment.
- Fewest questions of the three domains - don't overweight your study time here
Domain 2 - Alaska Laws, Rules, and Regulations Pertaining to Adjusters (21 questions)
State-specific statutes and regulatory conduct: licensing rules, unfair claims practices, adjuster duties, and how the Division of Insurance enforces the independent-adjuster license.
- Alaska-specific - general adjuster knowledge from other states won't fully cover this
Domain 3 - Types of Insurance Policies and Coverages (41 questions)
By far the largest domain, covering property, casualty, and related policy forms, exclusions, endorsements, and how coverage triggers apply to real claim scenarios.
- More than half the exam - this is where pass/fail outcomes are decided
For a topic-by-topic breakdown of what's tested inside each domain, read AK-IADJ Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 3 Content Areas. If you're still deciding how tough this exam really is relative to other state adjuster tests, check How Hard Is the AK-IADJ Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Registration, Codes, and Fees
Registration for the Alaska Adjuster, Level 14 exam runs through Pearson VUE. Confirm you're scheduling the correct product - test-center candidates use code InsAK-Adj14, while remote OnVUE candidates use OPAdj14.
- Exam fee: $89 per attempt (non-refundable per attempt)
- Initial independent-adjuster license: $75
- Biennial renewal: $75
- Fingerprint processing: $47, under the January 27, 2026 state fee schedule
Applications go through NIPR, and if a fingerprint card is required, the original must be mailed directly to the Division in Juneau - it is not something you upload through NIPR. Budget for these line items separately; a full breakdown of every fee stacked together is available in AK-IADJ Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Key Takeaway
Treat the $89 exam fee as a sunk cost per attempt - schedule only when your Domain 3 practice scores are consistently solid, since retakes add up fast.
Scoring and Retake Rules
Alaska reports a scaled passing score of 70 - this is not the same as answering 70% of questions correctly. The scaling accounts for question difficulty, so don't try to reverse-engineer a raw-count target.
Retake policy differs by delivery method:
- OnVUE (remote) candidates get up to four attempts per exam.
- After the 1st failed attempt: 7-day wait before retesting.
- After the 2nd failed attempt: 14-day wait.
- After the 3rd failed attempt: 30-day wait.
- Any attempts beyond the fourth must be scheduled at a physical test center.
Whichever delivery method you choose, your results stay valid for one year, so plan your license application timeline around that window rather than letting a passed exam expire unused.
Eligibility, Experience, and 2026 Reciprocity
Resident applicants must be at least 18 years old and satisfy Alaska's application, competence, and applicable fingerprint/background-check requirements. The experience requirement can be satisfied in one of two ways:
- Six months of qualifying active work within the preceding two calendar years, or
- Qualifying Alaska independent-adjuster licensure in good standing within the preceding four calendar years.
A major update took effect January 1, 2026: qualifying nonresident applicants may now use reciprocity to waive both the examination and experience requirements, and designated-home-state licensing is available for eligible nonresidents. This is a significant shift from older guidance - note that the linked Division handbook is dated September 2023, so always default to the 2026 fee schedule and reciprocity rules described here rather than the older handbook text.
For the complete eligibility checklist, including fingerprinting logistics and application sequencing through NIPR, see AK-IADJ Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Key Takeaway
If you already hold an independent-adjuster license in another state and Alaska recognizes it under the January 2026 reciprocity rules, you may skip the exam entirely - verify eligibility before you register with Pearson VUE.
Renewal and Continuing Education
Once licensed, renewal is biennial, tied to the end of your birth month. Nonexempt licensees must complete 24 CE hours every renewal period, including 3 ethics hours. Up to 8 hours can be carried forward into the next period, and there are applicable exemptions for the initial licensing period and for certain reciprocal license holders.
One important licensing distinction to keep straight: staff adjusters employed directly by their admitted-insurer employer are exempt from independent-adjuster licensure. Also note that Alaska does not issue a public-adjuster insurance license at all - if you're researching that path, you're looking at the wrong credential entirely.
Who Actually Hires AK-IADJ Holders
Independent adjusters licensed under the Alaska Adjuster, Level 14 exam typically work for independent adjusting firms, third-party administrators, and catastrophe-response teams that get dispatched into Alaska after major property losses - storm, flood, and wildfire events being common triggers given the state's geography and claim volume patterns.
Because Domain 3 (types of insurance policies and coverages) makes up over half the exam, employers assume licensed adjusters can walk onto a property claim and correctly apply policy language without hand-holding. That's the practical reason the exam weights coverage knowledge so heavily - it mirrors what firms actually need on day one.
If you're weighing whether this license is worth pursuing given the time and fee investment, Is the AK-IADJ Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and AK-IADJ Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis go into more detail on career trajectory. You can also browse open roles referenced in AK-IADJ Jobs to see how the license gets used in practice.
One-Week Cram Map by Domain
If you're using this cheat sheet in the final stretch before a scheduled exam, allocate your remaining review time proportionally to each domain's question weight rather than splitting evenly.
Domain 1 - General Terms and Concepts
- Drill core vocabulary: indemnity, subrogation, insurable interest, proximate cause
- Run short timed quizzes since this domain is only 18 questions
Domain 2 - Alaska Laws and Regulations
- Focus on unfair claims practices and adjuster conduct rules specific to Alaska
- Review licensing and enforcement provisions tied to the 21-question weighting
Domain 3 - Policy Types and Coverages
- Spend the majority of remaining time here - it's 41 of 80 questions
- Work through property and casualty scenario questions, not just definitions
This isn't a generic weekly template - it's built directly around the outline's 18/21/41 split. For a longer-horizon study plan that also covers registration timing and retake spacing, revisit AK-IADJ Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. And when you're ready to test your recall under realistic conditions, run a full-length simulation on the AK-IADJ practice test platform before locking in your Pearson VUE appointment.
FAQ
The exam has 80 scored questions with a 90-minute time limit, delivered by computer either at a Pearson VUE test center or via OnVUE remote proctoring.
You need a scaled score of 70, not 70% of questions answered correctly. The scaling adjusts for question difficulty across versions of the exam.
The exam itself is $89 per attempt. Licensing adds a $75 initial fee (also $75 for biennial renewal) plus a $47 fingerprint processing fee under the 2026 state fee schedule.
Yes. Effective January 1, 2026, qualifying nonresident applicants can use reciprocity to waive both the examination and experience requirements, with designated-home-state licensing also available.
Types of Insurance Policies and Coverages (Domain 3) makes up 41 of the 80 scored questions - more than half the exam - so it deserves the largest share of your remaining review time.