- MA-CAS stands for the Massachusetts Casualty Insurance Producer Exam, regulated by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance.
- The exam has 90 four-option multiple-choice questions: 80 scored and 10 unscored pretest items.
- You need a scaled score of 70 to pass, and the exam costs $37 at Pearson test centers.
- Types of Policies, Bonds, and Related Terms is the heaviest domain at 28.75% of the exam.
What Is A MA-CAS, Exactly?
MA-CAS is shorthand for the Massachusetts Casualty Insurance Producer Exam - the state licensing test that anyone selling casualty insurance products in Massachusetts must pass before the Division of Insurance will issue a producer license in that line of authority. It is not a designation you earn once and display forever; it's a gatekeeping exam tied directly to state law, and it works alongside continuing education requirements that keep your license active over time.
If you've seen "MA-CAS" attached to other credentials elsewhere online, be careful - this site and this article are exclusively about the Massachusetts casualty producer licensing exam. Every fact here is specific to that exam, administered under rules set by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance.
For a deeper dive into terminology and how the name is used across the industry, see MA-CAS Meaning and What Does MA-CAS Mean?.
Who Governs and Administers the Exam
Two entities matter here. First, the Massachusetts Division of Insurance is the regulatory body that governs licensing - it sets the rules, defines the content outline, and ultimately issues the producer license once you pass. Second, Pearson Professional Assessments is the testing vendor responsible for delivering the exam. Pearson has administered the Casualty Producer exam since July 22, 2026, and that date also marks when the current content outline took effect.
Testing happens in person at Pearson test centers - there is no remote or online-proctored option described in the current outline, so candidates need to schedule a seat, bring valid identification, and sit for the exam under standard testing-center conditions.
Key Takeaway
Because Pearson administers the exam under a Division of Insurance-approved outline, any study material you use should map directly to the official content outline effective July 22, 2026 - not to a generic casualty insurance curriculum.
Exam Format, Fees, and Scoring
The MA-CAS exam is built from 90 four-option multiple-choice questions. Of those, 80 questions are scored and count toward your result, while 10 are unscored pretest questions used to evaluate future exam content. You won't know which questions are which, so every question deserves the same level of focus and effort.
To pass, you need a scaled score of 70. This is not the same as answering 70% of raw questions correctly - scaled scoring adjusts for question difficulty, so the exact number of correct answers needed can vary. For a full breakdown of how the scaled score works and what it actually requires, see MA-CAS Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
The exam fee is $37, paid when you schedule your test through Pearson. That's a relatively modest cost compared to the time investment of preparing, but it's still worth budgeting for correctly, especially if you need to retake the exam. A complete cost picture - including licensing fees and CE costs beyond the exam itself - is covered in MA-CAS Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
| Exam Detail | Specification |
|---|---|
| Total questions | 90 (four-option multiple choice) |
| Scored questions | 80 |
| Unscored pretest questions | 10 |
| Passing score | Scaled score of 70 |
| Exam fee | $37 |
| Testing format | In person at Pearson test centers |
| Content outline effective date | July 22, 2026 |
The Five MA-CAS Exam Domains
The content outline splits the exam into five domains. Understanding how these are weighted - and what each one actually tests - is the single most useful thing you can do before opening a study guide. For the full breakdown of subtopics inside each domain, see MA-CAS Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 5 Content Areas.
Domain 1: Casualty - Types of Policies, Bonds, and Related Terms
This is the largest domain on the exam at 28.75% of total content, meaning roughly a quarter to a third of your questions will draw from it.
- Distinguishing between different casualty policy types and bond categories
- Recognizing the terminology tied to each policy or bond form
- Understanding how coverage types relate to real-world casualty scenarios
Domain 2: Casualty - Insurance Terms and Related Concepts
This domain covers the vocabulary and conceptual foundation underpinning casualty insurance generally, independent of any specific policy form.
- Core insurance terminology used across casualty lines
- Concepts like liability, negligence, and risk transfer as they apply to casualty products
Domain 3: Casualty - Policy Provisions
Here the focus shifts from what a policy is to how a policy actually functions once written.
- Standard provisions found in casualty policies
- Conditions, exclusions, and endorsements that modify coverage
Domain 4: Massachusetts Laws and Rules Pertinent to All Lines of Insurance
This domain steps outside casualty-specific content into the general regulatory framework every Massachusetts producer must know, regardless of line of authority.
- Licensing rules and producer conduct standards
- General statutes applicable across all insurance lines sold in the state
Domain 5: Massachusetts Laws and Regulations Pertinent to Casualty Insurance Only
The final domain narrows back in on state-specific rules that apply exclusively to casualty insurance sold in Massachusetts.
- Casualty-specific statutory requirements
- Regulations that differ from the general insurance rules covered in Domain 4
Who Actually Needs to Pass the MA-CAS
The MA-CAS is required for anyone who wants to hold a casualty line of authority on a Massachusetts insurance producer license. In practice, that includes people going to work for:
- Independent insurance agencies writing commercial casualty lines
- Carriers hiring in-house producers or underwriting-adjacent sales roles
- Brokerages that place liability, bonds, or other casualty coverage for business clients
Because the exam is a state licensing requirement rather than an optional professional designation, passing it is typically a condition of employment for casualty-focused producer roles, not a resume enhancement. If you're evaluating whether pursuing this license fits your career plans, MA-CAS Jobs and Is the MA-CAS Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 both look at the practical career angle in more depth. If you're still confirming that you meet the baseline qualifications before scheduling anything, start with MA-CAS Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Life After Licensing: Continuing Education
Passing the exam is the entry point, not the finish line. Massachusetts ties ongoing licensure to continuing education:
- Your first renewal requires 60 continuing-education credits, including 3 ethics credits.
- Every subsequent renewal, which occurs on a three-year cycle, requires 45 credits, including 3 ethics credits.
This structure matters when you're planning your first year as a licensed producer - the CE load is heavier the first time around, so it helps to think of the exam and the initial CE cycle as one continuous obligation rather than two separate hurdles.
Key Takeaway
Budget more study and CE time for your first three-year cycle than for later cycles - the 60-credit first renewal is noticeably heavier than the 45-credit renewals that follow.
How to Approach Preparation
Because the exam draws 28.75% of its content from Types of Policies, Bonds, and Related Terms, and splits the remainder across insurance terminology, policy provisions, and two distinct Massachusetts law domains, a sensible prep sequence looks less like generic exam cramming and more like layered domain review:
Foundation: Domain 1
- Work through casualty policy types and bond categories in depth, since this domain carries the most weight
- Build a running glossary of terms as you go
Concepts and Provisions: Domains 2 and 3
- Connect general insurance terminology to specific policy provisions
- Practice identifying exclusions and endorsements within sample policy language
Massachusetts Law: Domains 4 and 5
- Separate general producer conduct rules (Domain 4) from casualty-only statutes (Domain 5)
- Drill the distinctions between the two law domains, since they're easy to blend together incorrectly
Full-Length Review
- Take timed practice sets mixing all five domains
- Revisit Domain 1 again given its outsized weight before test day
If you want a more detailed week-by-week plan built specifically around this outline, MA-CAS Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt expands on this structure. For a candid assessment of how demanding the exam actually is relative to other producer exams, see How Hard Is the MA-CAS Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026, and if you want data-driven context on outcomes, check MA-CAS Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Practicing under real exam conditions - timed, four-option multiple choice, mixed across all five domains - is one of the most reliable ways to know whether you're ready. You can run through realistic practice questions on our MA-CAS practice test platform to simulate that experience before you ever step into a Pearson test center.
Frequently Asked Questions
MA-CAS stands for the Massachusetts Casualty Insurance Producer Exam, the state licensing test administered through Pearson Professional Assessments under rules set by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance. For more on the terminology itself, see What Does MA-CAS Stand For?
There are 90 four-option multiple-choice questions total: 80 are scored and 10 are unscored pretest questions that don't count toward your result.
You need a scaled score of 70. This is a converted score rather than a raw percentage, so it doesn't necessarily equal 70 out of 90 correct answers.
The exam is administered in person at Pearson test centers, and Pearson has run the exam since July 22, 2026, under the current content outline.
You'll need to meet continuing education requirements to keep your license active: 60 CE credits (including 3 ethics credits) for your first renewal, then 45 CE credits (including 3 ethics credits) every three years after that.
For a broader look at the credential itself, including how it fits alongside licensing and career decisions, see MA-CAS Certification and What Is MA-CAS Certification?. And if you're just getting oriented to the exam for the first time, What Is MA-CAS? and our MA-CAS practice test hub are good starting points before you commit to a study schedule.