- What the Data Actually Shows
- Why There's No Published Pass Rate
- Eligibility Filters That Happen Before You Ever Test
- Fee and Scheduling Mechanics That Shape Outcomes
- What the Exam Actually Draws From
- Retake Rules After a Failed Attempt
- A Preparation Timeline Built Around ND-SEC Stages
- Who Hires License Holders, and Why It Matters
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The North Dakota Private Investigation and Security Board (NDPISB) does not publish a public pass/fail percentage for the ND-SEC exam.
- Eligibility screening - age 18+, diploma, background check, commissioned status - filters out unqualified applicants before testing even begins.
- A first failed attempt requires a 30-day wait before retesting; a second or later failure triggers a full one-year wait.
- The $150 application/testing fee and $40 criminal-record search fee are separate from the $225 license fee, and none are refunded for a failed attempt.
What the Data Actually Shows
If you searched for "ND-SEC pass rate 2026" hoping for a clean percentage, here's the honest answer: the North Dakota Private Investigation and Security Board does not release a public pass/fail statistic for the individual security-provider qualifying examination. That's a meaningful data point in itself. Unlike large national certification bodies that publish annual pass-rate reports, NDPISB is a small state regulatory board that administers the exam individually, on a case-by-case scheduling basis, after each applicant clears eligibility review in Bismarck.
That means anyone quoting a specific pass-rate number for this exam is almost certainly referencing a different credential that happens to share the "ND-SEC" acronym. This site covers exactly one thing: the North Dakota Security Provider License Exam administered under N.D.C.C. Chapter 43-30. Everything below is built from the Board's actual fee schedule, licensing rules, and administrative code - not borrowed statistics.
Why There's No Published Pass Rate
Several structural features of the ND-SEC process explain why you won't find a percentage anywhere on official Board materials:
- Individual scheduling: The Board schedules each candidate's exam after reviewing their eligibility file, rather than running periodic mass sessions with aggregated results.
- Small applicant pool: North Dakota's licensing population is far smaller than multi-state or national certifications, so publishing granular pass-rate data would carry less statistical weight and more privacy risk.
- Regulatory, not commercial, purpose: NDPISB exists to enforce Chapter 43-30 and the related administrative code, not to market a credential - so there's little institutional incentive to publish marketing-style statistics.
Rather than chase a number that doesn't exist, it's more useful to look at the mechanics that actually determine whether a given applicant passes: eligibility readiness, familiarity with the statute and admin code, and how the retake system is structured. Those are covered in detail in our complete difficulty guide for the ND-SEC exam.
Eligibility Filters That Happen Before You Ever Test
A large share of "pass rate" outcomes for any licensing exam are actually decided before test day, through eligibility screening. For ND-SEC, applicants must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Hold a high school diploma or equivalent
- Meet the Board's character and background requirements
- Qualify as a commissioned security officer
- Sit for the qualifying exam within the 12 months preceding license application
Commissioned status itself is earned through a progression: 12 hours of apprentice instruction or supervised field training within 30 days of registration, then 1,000 apprentice service hours plus 32 additional instructional hours to reach security-officer status, then 3,000 additional service hours plus 80 additional instructional hours to reach commissioned status. The 32-hour and 80-hour stages must be completed through in-person or live remote classroom instruction - self-paced online modules alone won't satisfy that requirement. Board-approved experience or training equivalencies can sometimes substitute for parts of this path. For a full breakdown of every prerequisite, see our ND-SEC requirements and eligibility guide.
Key Takeaway
Commissioned status is a prerequisite for sitting the exam, not something you earn afterward - make sure your service-hour and instructional-hour documentation is complete before you request scheduling.
Fee and Scheduling Mechanics That Shape Outcomes
Money and timing pressure affect real-world pass outcomes more than people expect. Under the Board's fee schedule effective April 22, 2025, applicants pay:
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application/testing fee | $150 | One-time |
| Individual license fee | $225 | Prorated quarterly on first issuance |
| Criminal-record search fee | $40 | Required for background check |
| Optional Board study guide | $40 | Separate purchase |
| Annual renewal | $225 | Due with proof of current insurance |
Because the $150 testing fee is not tied to a guaranteed pass, candidates who under-prepare pay that fee more than once. Understanding exactly what these charges cover - and what's optional versus mandatory - is worth doing before you schedule. Our complete ND-SEC pricing breakdown walks through every dollar in more detail. You can also review current practice questions on our practice test platform before committing to a testing date, which reduces the odds of paying the fee twice.
What the Exam Actually Draws From
Content on the ND-SEC exam is grounded in three official references: the Board's own study guide, N.D.C.C. Chapter 43-30, and North Dakota Administrative Code Chapters 93-02-02.1 and 93-02-03. There is no vendor-created "blueprint" the way commercial certifications publish weighted domains - the exam tests your working knowledge of North Dakota's actual licensing statute and rules for security providers.
Statutory and Regulatory Knowledge
Candidates should be able to explain licensing categories, the distinction between apprentice, security-officer, and commissioned status, and how firearm authorization is treated separately from commissioning.
- Recognize that commissioned status and firearm authorization are two distinct approvals, not automatic companions
- Know the documentation required for licensure: fingerprints, photograph, and experience/training records
Insurance and Liability Standards
Individual providers must maintain at least $300,000 in general-liability insurance, including errors and omissions coverage. Expect questions on why this coverage matters and when it must be documented.
- Renewal applications require proof of current insurance
- Coverage gaps can affect both licensure and renewal status
Because there's no numbered list of official "domains" published by the Board for this exam, treat the statute and admin code chapters as your real syllabus. Our ND-SEC exam domains guide organizes these regulatory topics into a study-friendly structure, and the passing score guide explains how the Board evaluates a completed exam attempt.
Retake Rules After a Failed Attempt
This is one of the few places where ND-SEC gives concrete, numeric guidance - and it directly shapes how "pass rate" should be interpreted for this exam. If you fail on your first attempt, you may submit a retake application no sooner than 30 days after receiving notice. If you fail a second time, or any time after that, the wait extends to a full year before you can apply again.
This retake structure is also why generic exam-prep advice falls short for ND-SEC. It's not a "retake next week" credential - treat every scheduled attempt as if it's your only shot for the next 30 days minimum, and potentially the next year.
A Preparation Timeline Built Around ND-SEC Stages
Because commissioning already requires extensive documented hours before you're even eligible to test, your final pre-exam study window is usually short and dense. Here's a realistic four-week structure built specifically around the Board's reference materials, not generic study theory:
N.D.C.C. Chapter 43-30 Read-Through
- Read the statute in full once, noting licensing categories and definitions
- List every documentation requirement (fingerprints, photo, experience records)
Administrative Code Deep Dive
- Work through N.D. Admin. Code 93-02-02.1 and 93-02-03 section by section
- Cross-reference the Board's optional study guide for plain-language summaries
Insurance, Commissioning, and Firearm-Authorization Nuances
- Memorize the $300,000 liability/E&O minimum and renewal documentation rule
- Clarify how commissioned status differs from firearm authorization on paper
Simulated Practice and Gap Review
- Run through scenario-based practice questions on the ND-SEC practice test platform
- Revisit any statute section that produced repeated wrong answers
If you want a condensed version of this same content for last-minute review, our one-page ND-SEC cheat sheet pulls the highest-yield facts into a single reference, and the first-attempt study guide expands each week into more granular tasks.
Who Hires License Holders, and Why It Matters
Understanding the employment landscape helps explain why preparation quality - not luck - drives most outcomes on this exam. Commissioned, individually licensed security providers in North Dakota typically work for or alongside security agencies, which hold a separate business-level license distinct from the individual credential covered here. Because agencies are accountable to the same Board and statute, they generally prefer to hire candidates who passed cleanly rather than after multiple attempts, since repeated retakes can signal gaps in statutory knowledge that show up again on the job - particularly around liability insurance compliance and documentation standards.
If you're weighing whether the licensing investment is worthwhile given North Dakota's specific fee structure and renewal obligations, our ROI analysis of the ND-SEC certification and earnings guide both dig into that decision using the Board's actual fee figures rather than estimates.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. NDPISB does not release a public pass/fail percentage for the individual security-provider qualifying exam. Any specific percentage you see elsewhere likely refers to a different, unrelated credential that shares the same acronym.
After a first failed attempt, you may reapply no sooner than 30 days after receiving notice of the result. After a second or any subsequent failure, you must wait a full year before reapplying.
The Board's fee schedule does not indicate a refund for a failed attempt, so it's worth treating each scheduled exam date as a paid, one-time opportunity and preparing accordingly.
The Board points candidates to its own optional study guide, N.D.C.C. Chapter 43-30, and North Dakota Administrative Code Chapters 93-02-02.1 and 93-02-03. There is no separate third-party domain blueprint for this exam.
No. Commissioned status and firearm authorization are handled as separate approvals under North Dakota's licensing framework, so passing the qualifying exam does not by itself grant firearm authorization.