- Property exam has 102 questions (85 scored) and Casualty has 114 questions (95 scored), each in 2 hours 15 minutes.
- Domains 1-7 cover Property; Domains 8-14 cover Casualty, weighted by scored-item counts from the January 15, 2025 outline.
- Delaware requires no prelicensing education, but resident applicants complete state and federal criminal-history reporting.
- Scheduling both major-line exams same day costs one $90 fee; Spanish versions are available through Pearson VUE.
What Is the DE-PC Certification?
The Delaware Property & Casualty Insurance Producer Exam, commonly shortened to DE-PC, is the state licensing exam administered on behalf of the Delaware Department of Insurance through Pearson VUE testing centers. Passing it is the gateway to becoming a licensed property and casualty producer in Delaware - the credential that lets you legally sell, solicit, or negotiate homeowners, auto, commercial liability, and related coverage in the state. If you're still sorting out the basics, the primer at What Is DE-PC? and the terminology breakdown in DE-PC Meaning are good companion reads before you dive into exam mechanics.
Unlike some producer exams bundled into a single test, Delaware treats Property and Casualty as two distinct exams, each with its own question count, timing, and domain structure. This article focuses squarely on that structure: what's tested, how much weight each area carries, and how the registration process actually works - not generic exam-taking advice repackaged for every certification on the market.
Exam Structure: Property vs. Casualty
Candidates typically sit for two separate exams under the DE-PC umbrella:
- Property exam: 102 total questions, 85 of which are scored and 17 are unscored pretest items used to evaluate future exam content. You won't know which 17 are pretest, so every question should be treated as scored.
- Casualty exam: 114 total questions, 95 scored and 19 pretest.
Both exams allow 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete, regardless of the slightly different question counts. That timing comes straight from Pearson's current candidate handbook, while the domain percentages you'll study against are calculated from the scored-item counts in the January 15, 2025 content outline - not the total question count including pretest items. This distinction matters when you're estimating how many questions on test day will touch a given domain.
Each exam is also split internally into a general-knowledge portion and a Delaware-law portion. This two-part structure has a practical consequence for retakes: if you pass the general-knowledge portion but fail the Delaware-law portion (or vice versa), you only need to retake the portion you failed - you don't start over on the whole exam. However, both portions must be passed within one year of each other, so don't let a passed portion expire while you delay the retake.
Key Takeaway
Because pretest questions are unlabeled and unscored but indistinguishable from scored ones, pacing your 2 hour 15 minute window evenly across all questions is safer than trying to guess which ones "don't count."
The 14 Domains You Need to Master
Delaware organizes the DE-PC content outline into 14 domains total - seven for Property, seven for Casualty. Each domain's percentage reflects its share of that exam's scored questions only, so Property percentages and Casualty percentages are two separate calculations, not portions of a combined 14-domain pool. For a deeper walkthrough of every domain with example question types, see DE-PC Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 14 Content Areas.
Property Domains (1-7)
Domain 1: Types of Policies (25.9%)
The single largest slice of the Property exam. Expect detailed questions on homeowners forms, dwelling policies, and commercial property coverage structures.
- Know the distinctions between named-peril and open-peril forms
Domain 2: Insurance Terms and Related Concepts (17.6%)
Core vocabulary and conceptual foundations - actual cash value, replacement cost, coinsurance, and similar terms that recur across every other domain.
Domain 3: Policy Provisions and Contract Law (15.3%)
Covers how policies are structured legally: conditions, exclusions, endorsements, and the basic contract-law principles that govern insurance agreements.
Domain 4: Delaware Statutes, Regulations, and Bulletins Pertinent to Life, Accident and Health, Property and Casualty Insurance (15.3%)
Broad state regulatory content that spans multiple insurance lines, not just P&C - a domain many candidates underestimate.
Domain 5: Delaware Statutes, Rules, Regulations, and Bulletins Common to Both Property and Casualty Insurance (5.9%)
Smaller in weight but still tested - rules that apply identically whether you're writing property or casualty business.
Domain 6: Delaware Statutes, Rules, Regulations, and Bulletins Pertinent to Property Insurance Only (5.9%)
Narrow but property-specific state rules, including anything unique to how Delaware regulates dwelling and homeowners coverage.
Domain 7: Insurance Ethics (14.1%)
Ethics contributes 12 scored questions to the Delaware-law portion of the Property exam - a fixed, meaningful chunk you cannot afford to skip studying.
Casualty Domains (8-14)
Domain 8: Types of Policies, Bonds, and Related Terms (24.2%)
The Casualty equivalent of Domain 1 - the biggest domain on this exam, covering liability policies, bonds, and their defining terminology.
Domain 9: Insurance Terms and Related Concepts (15.8%)
Casualty-specific vocabulary: negligence, liability limits, subrogation, and related concepts that appear across multiple question types.
Domain 10: Policy Provisions (12.6%)
How casualty policies are structured - conditions, exclusions, and endorsement mechanics specific to liability-based coverage.
Domain 11: Delaware Statutes, Regulations, and Bulletins Pertinent to Life, Accident and Health, Property and Casualty Insurance (13.7%)
Mirrors Domain 4's cross-line regulatory scope but calculated against the Casualty exam's scored-item total.
Domain 12: Delaware Statutes, Rules, Regulations, and Bulletins Common to Both Property and Casualty Insurance (5.3%)
The Casualty-side counterpart to Domain 5 - shared rules, smaller weight.
Domain 13: Delaware Statutes, Rules, Regulations, and Bulletins Pertinent to Casualty Insurance Only (15.8%)
A notably heavier domain than its Property counterpart (Domain 6) - casualty-only state regulation carries far more weight on this exam.
Domain 14: Insurance Ethics (12.6%)
Like Domain 7, ethics contributes 12 scored questions to the Delaware-law portion - study it as its own topic, not an afterthought.
| Exam | Total Questions | Scored | Pretest | Time Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property | 102 | 85 | 17 | 2 hours 15 minutes |
| Casualty | 114 | 95 | 19 | 2 hours 15 minutes |
Because Property and Casualty are weighted separately, don't assume the two exams demand equal study time in every area. Domain 13 (Casualty-only state law) carries almost triple the weight of Domain 6 (Property-only state law), so your Delaware-law review should not be split 50/50 between the two lines.
Registration, Fees, and Scheduling
DE-PC exams are scheduled and delivered through Pearson VUE, not directly through the Delaware Department of Insurance. A few mechanics worth knowing before you register:
- Same-day combo pricing: Candidates who schedule both the Property exam and the Casualty exam on the same day pay a single $90 fee covering both - a meaningful savings versus scheduling them separately on different days.
- Spanish-language option: Pearson VUE offers Spanish versions of the DE-PC exams for candidates who prefer to test in that language.
- No prelicensing education requirement: Delaware does not mandate prelicensing coursework before you sit for the exam, which is unusual compared to many other states and puts more responsibility on self-directed study.
For a full breakdown of every fee, retake cost, and how same-day scheduling compares to spreading exams across separate appointments, see DE-PC Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. Eligibility specifics, including the criminal-history reporting step, are covered in DE-PC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify, and current testing windows and deadlines live at DE-PC Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Delaware-Specific Legal Content
A distinctive feature of the DE-PC exam structure is that each exam splits into a general-knowledge portion and a Delaware-law portion. This isn't a stylistic quirk - it directly affects how you should prepare and how retakes work. General-knowledge material overlaps heavily with universal P&C insurance concepts (policy types, terms, provisions), while the Delaware-law portion tests domains built entirely around Delaware Department of Insurance statutes, regulations, and bulletins.
Resident applicants also complete state and federal criminal-history reporting as part of the broader licensure process - a step separate from the exam itself but part of the overall path to holding a Delaware producer license. This reporting requirement, combined with the no-prelicensing-education policy, means the exam itself carries more weight in determining whether a candidate is truly ready to practice.
Ethics deserves particular attention within the Delaware-law portions. Across both exams, ethics contributes 12 scored questions to each state-law portion - a fixed, substantial block that candidates sometimes treat as filler content. It isn't. Domains 7 and 14 alone account for double-digit percentages of their respective exams.
Who Hires DE-PC Producers
A Delaware P&C producer license opens the door to roles at independent insurance agencies, captive agent positions with carriers writing homeowners and auto business in Delaware, commercial lines brokerages handling business liability and property accounts, and MGA or wholesale operations that place specialty risks. Because the license covers both Property and Casualty lines when both exams are passed, license holders are typically more versatile hires than someone licensed in only one line - they can quote and bind a broader mix of personal and commercial accounts.
If you're evaluating whether this career path fits your goals, DE-PC Jobs surveys the kinds of roles that typically require this license, and DE-PC Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis and Is the DE-PC Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 dig into the return-on-investment question in more depth than we can cover here.
Building a Domain-Weighted Study Plan
Rather than studying Property and Casualty domains in the order they're listed, allocate time proportional to scored-question weight. Domain 1 (Types of Policies, 25.9%) and Domain 8 (Types of Policies, Bonds, and Related Terms, 24.2%) should each consume noticeably more study time than Domain 5 or Domain 12, which sit under 6% apiece.
Property Foundations
- Domain 1 (Types of Policies) and Domain 2 (Insurance Terms) - together over 43% of the Property exam
Property Law & Ethics
- Domain 3 (Policy Provisions and Contract Law), Domain 4, 5, 6 (Delaware statutes), and Domain 7 (Ethics)
Casualty Foundations
- Domain 8 (Types of Policies, Bonds) and Domain 9 (Insurance Terms) - the two heaviest Casualty domains
Casualty Law, Ethics & Full Review
- Domain 10, 11, 12, 13 (note Domain 13's higher weight vs. Property's Domain 6), Domain 14, then timed practice
This is one reasonable structure, not the only one - candidates who already work in claims or underwriting may need less time on Domains 2 and 9 and more on the Delaware-law domains they've never encountered on the job. For a more detailed week-by-week plan, cross-reference DE-PC Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and use our practice test platform throughout each week to test retention rather than waiting until the final week to discover weak spots.
Whichever schedule you choose, run full-length timed practice sessions that mimic the 2 hour 15 minute window and mixed pretest/scored question format. If you're unsure how difficult the exam actually feels in practice, How Hard Is the DE-PC Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 and DE-PC Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows offer useful context, and DE-PC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass explains exactly what score you're aiming for on each portion.
After You Pass: Licensing and CE
Passing both portions of both exams (within the one-year window if you needed a retake) is only step one. Resident producers must then complete 24 continuing education hours per biennium to keep the license active, including 3 hours specifically dedicated to ethics. Producers who write flood coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) also need a 2-hour flood course, which counts within the general-credit CE requirement rather than as a separate add-on.
Building CE planning into your post-exam routine early prevents a scramble near renewal. Since ethics already carries meaningful weight on the exam itself (Domains 7 and 14), continuing that focus into your CE hours keeps you sharp on a topic regulators clearly prioritize.
Bookmark DE-PC Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts for a fast pre-exam refresh, and if any terminology in this guide felt unfamiliar, the glossary-style posts at What Does DE-PC Stand For?, What Is A DE-PC?, and What Does DE-PC Mean? fill in the gaps quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Property exam (102 questions, 85 scored) and the Casualty exam (114 questions, 95 scored) are administered separately, each with its own general-knowledge and Delaware-law portions and its own 2 hour 15 minute time limit.
Scheduling both the Property and Casualty exams on the same day costs a single $90 fee. See DE-PC Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown for the full pricing picture.
No. Delaware does not require prelicensing education for the DE-PC exams, though resident applicants do complete state and federal criminal-history reporting as part of licensure.
You only need to retake the portion you failed - general-knowledge or Delaware-law - not the entire exam. Both portions must be passed within one year of each other.
There are 14 domains total: Domains 1-7 for Property and Domains 8-14 for Casualty. Percentages are calculated separately within each exam using scored-item counts from the January 15, 2025 content outline. See DE-PC Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 14 Content Areas for the full breakdown.