Failed the New Mexico Life & Health Exam? Retake Rules, Waiting Periods and Fees (2026)

If you fail the New Mexico Life & Health exam, you can take it again, but not on the same day. PSI, the company that administers the exam, does not allow a new appointment on the day you test. A candidate who fails on a Wednesday can call on Thursday and retest as soon as Friday, depending on space. Each attempt costs $75, and after you fail the same exam four times a six-month wait applies (NMSA 59A-11-6(E)).

You are in large company. Only 37.0% of first-time takers passed the combined exam in 2025 and 33.6% in 2024, so most first attempts do not succeed.

New Mexico's licensing statute lets a candidate who fails take another examination "at any subsequent scheduled examination date", with one exception: a person who has failed four of the same examination may not take another until after six months from the date of the last failed attempt. PSI's bulletin states the same rule, up to four attempts and then a six-month waiting period, and cites NMSA 59A-11-6(E).

Two practical points. The count is per exam, so the limit applies to the exam you keep failing. And because the statute measures the six months from your last failed attempt, plan around roughly half a year rather than a precise date.

Every attempt, retakes included, needs its own $75 fee; the statute requires an examination fee for each examination (NMSA 59A-11-6(F)). Four attempts at $75 come to $300 in exam fees alone. The fee is not refundable or transferable and is valid for one year from payment, so an unused fee does not wait for you indefinitely.

You can cancel or reschedule without losing your fee only if PSI receives your notice at least 2 days before the exam: for a Monday exam, by the previous Saturday. Miss that window and you forfeit the fee.

Passing is not the last step. After the exam come the background check and then the license application, in that order. PSI's bulletin says OSI must receive all required application materials within one year after you pass, so do not let a passing score age. The pre-licensing guide lays out the sequence and the fees.

1. Write down what felt unfamiliar, today. Topics, question styles, anything that made you hesitate. That is your starting list.
2. Re-study by weight, not by comfort. The two biggest sections are Life, Accident and Health Insurance Basics (16%) and Life Insurance Policy Provisions, Options, and Riders (13%).
3. Drill New Mexico law separately. It is 15 items, and the answers turn on specific rules and numbers. The free practice questions are organized by topic.
4. Retest when your practice scores sit comfortably above 70% across topics, not when the first seat opens. With four attempts and a six-month wait behind them, every attempt is worth preparing for.
5. Change the method, not just the effort. If reading did not work, add audio and spaced question practice.

For the full picture of the difficulty, read how hard the New Mexico Life & Health exam is, and for the logistics of the next attempt see what to expect on exam day at PSI. Chapter 1 of LanePrep's course is free if you want to hear the audio format first.