- You need 70 correct scored answers out of 100, or 70 percent, to pass Series 16-72.
- PSI may slip in 1-10 unscored experimental questions, so your exam may run longer than 100 items.
- The 2025 first-attempt pass rate was 50.40 percent (63 of 125 candidates).
- Insurance Basics and Adjusting Losses each carry 20 percent of the blueprint - the biggest single levers on your score.
The Exact Passing Score You Need
For the Michigan Independent Adjuster with Workers' Compensation Authority Exam, the passing criterion set by the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) is straightforward: you must answer 70 out of 100 scored questions correctly, which is the same as scoring 70 percent. There's no curve, no domain-by-domain minimum, and no partial credit adjustment. One number matters on your score report: is it 70 or higher?
The exam itself is delivered by PSI Services LLC as a closed-book, computer-based, multiple-choice test under the DIFS-approved Series 16-72 outline. You get a two-hour time limit to work through the content. Because the test is administered in person - remote testing for Michigan insurance exams ended June 30, 2025 - you'll sit at a PSI test center rather than at home, so budget travel time on exam day in addition to the two hours on the clock.
How PSI Actually Scores Your Attempt
Here's a detail that trips up a lot of first-time candidates: the published blueprint lists 100 scored questions, but PSI is permitted to add between 1 and 10 unscored experimental questions within that same two-hour window. That means your actual exam could contain anywhere from 101 to 110 total questions, even though only 100 of them count toward your 70-correct threshold.
The catch is that you won't know which questions are experimental and which are scored. There's no visual flag, no separate section, and no way to skip the unscored items. Practically, this changes nothing about your strategy - you should treat every question as if it counts, because functionally you have no way to tell the difference. It does mean you shouldn't panic if the question count on-screen feels slightly higher than the 100 you expected from the outline; that's expected behavior, not a glitch.
Key Takeaway
Never try to guess which questions are "unscored." Answer all of them with equal care - the extra 1 to 10 items don't hurt your score, but treating any question casually can.
Why 70 Correct Feels Different by Domain
A raw passing score of 70 hides an important nuance: not every domain contributes the same number of questions. The Series 16-72 outline weights content areas from as little as 3 percent up to 20 percent, which means missing a handful of questions in a heavily-weighted domain has a much bigger impact on your total than missing the same number in a lightly-weighted one.
The two largest domains - Insurance Basics and Adjusting Losses - each account for roughly 20 percent of the exam, meaning together they represent close to 40 of your 100 scored questions. If you're weak in either of these areas, no amount of strength in a 3 percent domain like Other Coverages and Options will offset the damage. For a full breakdown of what's tested inside each of the ten areas, see the MI-ADJ Exam Domains 2026 guide, which maps specific topics to each percentage.
| Domain | Weight | Approx. Scored Questions* |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance Basics | 20% | ~20 |
| Adjusting Losses | 20% | ~20 |
| Automobile Insurance | 15% | ~15 |
| Homeowners Policy | 12% | ~12 |
| Workers' Compensation Insurance | 10% | ~10 |
| Insurance Regulation | 5% | ~5 |
| Dwelling Policy | 5% | ~5 |
| Commercial Package Policy (CPP) | 5% | ~5 |
| Businessowners Policy | 5% | ~5 |
| Other Coverages and Options | 3% | ~3 |
*Approximate distribution based on published weighting against the 100-question scored count; actual question placement can vary slightly on any given form.
Insurance Basics (20%)
This domain covers foundational insurance terminology, policy structure, contract principles, and general concepts that underpin every other domain on the exam. Candidates who skip this section to focus on "advanced" material often lose points here unnecessarily.
- Core insurance terms and definitions used across all policy types
- Basic contract law as applied to insurance agreements
- General principles that carry over into Homeowners, Auto, and Commercial content
Adjusting Losses (20%)
The Adjusting Losses domain is where the "adjuster" part of the license title comes alive - claim handling procedures, loss investigation, settlement practices, and the practical mechanics of resolving a claim file.
- Claim investigation steps and documentation standards
- Settlement negotiation and payment procedures
- Ethical and procedural obligations during the claims process
What the 2025 Pass Rate Data Tells You
According to DIFS's own published performance report, the 2025 first-attempt pass rate for Series 16-72 was 50.40 percent (63 of 125 candidates), and the all-attempt pass rate - which includes retakes - was 40.00 percent (86 of 215). That gap between first-attempt and all-attempt figures is worth sitting with: it suggests that candidates who don't prepare thoroughly the first time don't necessarily improve dramatically on subsequent tries.
Roughly half of first-time candidates hit 70 correct on their initial sitting. That's not a coin flip you want to rely on. For a deeper look at what these numbers mean and how they compare across attempt types, read the MI-ADJ Pass Rate 2026 breakdown. If you're still weighing how tough this exam actually is relative to the effort required, the How Hard Is the MI-ADJ Exam guide puts the difficulty in context using these same figures.
What Happens If You Fall Short
If you don't reach 70 correct scored answers, you haven't lost your entire application - but you are on a clock. Michigan applications expire after six months without a passing result, so a failed attempt eats into that window rather than resetting it. You'll need to schedule and pay for another attempt at $41 through PSI before that six-month window closes, or you'll need to reapply from scratch.
On the flip side, once you do clear 70 correct, that passing result stays valid for 12 months, giving you a reasonable runway to complete the rest of the licensing process - including submitting your resident application (a separate $15 fee, excluding transaction charges) to DIFS. There's no mandatory prelicensing education required for this particular adjuster exam, so your entire preparation is self-directed, which raises the stakes on knowing exactly what to study. The MI-ADJ Requirements 2026 guide walks through the full eligibility checklist, including the age-18 minimum and the good-character standard DIFS applies to every applicant.
Fees, Deadlines, and Score Validity
Because the exam fee is $41 per attempt, every failed sitting has a real cost attached - which is another reason the 70-correct target deserves serious preparation rather than a "see how it goes" approach. Here's the cadence to keep in mind:
- Exam fee: $41 per attempt through PSI Services LLC
- Resident application fee: $15 to DIFS, excluding transaction charges
- Application expiration: six months if you haven't passed yet
- Passing score validity: 12 months from the date you clear 70 correct
- License renewal: annually through DIFS (not NIPR), due by March 31, $5, with the portal opening February 1
Notably, adjuster-only licenses in Michigan carry no continuing-education requirement once you're licensed - the effort is front-loaded into passing the exam itself. For a complete cost picture across every fee touchpoint, see the MI-ADJ Certification Cost 2026 breakdown, and for the current testing calendar and scheduling windows, check the MI-ADJ Exam Dates 2026 guide.
Building a Study Plan Around the 70-Question Target
Rather than studying every domain equally, allocate your limited prep time proportionally to blueprint weight - with extra attention to the two 20-percent domains, since they alone can make or break your 70-correct target.
Insurance Basics & Adjusting Losses (40% combined)
- Drill core terminology and contract principles until they're automatic
- Work through claim-handling scenarios and settlement procedure questions
Automobile & Homeowners (27% combined)
- Compare policy structures side by side to avoid mixing up coverage triggers
- Focus on exclusions and endorsements, common sources of missed points
Workers' Compensation, CPP, Businessowners, Dwelling (25% combined)
- Since this exam carries workers' comp authority, make sure you know claim-specific WC rules cold
- Batch the smaller commercial-lines domains together for efficiency
Insurance Regulation & Other Coverages, plus full review
- Finish the smallest-weighted domains without over-investing time
- Run full-length timed practice sessions to simulate the two-hour limit
A short spaced-repetition pass on regulation terms and definitions in the final week tends to pay off disproportionately, since these lower-weight domains are easy to forget but quick to relearn. For a day-by-day version of this plan with more granular topic lists, the MI-ADJ Study Guide 2026 expands on each week in detail, and running full-length simulations on our MI-ADJ practice test platform is the most direct way to confirm you're consistently clearing 70 before exam day.
Key Takeaway
Weight your study hours to match blueprint weight. Two domains - Insurance Basics and Adjusting Losses - represent nearly 40 of your 100 scored questions combined.
Frequently Asked Questions
You need 70 correct answers out of the 100 scored questions on Series 16-72, which is equivalent to a 70 percent score. There's no separate passing requirement for individual domains.
No. PSI may add 1 to 10 unscored experimental questions to your exam session, but these never count toward your total. Only the 100 questions defined in the blueprint are scored, and 70 of those must be correct.
A passing result on the MI-ADJ exam remains valid for 12 months, giving you time to complete your resident application and finish the DIFS licensing process before it expires.
Your application expires after six months without a passing score. You'd need to pay the $41 PSI fee again to retake the exam within that window, or submit a new application if the window closes.
The 70-correct threshold is the same passing criterion, but the Workers' Compensation Insurance domain adds 10 percent of dedicated content on top of the core property and casualty material, so preparation needs to cover that additional scope specifically.