South Dakota property and casualty practice exam
Free property and casualty practice for the South Dakota producer exam: 367 general questions plus 20 South Dakota state law questions, each with an explanation.
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Studying for Life and Health? South Dakota life and health practice exam
Getting your South Dakota property and casualty license
South Dakota's combined property and casualty exam has 145 questions and costs $95 through Pearson VUE. You need a 70 to pass and must apply within 180 days.
- Exam provider
- Pearson VUE, at a test center or online (OnVUE)
- Exam fee
- Single exam: $85. Combined exam: $95. Both include a $10 state fee.
- Exam format
- Property or casualty alone: 90 questions in 120 minutes. Combined property and casualty: 145 questions in 150 minutes.
- Passing score
- 70
- Retakes
- Wait 24 hours before booking a retake
How to plan your retake
Retake rules by state - After you pass
- Apply within 180 days
- Continuing education
- 10 hours every 2 years before renewal, if you hold property and casualty only
Official links
- South Dakota Division of Insurance - official state insurance department
- Pearson VUE, South Dakota Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook (Aug 2026) - exam provider information
Licensing facts checked on , against official sources. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the South Dakota Division of Insurance and your exam's candidate handbook before you register.
South Dakota state law questions
Every South Dakota question with its answer, explanation, and the law it comes from.
Auto Insurance
6 questions
1. What is the minimum property damage liability limit per accident that South Dakota requires on an owner's auto liability policy?
- $10,000
- $15,000
- $25,000
- $50,000
Show answer
SDCL 32-35-70 requires property damage liability of $25,000 per vehicle policy.
2. South Dakota's minimum bodily injury liability limits on an auto policy are:
- $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident
- $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident
- $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident
- $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
Show answer
SDCL 32-35-70 sets $25,000 for one person and $50,000 for two or more persons in one accident.
3. South Dakota uninsured motorist coverage must match the policy's bodily injury limit, up to a cap of what amount unless the insured asks for more?
- $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident
- $250,000 per person and $500,000 per accident
- $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident
- $300,000 per person and $500,000 per accident
Show answer
SDCL 58-11-9 requires UM and hit-and-run coverage on liability policies for vehicles registered or garaged in the state.
4. Under SDCL 58-11-9.4, underinsured motorist coverage on a South Dakota liability policy must be provided at what level?
- Half of the policy's bodily injury limits
- Only the minimum limits of $25,000 and $50,000
- Twice the policy's bodily injury limits
- Equal to the policy's bodily injury limits
Show answer
The same $100,000 and $300,000 caps that apply to UM coverage apply unless the insured requests higher limits.
5. A South Dakota insured has three vehicles on one policy and is injured by an uninsured driver. How do the UM limits for the three vehicles work?
- They are stacked into one combined limit
- They cannot be added together for one accident
- They are stacked up to a $300,000 total
- They are stacked only if each vehicle was in the crash
Show answer
SDCL 58-11-9.8 bars adding UM limits for two or more vehicles of the insured for a single accident.
6. If a South Dakota auto policy still provides liability coverage to a driver it otherwise excludes, that coverage cannot fall below:
- The limits shown for collision coverage
- Twice the minimum liability limits
- $10,000 per accident for all damages
- The minimum limits in chapter 32-35
Show answer
SDCL 58-11-9.3 lets an insurer exclude a named person by written agreement, but any liability coverage still provided must meet the chapter 32-35 minimum.
Coverage Mandates
1 question
1. An auto policy in South Dakota that lacks bodily injury and property damage liability must print a notice in at least what type?
- 10-point bold type
- 8-point regular type
- 12-point italic type
- 14-point regular type
Show answer
SDCL 58-11-9.2 requires the notice to state that the policy does not comply with any Financial Responsibility Law.
Cancellation and Nonrenewal
3 questions
1. How many days before the effective date must a South Dakota insurer mail or deliver notice of cancellation of an auto policy for nonpayment of premium?
- 10 days
- 15 days
- 30 days
- 20 days
Show answer
SDCL 58-11-49 requires the notice, with the reason for cancelling, at least twenty days before the effective cancellation date.
2. Does the cancellation notice timing rule in SDCL 58-11-49 apply to nonrenewal of an auto policy?
- Yes, the same 20 days applies to nonrenewal
- Yes, but with a 30 day minimum for nonrenewal
- No, the section says it does not apply to nonrenewal
- Only when the insured has had a claim
Show answer
Nonrenewal of auto policies is handled in a separate section of the same chapter, not in 58-11-49.
3. If a South Dakota auto cancellation notice does not give the reason, the insured must be told they can get it by:
- Calling the Division of Insurance
- Mailing or delivering a written request to the insurer
- Attending a hearing before the Director
- Filing a complaint with the insured's producer
Show answer
SDCL 58-11-49 says the notice must state, or be accompanied by a statement, that the insured may receive the reason on written request.
Guaranty Association
6 questions
1. What is the maximum the South Dakota guaranty association pays per covered claim, other than workers compensation and unearned premium?
- $300,000
- $100,000
- $250,000
- $500,000
Show answer
SDCL 58-29A-68(3) limits payment to an amount not exceeding $300,000 per claim.
2. The South Dakota guaranty association pays a covered claim for unearned premium up to what amount per policy?
- $10,000
- $50,000
- $25,000
- $100,000
Show answer
SDCL 58-29A-68(2) caps unearned premium claims at $25,000 per policy, and pays only the portion above $100 of each unearned premium.
3. For a workers compensation covered claim, the South Dakota guaranty association pays:
- Up to $100,000 per claim
- The full amount of the covered claim
- Up to $300,000 per claim
- Up to 80 percent of the claim
Show answer
SDCL 58-29A-68(1) provides that workers compensation covered claims are paid in full with no per-claim cap.
4. A first-party claim by an insured is not a South Dakota covered claim if the insured's net worth exceeds:
- $10 million
- $25 million
- $50 million
- $100 million
Show answer
SDCL 58-29A-55 excludes first-party claims of insureds over $50 million net worth, counting subsidiaries and affiliates.
5. In any year, a South Dakota guaranty association assessment of a member insurer on any account may not exceed what share of its net direct written premiums?
- 2 percent
- 1 percent
- 5 percent
- 10 percent
Show answer
SDCL 58-29A-78 applies the cap to the premiums written in the preceding calendar year in that account.
6. In South Dakota, a claim filed more than how long after the liquidation order is excluded from covered claims?
- 6 months
- 18 months
- 12 months
- 24 months
Show answer
SDCL 58-29A-68 excludes claims filed after 18 months from the order of liquidation, or after the court's earlier filing deadline.
Residual Markets
1 question
1. Who approves the South Dakota plan for distributing motor vehicle liability policies among insurers to applicants who cannot get coverage in the regular market?
- The Governor
- The Secretary of State
- The Director of the Division of Insurance
- The South Dakota Supreme Court
Show answer
SDCL 58-11-57 has the Director approve the plan after consulting authorized auto liability insurers, and all of them must take part.
Workers Compensation
1 question
1. Under SDCL 62-7-10, written notice of a work injury must be given to the employer no later than:
- Three business days after the injury
- Ten calendar days after the injury
- Thirty days after the injury
- Ninety days after the injury
Show answer
An employee must also give oral notice immediately or as soon as practical, and late notice can bar the claim unless an exception applies.
Claims Practices
2 questions
1. Under SDCL 58-33-67, an insurer commits an unfair practice by failing to acknowledge and act on claim communications within:
- Five days
- Thirty days
- Ten days
- Sixty days
Show answer
The statute also covers failing to keep reasonable standards for prompt investigation of claims.
2. Under SDCL 58-33-67, which of these is an unfair practice in dealing with insureds?
- Requiring that vehicle repairs be done by a particular shop as a condition of payment
- Paying a claim after stating the coverage it falls under
- Explaining the basis for a denial in writing
- Assessing contributory negligence in good faith
Show answer
The statute lists conditioning payment on a specific contractor or repair shop as an unfair practice.
Key South Dakota terms
22 plain-English cards on South Dakota insurance law, from the South Dakota flashcard deck.
Auto Insurance
- South Dakota minimum bodily injury limits
- $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.
- South Dakota minimum property damage limit
- $25,000 per accident on an owner's auto liability policy.
- South Dakota UM limit cap
- UM must match the bodily injury limit, up to $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident unless the insured asks for more.
- South Dakota UIM level
- Underinsured motorist coverage must equal the policy's bodily injury limits (SDCL 58-11-9.4).
- South Dakota UM non-stacking
- UM limits for several vehicles on one policy cannot be added together for one accident.
- South Dakota excluded driver minimum
- If a policy still covers a driver it otherwise excludes, coverage cannot fall below the chapter 32-35 minimums.
Coverage Mandates
- South Dakota no-liability notice
- A policy lacking bodily injury and property damage liability must print a notice in at least 10-point bold type.
Cancellation and Nonrenewal
- South Dakota nonpayment cancellation notice
- Mail or deliver notice 20 days before the effective date for nonpayment of premium.
- South Dakota nonrenewal timing rule
- The SDCL 58-11-49 cancellation notice timing does not apply to nonrenewal of an auto policy.
- South Dakota cancellation reason request
- If the notice gives no reason, the insured may get it by mailing or delivering a written request to the insurer.
Guaranty Association
- South Dakota guaranty association limit
- Pays up to $300,000 per covered claim, other than workers compensation and unearned premium.
- South Dakota guaranty unearned premium
- Up to $25,000 per policy for a covered unearned premium claim.
- South Dakota guaranty workers comp claims
- The full amount of a covered workers compensation claim.
- South Dakota net worth exclusion
- A first-party claim is not covered if the insured's net worth exceeds $50 million.
- South Dakota guaranty assessment cap
- A member insurer's assessment on any account may not exceed 2 percent of net direct written premiums in a year.
- South Dakota claim filing cutoff
- A claim filed more than 18 months after the liquidation order is excluded from covered claims.
Residual Markets
- South Dakota auto distribution plan approval
- The Director of the Division of Insurance approves the plan for assigning applicants who cannot get coverage in the regular market.
Workers Compensation
- South Dakota work injury notice
- Written notice must be given to the employer no later than three business days after the injury (SDCL 62-7-10).
Claims Practices
- South Dakota claim communication deadline
- Failing to acknowledge and act on claim communications within thirty days is an unfair practice (SDCL 58-33-67).
- South Dakota required repair shop
- Requiring that vehicle repairs be done by a particular shop as a condition of payment is an unfair practice.
Licensing and CE
- South Dakota P&C-only CE
- 10 hours every 2 years before renewal for a producer holding property and casualty only.
- South Dakota P&C exam format
- Property or casualty alone: 90 questions in 120 minutes. Combined: 145 questions in 150 minutes, passing at 70.
Keep studying
The general topics make up most of the exam.
South Dakota exam questions
How long do I have to apply after passing in South Dakota?
180 days after passing a major line exam. You can apply 48 hours after you pass.Source: Pearson VUE, South Dakota Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook (Aug 2026)
How much does the South Dakota property and casualty exam cost?
$85 for a single exam or $95 for the combined exam, including a $10 state fee.Source: Pearson VUE, South Dakota Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook (Aug 2026)
Can I take the South Dakota property and casualty exam online?
Yes. The property, casualty and combined exams are offered online through Pearson VUE OnVUE.Source: Pearson VUE, South Dakota Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook (Aug 2026)
How much of the South Dakota property and casualty exam is state law?
State law is usually around 20 to 30 percent of a state's producer exam. Check the South Dakota candidate handbook from your testing provider for the exact content outline.
What does the South Dakota state law section cover?
Common areas include licensing and continuing education, auto liability minimums, cancellation and nonrenewal notice rules, and the guaranty fund. This page covers: Auto Insurance, Coverage Mandates, Cancellation and Nonrenewal, Guaranty Association, Residual Markets, Workers Compensation, Claims Practices.
Where do these state questions come from?
Each state question is written from the state's statutes, regulations, or insurance department guidance, and the source is linked under the answer so you can read it yourself.
Do I still need the general questions?
Yes. Most of the exam is general property and casualty knowledge. The full exam option here mixes 367 general questions with the South Dakota state law questions.