- Exam Format and How the 13 Domains Fit Together
- Domain Weighting: Where the Points Actually Are
- The Big Three: Commercial Package, Indiana Law, and Homeowners
- Domain-by-Domain Breakdown
- The Low-Weight Domains You Still Can't Skip
- Indiana-Specific Topics Woven Throughout
- Mapping a Study Plan to Domain Weight
- Registration, Fees, and Retest Mechanics
- FAQ
- The IN-IADJ outline presents 105 questions (100 scored, 5 unscored pretest) across 13 domains.
- Commercial Package Policies is the single largest domain at 18 scored questions.
- Indiana Laws and Department Rules (16 questions) and Homeowners Policies (14 questions) round out the top three.
- Five domains carry 2 or fewer questions each, but they still appear on every exam form.
Exam Format and How the 13 Domains Fit Together
The Indiana Department of Insurance (IDOI) contracts with Pearson VUE - branded Pearson Professional Assessments in the current handbook - to deliver the Indiana Independent Adjuster Exam at computer-based test centers. The exam is closed-book, and the content outline that governs the Independent Adjuster line specifies 100 scored questions plus 5 unscored pretest items, for 105 presented questions in 105 minutes. That detailed outline, not the handbook's rounded 100-question summary, is what actually determines how the exam is built and scored.
Those 100 scored questions are distributed across exactly 13 content domains, ranging from a single question in Businessowners Policy (BOP) topics up to 18 questions in Commercial Package Policies. Understanding this distribution isn't academic - it tells you exactly where to invest study hours and where you can afford lighter review. For a full walkthrough of the scoring mechanics behind these numbers, see the IN-IADJ Passing Score guide, which explains how the published passing score of 70 interacts with the 100-question scored pool.
Domain Weighting: Where the Points Actually Are
Not all 13 domains are created equal. Some carry nearly a fifth of the entire exam; others contribute a single question. Here is the official scored-question allocation for each domain:
| Domain | Content Area | Scored Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indiana Laws and Department Rules Common to All Lines | 16 |
| 2 | Insurance Basics | 10 |
| 3 | Personal Lines Regulations | 3 |
| 4 | Dwelling Policies | 2 |
| 5 | Homeowners Policies | 14 |
| 6 | Automobile: Personal Auto | 8 |
| 7 | Commercial General Liability | 12 |
| 8 | Workers Compensation, Employers Liability, and Related Issues | 5 |
| 9 | Commercial Package Policies | 18 |
| 10 | Businessowners Policy (BOP) | 1 |
| 11 | Commercial Auto | 2 |
| 12 | Adjusting Losses | 7 |
| 13 | Building Construction | 2 |
Add those figures and they total exactly 100 scored questions - the number that determines your raw score against the passing threshold of 70. For a broader look at how difficult this distribution makes the exam relative to expectations, check How Hard Is the IN-IADJ Exam?
The Big Three: Commercial Package, Indiana Law, and Homeowners
Three domains account for nearly half of the entire scored exam: Commercial Package Policies (18), Indiana Laws and Department Rules (16), and Homeowners Policies (14). Together that's 48 of 100 scored questions - meaning a candidate who masters just these three domains has a realistic shot at clearing the 70-point bar even before touching the remaining ten areas.
Domain 9: Commercial Package Policies (18 questions)
This is the single heaviest domain on the exam. Candidates must understand how a commercial package policy assembles multiple lines - general liability, commercial property, crime, inland marine, and equipment breakdown - into one contract with shared declarations and common conditions.
- Coverage part structure and how monoline coverages combine into a package
- Common policy conditions vs. line-specific conditions
- Causes-of-loss forms and how they layer with property coverage parts
Domain 1: Indiana Laws and Department Rules Common to All Lines (16 questions)
This domain covers the regulatory backbone every adjuster licensed in Indiana must know: IDOI licensing authority, unfair claims practices, producer and adjuster conduct standards, and general insurance code provisions that apply regardless of line.
- IDOI's authority to license, discipline, and investigate adjusters
- Unfair claims settlement practices specific to Indiana statute
- Continuing education and renewal obligations tied to licensure
Domain 5: Homeowners Policies (14 questions)
Homeowners forms test both coverage structure and claim application. Expect questions on dwelling coverage, other structures, personal property, loss of use, and liability sections, plus how endorsements modify base HO forms.
- Coverage A through F distinctions and sublimits
- Named-peril vs. open-peril forms and exclusions
- How replacement cost and depreciation interact on a homeowners claim
Domain-by-Domain Breakdown
Beyond the top three, the remaining ten domains each demand targeted knowledge even though they carry fewer points individually. Here's what each one covers.
Domain 2: Insurance Basics (10 questions)
Foundational terminology and contract principles: insurable interest, indemnity, subrogation, policy structure (declarations, insuring agreement, exclusions, conditions), and the difference between named-peril and open-peril coverage.
Domain 7: Commercial General Liability (12 questions)
CGL coverage triggers, occurrence vs. claims-made forms, coverage A/B/C structure, and how additional insured endorsements and aggregate limits function during a claim.
Domain 6: Automobile - Personal Auto (8 questions)
Personal auto policy parts, liability vs. physical damage coverage, medical payments, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, and how Indiana's financial responsibility framework interacts with claim handling.
Domain 12: Adjusting Losses (7 questions)
Practical claim-handling mechanics: investigation duties, proof of loss, valuation methods, and settlement practices that apply across the lines already tested in other domains.
Domain 8: Workers Compensation, Employers Liability, and Related Issues (5 questions)
Workers comp coverage parts A and B, exclusive remedy doctrine, and how employers liability fills gaps that workers comp statutes don't cover.
Domain 3: Personal Lines Regulations (3 questions)
Regulatory requirements specific to personal lines products - cancellation and nonrenewal notice rules, mandated disclosures, and consumer protection provisions.
Domain 4: Dwelling Policies (2 questions)
Dwelling fire policy forms (DP-1, DP-2, DP-3) and how they differ from homeowners forms in scope and eligibility.
Domain 11: Commercial Auto (2 questions)
Business auto coverage symbols, covered autos designations, and liability/physical damage structure for commercial vehicles.
Domain 13: Building Construction (2 questions)
Construction classes and materials that affect insurability and claim valuation - directly tied to the state-specific building construction topics covered below.
Domain 10: Businessowners Policy (BOP) (1 question)
The smallest domain on the exam: how a BOP bundles property and liability coverage for small businesses without the full package-policy complexity of Domain 9.
The Low-Weight Domains You Still Can't Skip
It's tempting to write off Domains 4, 10, 11, and 13 since each holds only 1 or 2 scored questions. Don't. Because the exam presents 105 questions and pulls from a fixed outline, every domain appears on virtually every form - skipping one entirely risks losing points you can't get back elsewhere, especially since the passing threshold gives you no cushion to spare.
Key Takeaway
Spend proportionally less time on the 1-2 question domains, but never skip them outright - a quick pass through Building Construction, BOP, Commercial Auto, and Dwelling Policies protects points that are otherwise easy to concede.
Indiana-Specific Topics Woven Throughout
Several topics don't sit inside a single labeled domain but recur across the outline in state-specific form. Indiana candidates should be comfortable applying these concepts regardless of which domain a question is technically drawn from:
- Indiana mine subsidence coverage - a state-specific peril relevant to property claims
- Replacement cost vs. actual cash value - valuation methods tested across Homeowners, Dwelling, and Commercial Package questions
- Depreciation - how it's calculated and applied when settling property claims
- Matching - how mismatched materials (siding, roofing, flooring) are treated during a repair-vs-replace claim decision
- Building construction classifications - frame, joisted masonry, noncombustible, masonry non-combustible, and fire-resistive, and how each affects claim exposure
These threads connect Domain 13 (Building Construction), Domain 12 (Adjusting Losses), Domain 5 (Homeowners), and Domain 9 (Commercial Package Policies) - a reminder that studying domain-by-domain in isolation can miss cross-cutting concepts. The IN-IADJ Cheat Sheet consolidates these recurring state-specific facts into a single quick-reference page.
Mapping a Study Plan to Domain Weight
Rather than studying domains in numerical order, allocate time proportional to scored weight. A simple four-week structure built around the point totals above looks like this:
Heaviest Domains First
- Commercial Package Policies (18 questions)
- Indiana Laws and Department Rules (16 questions)
Second-Tier Weight
- Homeowners Policies (14 questions)
- Commercial General Liability (12 questions)
- Insurance Basics (10 questions)
Mid-Weight Domains
- Personal Auto (8 questions)
- Adjusting Losses (7 questions)
- Workers Compensation and Employers Liability (5 questions)
Light Domains and Full Review
- Personal Lines Regulations, Dwelling, Commercial Auto, Building Construction, BOP (combined 10 questions)
- Full timed practice exam under 105-minute conditions
This weighting-first approach is the core method described in the IN-IADJ Study Guide, which expands each week into daily tasks. Running full-length timed drills on the practice test platform during week four helps confirm pacing across all 105 presented questions before test day.
Registration, Fees, and Retest Mechanics
Domain knowledge only matters if you can actually sit for the exam under the right conditions. A few mechanics to keep in mind:
- The exam costs $69 per attempt, scheduled through Pearson VUE for test-center delivery.
- Testing is available in English and Spanish, with Spanish administered at physical test centers.
- Resident applicants must be at least 18, meet Indiana residency and character requirements, complete an approved 40-hour prelicensing course, and pass the exam - full detail is in the IN-IADJ Requirements guide.
- Testing must be completed within six months of the course completion date on your prelicensing certificate.
- Failed candidates must wait 48 hours before retesting, so treat every attempt as consequential.
Once licensed, the resident application fee is $40, with a $40 biennial renewal due on the last day of your birth month in the renewal year, requiring 24 continuing-education hours per two-year cycle. These aren't exam-day details, but they shape when you should schedule your test relative to course completion - a timing question covered in more depth on the main IN-IADJ practice test hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are 13 domains, ranging from Indiana Laws and Department Rules down to Businessowners Policy (BOP), covering 100 scored questions total.
Commercial Package Policies is the largest domain with 18 scored questions, followed by Indiana Laws and Department Rules at 16 and Homeowners Policies at 14.
No. The outline presents 105 total questions, but only 100 are scored; the 5 unscored pretest questions are not identified and do not count for or against you.
No. Domains like Businessowners Policy, Commercial Auto, Dwelling Policies, and Building Construction each carry few points, but they still appear on the exam and are worth a focused review pass.
These concepts cut across multiple domains rather than sitting in one place - they surface most often in Homeowners, Commercial Package, Building Construction, and Adjusting Losses questions.