- CO-LH refers to Colorado's Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam, administered by Pearson VUE.
- Candidates can take the separate Life and Accident and Health exams in one session for a single $41 fee.
- The combined outlines cover 181 items (160 scored, 21 pretest) across 13 domains, four hours total.
- Colorado-specific law makes up 50 of the 160 scored questions, spanning Domains 5, 6, 12, and 13.
What Is a CO-LH?
CO-LH stands for the Colorado Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam - the state licensing test that anyone who wants to sell life insurance, health insurance, or both in Colorado must pass. It is not a designation you earn after years of experience; it is the gateway credential that turns a prelicensing student into a licensed producer authorized to sell life and accident and health products in the state.
If you've landed here searching for a broader definition, you may also want the companion overview at What Is CO-LH? or the shorter breakdown at CO-LH Meaning. This article focuses specifically on what the exam covers, how it's structured, and who actually sits for it.
Who Regulates and Administers the Exam
The Colorado Division of Insurance sets the licensing rules and content outlines, while Pearson VUE administers the actual test. This split is standard in insurance licensing: the regulator decides what you need to know and who qualifies, and the testing vendor handles scheduling, proctoring, and score delivery.
Candidates test either at a physical Pearson VUE center or through an online-proctored option, giving some flexibility around location. Spanish-language exams are also available, and test-takers may switch between Spanish and English during the same session - useful for bilingual candidates who want the safety net of cross-checking terminology.
The Two-Exam Structure
Colorado doesn't administer one combined "life and health" test in the way the name might suggest. Instead, it uses two separate exams - a Life exam and an Accident and Health exam - each with its own two-hour time allotment. Candidates pursuing both lines can schedule them back-to-back in a single appointment for a combined four hours of testing time.
Across both exams, the January 1, 2024 outlines total 181 multiple-choice items: 160 scored and 21 unscored pretest questions. The pretest items are indistinguishable from scored ones during the exam, so every question deserves full attention regardless of which category it falls into.
| Component | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total items (both exams) | 181 (160 scored, 21 pretest) |
| Time per exam | 2 hours each |
| Combined testing time | 4 hours if taken together |
| Combined fee | $41 for both exams in one session |
| Colorado law questions | 50 of 160 scored questions |
For a deeper look at how difficult candidates actually find this format, see How Hard Is the CO-LH Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026. If you want the precise scoring mechanics, CO-LH Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass walks through what a passing result actually requires.
The 13 Exam Domains
Because the Life exam and the Accident and Health exam are scored separately but often studied together, Colorado's content outline breaks into 13 domains total. Six focus on general Life knowledge and Colorado-specific Life law, and seven cover general Accident and Health knowledge plus Colorado-specific Health law.
Domain 1: Life General Knowledge - Types of Policies
Covers term, whole, universal, and variable life products, along with how each policy type functions for the policyholder.
- Distinguishing permanent versus term coverage mechanics
Domain 2: Life General Knowledge - Life Provisions, Riders, Options, and Exclusions
Focuses on contract language: nonforfeiture options, riders like waiver of premium, and standard exclusions.
- Rider functions and when they apply
Domain 3: Life General Knowledge - Completing the Application, Underwriting, and Delivering the Policies
Tests the producer's role in the application-to-issue process, including underwriting classifications and delivery requirements.
- Field underwriting responsibilities
Domain 4: Life General Knowledge - Retirement, and Other Insurance Concepts
Covers annuities, retirement planning products, and general insurance concepts that intersect with life products.
- Annuity structures and tax treatment basics
Domain 5: Colorado Specific Life - Statutes, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life, Sickness and Accident, Property (Fire), and Casualty Insurance
Broad Colorado insurance code that applies across multiple lines, not just life - a favorite source of tricky, state-specific questions.
- Licensing, unfair trade practice, and general conduct rules
Domain 6: Colorado Specific Life - Statutes, Rules, and Regulations Pertinent to Life Insurance Only
Narrower Colorado rules that apply specifically to life contracts, replacement, and disclosure requirements.
- Colorado replacement and free-look provisions
Domain 7: Accident and Health General Knowledge - Types of Policies
Covers individual and group health products, disability income, and long-term care structures.
- Comparing indemnity versus managed care designs
Domain 8: Accident and Health General Knowledge - Policy Provisions, Clauses, and Riders
Standard health contract provisions like elimination periods, renewability clauses, and coordination of benefits.
- Renewability and guaranteed insurability clauses
Domain 9: Accident and Health General Knowledge - Social Insurance
Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security disability programs as they interact with private coverage.
- Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D distinctions
Domain 10: Accident and Health General Knowledge - Other Insurance Concepts
General concepts like COBRA, HIPAA portability, and taxation of health benefits.
- Group-to-individual conversion rights
Domain 11: Accident and Health General Knowledge - Field Underwriting Procedures
The producer's responsibilities when submitting health applications, including required disclosures.
- Application accuracy and misrepresentation consequences
Domain 12: Colorado Specific Accident and Health - Statutes, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life, Sickness and Accident, Property (Fire), and Casualty Insurance
The same cross-line Colorado code tested in Domain 5, applied here to the Health exam.
- Producer conduct standards under Colorado code
Domain 13: Colorado Specific Accident and Health - Statutes, Rules, and Regulations Pertinent to Sickness and Accident Insurance Only
Health-specific Colorado rules, including mandated benefits and state continuation requirements.
- Colorado-mandated health benefit provisions
Notice how much weight sits on state law: Domains 5, 6, 12, and 13 combine to represent 50 of the 160 scored questions across both exams. That's why generic national study material alone won't cut it - see the full breakdown in CO-LH Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 13 Content Areas.
Key Takeaway
Colorado-specific statutes and regulations (Domains 5, 6, 12, and 13) account for nearly a third of scored questions. Prioritize Colorado code over generic national insurance trivia.
Registration, Fees, and Scheduling
Candidates register through Pearson VUE, choosing to take the Life exam, the Accident and Health exam, or both in the same appointment. Taking both together costs a single combined $41 fee - a meaningful consideration if you're planning to hold both lines of authority rather than sitting for two separate testing appointments later.
Eligibility isn't limited to the exam itself. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, Colorado residents, and demonstrate trustworthiness, competence, financial responsibility, and good reputation as part of the licensing application. For the full eligibility checklist, review CO-LH Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify, and check current testing windows at CO-LH Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Prelicensing Education Requirements
Before sitting for either exam, resident candidates must complete 50 hours of approved prelicensing education for Life and 50 hours for Health - 100 hours total if pursuing both lines. Within that requirement, 3 ethics hours are mandatory, but candidates applying for multiple lines of authority only need to complete those ethics hours once, not once per line.
This structure rewards candidates who pursue both licenses together rather than sequentially: you complete the ethics component a single time and pay one combined exam fee, rather than duplicating effort across two separate applications.
Who Becomes a CO-LH Producer
The people sitting for this exam are typically career-changers entering insurance sales, agency employees moving from support roles into producer roles, and financial services professionals adding life and health products to an existing book of business. Independent agencies, captive carriers, and health insurance brokerages in Colorado all hire producers who hold this license, since it's the baseline credential required to legally discuss and sell life and health policies in the state.
Because the license covers both life insurance and accident and health products, it's common for producers to use it as a foundation before layering on other lines of authority (like property and casualty) later in their careers. If you're weighing whether this path fits your goals, Is the CO-LH Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and CO-LH Jobs both dig into career outcomes in more depth, and CO-LH Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis covers earnings considerations for licensed producers.
Licensing Timeline and Renewal
Once licensed, Colorado producers renew every two years. After your initial renewal, ongoing licensure requires 24 continuing education hours per renewal cycle, including at least 18 hours in your licensed lines and 3 ethics hours. This is separate from the one-time prelicensing hours you complete before your first exam attempt.
Keep this renewal cadence in mind when planning your career: passing the CO-LH exams is the entry point, but staying licensed is an ongoing commitment tied to Colorado's CE cycle.
Preparing With Domain-Specific Focus
Rather than studying life and health topics as one undifferentiated pile, break your preparation along the same lines the exam does: general knowledge domains first, Colorado law domains last (or interleaved, since law questions carry so much weight).
Life General Knowledge (Domains 1-4)
- Policy types, provisions, riders, underwriting, and retirement/annuity concepts
Colorado Life Law (Domains 5-6)
- Cross-line statutes plus life-specific Colorado rules - expect these on roughly a third of Life exam questions
Accident and Health General Knowledge (Domains 7-11)
- Policy types, provisions, social insurance, and field underwriting for health products
Colorado Health Law (Domains 12-13) and Full Review
- State-specific health statutes plus a full-length practice run across both exams
Whatever schedule you follow, run full practice sessions under timed conditions before test day - our practice test platform mirrors the two-hour-per-exam format so you can gauge pacing before you're sitting in front of a Pearson VUE proctor. For a structured, week-by-week plan built entirely around this exam's domains, see the CO-LH Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and keep the CO-LH Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts handy during your final review pass.
If you want a data-informed view of how candidates actually perform, CO-LH Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows and the full cost breakdown at CO-LH Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown are both useful companion reads before you register. You can also run a diagnostic practice session on our exam prep site to see which of the 13 domains need the most attention before committing to a test date.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's two separate exams - Life, and Accident and Health - each two hours long. Candidates can take both in a single Pearson VUE appointment for a combined $41 fee.
Together, the two exams contain 181 multiple-choice items: 160 are scored and 21 are unscored pretest questions used to evaluate future exam content.
Colorado statutes and regulations make up 50 of the 160 scored questions, spread across Domains 5, 6, 12, and 13.
Resident candidates need 50 hours of approved prelicensing education for Life and 50 hours for Health. The 3 required ethics hours only need to be completed once, even if applying for both lines.
Passing exam scores and prelicensing certificates are both valid for one year, so plan your application timeline around that window rather than completing prep too far in advance.