- What This Cheat Sheet Covers
- Who Administers the ND-SEC
- Eligibility Snapshot
- Fee Schedule at a Glance
- The Hour Progression: Apprentice to Commissioned
- Documentation You Must Submit
- Insurance and Ongoing Compliance
- Exam Scheduling and Retake Rules
- Renewal Deadlines
- A One-Week Review Timeline
- Quick-Reference Legal Citations
- FAQ
- The NDPISB fee schedule (effective April 22, 2025) sets a $150 application/testing fee, $225 individual license fee, and $40 background-check fee.
- Commissioned status requires 3,000 service hours plus 80 additional instructional hours beyond the earlier security-officer stage.
- A first exam failure allows a retake after 30 days; a second failure means a one-year wait.
- Individual licenses expire September 30 every year and cost $225 to renew, with current insurance proof required.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This page is a one-stop review of the numbers, timelines, and procedural rules that matter most for the North Dakota Security Provider License Exam (ND-SEC). It is not a substitute for full preparation - for that, see the ND-SEC Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt - but it is designed for the week before your test date, or for a quick refresher whenever you need to confirm a fee, deadline, or hour requirement without digging through statute PDFs.
Everything here traces back to the North Dakota Private Investigation and Security Board (NDPISB), the agency that administers and individually schedules this examination in Bismarck after reviewing each applicant's eligibility. If you're still confirming that ND-SEC applies to you rather than apprentice or ordinary security-officer registration, start with ND-SEC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify before relying on this cheat sheet.
Who Administers the ND-SEC
The North Dakota Private Investigation and Security Board supervises the examination process from eligibility review through scheduling. Because the Board schedules candidates individually in Bismarck rather than running open testing windows, timing your application matters - read ND-SEC Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling to understand how the scheduling sequence actually works before you submit paperwork.
Employers hiring commissioned security providers, and agencies sponsoring apprentices toward that status, generally expect candidates to understand this Board-driven structure rather than a generic multiple-choice testing model. That's a meaningful difference from other "security certification" programs candidates may have encountered elsewhere.
Eligibility Snapshot
Before you touch practice questions, confirm the baseline eligibility criteria the Board checks during application review:
- At least 18 years old
- High-school diploma or equivalent
- Meets character and background requirements
- Qualifies as a commissioned security officer
- Passes the qualifying examination within the 12 months preceding the license application
These criteria are non-negotiable gatekeepers - the Board will not schedule your exam in Bismarck until eligibility review confirms them. For a deeper breakdown of how each item is verified, see ND-SEC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Key Takeaway
Your exam pass only counts toward licensure if it falls within the 12 months before you file your license application - don't let a passed exam sit unused.
Fee Schedule at a Glance
Every dollar figure below comes from the NDPISB fee schedule effective April 22, 2025. Memorize these before you budget your path to licensure.
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application / testing fee | $150 | One-time |
| Individual license fee | $225 | Prorated quarterly for initial licenses |
| Criminal-record search fee | $40 | Background check |
| Optional Board study guide | $40 | Sold separately |
| Individual renewal fee | $225 | Due with insurance documentation |
For a walkthrough of how these fees stack up across the entire licensing journey - including proration timing - read ND-SEC Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
The Hour Progression: Apprentice to Commissioned
ND-SEC candidates don't reach commissioned status overnight. The standard progression has three stages, and understanding the sequence is often more useful for exam prep than memorizing any single number in isolation.
Stage 1: Apprentice Instruction
Candidates complete 12 hours of apprentice instruction or supervised field training within 30 days after registration.
- Entry point for anyone not yet commissioned
Stage 2: Security-Officer Status
Reaching security-officer status requires 1,000 apprentice service hours plus 32 additional instructional hours, delivered in-person or via live remote classroom instruction.
- Live-format instruction is required - self-paced recordings don't satisfy this stage
Stage 3: Commissioned Status
Commissioned status requires 3,000 additional security-officer service hours plus 80 additional instructional hours, also delivered in-person or via live remote instruction.
- Commissioned status is distinct from firearm authorization - don't conflate the two
- Board-approved experience or training equivalencies may reduce redundant hours
Because these hour requirements are unusually specific compared to how candidates may assume certification exams work, it's worth reviewing What Is ND-SEC? and ND-SEC Meaning if you're still getting oriented on how the credential is structured before diving into hour-tracking spreadsheets.
Documentation You Must Submit
Beyond hours and fees, the Board requires a documentation packet:
- Fingerprints
- A photograph
- Experience and training documentation supporting your progression stage
Missing or incomplete documentation is one of the most common reasons applications stall before an exam date is even scheduled - treat this checklist as seriously as the exam content itself.
Insurance and Ongoing Compliance
Note also that a security-agency license is a completely separate business credential from the individual provider license this exam supports. Don't assume agency-level paperwork covers your personal licensing obligations, or vice versa.
Exam Scheduling and Retake Rules
Because the Board schedules exams individually rather than through open-enrollment testing centers, retake timing follows fixed waiting periods:
- After a first failure: retake application no sooner than 30 days after notice
- After a second or subsequent failure: a one-year wait before reapplying
This structure raises the stakes of your first attempt considerably. If you're trying to gauge how tough the material actually is before you sit down, How Hard Is the ND-SEC Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 and ND-SEC Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows both dig into what makes candidates stumble. And for the specific score threshold you're aiming to clear, check ND-SEC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Key Takeaway
A second failure costs you a full year of eligibility - treat your first sitting as the only attempt that truly matters.
Renewal Deadlines
Individual ND-SEC licenses expire on September 30 every year. Renewal costs $225 and requires current insurance documentation on file - the same $300,000 general-liability and errors-and-omissions minimum discussed above. Mark this date well ahead of time; lapses can complicate your standing as a commissioned provider even if your underlying hours and training remain valid.
A One-Week Review Timeline
If your exam date is close, sequence your review around the material's actual weight rather than generic study advice. Here's a practical one-week structure built specifically around ND-SEC's fee, eligibility, and progression facts:
Eligibility, Fees, and Statutes
- Memorize the $150 application fee, $225 license fee, and $40 background-check fee
- Review N.D.C.C. Chapter 43-30 and Admin Code Chapters 93-02-02.1 and 93-02-03
Hour Progression and Documentation
- Drill the 12-hour, 1,000+32-hour, and 3,000+80-hour stages until they're automatic
- Confirm which documents (fingerprints, photo, training records) apply to your current stage
Insurance, Renewal, and Practice Questions
- Reinforce the $300,000 general-liability/E&O minimum and September 30 renewal date
- Run through the full ND-SEC Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 0 Content Areas once more for structure
Final Review
- Take a full timed practice run at the ND-SEC practice test hub
- Re-check retake rules so you understand the cost of any careless mistakes
This is the one place where general study-methodology advice earns its spot: don't spread your review evenly across every topic. Front-load the fee and statute memorization early in the week since it's pure recall, then spend your final days on active practice questions at ndsecexam.com's practice platform so the format feels familiar on test day.
Quick-Reference Legal Citations
Keep these on hand for deeper research beyond this cheat sheet:
- N.D.C.C. Chapter 43-30 - governing statute for private investigation and security licensing
- N.D. Admin. Code Chapter 93-02-02.1
- N.D. Admin. Code Chapter 93-02-03
- The optional Board security-provider study guide ($40)
If you're evaluating whether pursuing this license makes sense for your career goals at all, Is the ND-SEC Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and ND-SEC Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis put the fee schedule and hour commitments in context against real job prospects. For what commissioned providers actually do day to day, see ND-SEC Jobs and ND-SEC Training.
FAQ
No. The Board's study guide is an optional resource priced at $40 separately from application and license fees - useful, but not mandatory for eligibility.
No. Commissioned status and firearm authorization are distinct, separately tracked designations under the Board's framework.
You may submit a retake application no sooner than 30 days after notice of a first failure. A second or subsequent failure triggers a one-year wait.
Individual licenses expire September 30 each year. Renewal costs $225 and requires proof of current general-liability and errors-and-omissions insurance.
No. A security-agency license is a separate business credential distinct from the individual security-provider license this exam supports.