Is Series 7 Exam Hard

Dont Succumb To The Pressure

When it comes to the Series 7 exam, there is a lot of pressure to perform well. This is especially true if you are looking to work in the securities industry. However, it is important not to let the pressure get to you. Here are a few tips to help you stay calm and focused during the exam:

The Finra Practice Test Is A Great Resource

Another tidbit worth knowing to avoid a failed SIE exam is that FINRAs practice test is an excellent study resource. In fact, it is one of the BEST resources you can use, in my opinion. FINRAs SIE practice test offers 75 practice questions that will be different from those of your study sources. Many students end up memorizing their practice questions from STC or Knopman after a couple months, so changing it up is helpful.

Importantly, there is a good chance that some of the questions that show up on the exam are close to the practice test on FINRAs website. It seems to me that FINRA would not want to do more work than necessary, so logically one could expect that some of the same questions may show up in both places.

Overall, a failed SIE exam is not hard to avoid if you follow the above approaches. Strive to achieve no less than 80% on your practice tests during your SIE exam prep. Keep in mind my test-taking tidbits and you should be just fine.

Series 7 Study Guide Customer Success Stories

Excellent guide! I feel the material is organized and laid out very well. The information is easy to read and understand. Having taken the Insurance exam and the Series 65 exam, I have found much of the content written better than my previous exam guide books.

Great book! As someone who is just getting into the field, there is a lot to learn. The study guide makes it easier by simplifying the process. The book has a great format, breaking it down into easy to understand sections.

This guide has been extremely helpful during this process. It puts things in better perspective with examples and the way its worded more simplistic. The study tips provided were very helpful as well.

I like that the book concisely focuses in on the important concepts that will be in the Series 7 test.

I love this book and study guide, very realistic easy to read and goes through the steps very simply.

I’m finding this book to be an excellent training tool! It’s easy to understand and is very well organized!

It is an impressive looking product. The material is presented in an easy to understand format and the answer explanations of the questions are outstanding.

My issue with other study materials is that information is usually presented as a list of facts and figures to be memorized … but the questions presented when being tested on the same material are almost always presented in a situational manner. So being shown how to essentially hack the test has been very helpful!

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What Is The Pass Rate Of The Series 7

With so many questions and information on the test, it must be very difficult to pass the Series 7 exam, right? While it is a difficult test, studying and preparing can go a long way to putting you on the road to Series 7 success.

Kaplan Financial, one of the industry leaders in professional exam prep, stated that the pass rate for all Series 7 exam-takers between October 2018 and March 2019 was 71%, data shared by FINRA at their 2019 annual conference. Since the new SIE exam became a prerequisite in 2018, the pass rate for the Series 7 increased slightly, but it still remains one of the most comprehensive exams that FINRA offers.

How Many Hours Should You Allot For Studying In Preparation For The Series 7

The Series 7 exam is no joke. Its one of the toughest financial exams out there. If youre studying for it, youll want to make sure youre putting in the hours. How many hours you need to study depends on your background and how much you know going in. But we would recommend at least 50-100 hours of preparation. That should give you a good chance of passing.

The Series 7 exam covers a lot of material. Youll need to know about different types of securities, how to underwrite them, and the rules and regulations governing their sale. Theres also a lot of math involved. Youll need to be able to calculate things like P/E ratios and interest rates. If youre not strong in math, you might want to consider hiring a tutor.

And if you want to better your chances at passing, be sure to check out online resources, particularly the Series 7 video course from Professional Exam Tutoring.

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Can Anyone Take The Series 7 Exam Not Quite

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority regulates who can take the series 7 exam. In order to take the exam, an individual must first pass a FINRA-administered General Securities Representative Qualification Examination . The Series 7 is a general securities representative license, which qualifies the holder to sell all types of securities products. You will need to be sponsored by a member firm in order to be able to take this test.

Series 7 Exam Questions And Topics

The Series 7 exam consists of 125 multiple-choice questions, and each question has four answer choices. The topics include investment risk, taxation, equity and debt instruments, packaged securities, options, retirement plans, and interactions with clients. The focus of the exam is the nature of these securities and financial instruments, and it tests knowledge relevant to the day-to-day activities, responsibilities, and job functions of general securities representatives. The 125 questions are broken into four sections as shown in this table:

As you can see, the third topic dominates the Series 7 exam curriculum. Therefore, it is essential that you have a firm grasp on how to provide investment information and recommendations to customers, how to transfer assets, and how to maintain appropriate records. You should keep this in mind as you study.

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When Are You Ready

Remember you have slightly more than 1.5 minutes per question so you want to be sure youre ready when you decide to take the exam. Below we discuss target practice scores in more detail, but I can tell you that consistently scoring around 85% on the STC practice tests worked for me . This exam is much harder than the SIE Exam, so over-preparing is not a bad thing.

What The Series 6 Exam Covers

The FINRA-administered Series 6 Exam covers a variety of different topics, like mutual funds, tax regulations, securities, variable annuities, insurance products, and retirement plans. The exam consists of 50 multiple choice questions from the following four different sections:

In order to pass the exam, youll need to score at least 70% , and it must be completed within 90 minutes. Here are a few other things to keep in mind:

• There are five additional questions that dont count toward your score, making the test a total of 55 questions.
• You must have a sponsoring firm to take the exam.
• The Series 6 registration is not granted unless the SIE Exam has been passed as well.

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Attempts Allowed For The Series 7 Exam

If a candidate does not pass the Series 7 exam on their first attempt, FINRA allows them to re-take the exam after 30 days. There is no limit on the number of times a candidate can attempt to pass the exam, but there are time restrictions for candidates whove taken the exam several times.

For the first three attempts, a candidate is required to wait at least 30 days before sitting for the exam again. After three unsuccessful attempts, the candidate is required to wait at least six months to re-take the exam.

Sie Exam Prep: Im In College And Dont Have Time

This is where we come in at Professional Exam Tutoring. Just like I believe you should go to STC for the best curriculum for your SIE exam prep, I also think that you should stick with the best tutors out there if you want to cut down on your exam study time. The benefits of an SIE exam tutor are wide ranging. From personalized attention when learning the content, to detailed breakdowns of challenging concepts . Using us as your tutor will help you cut your study time down massively.

That said, either way you will need to practice, practice, practice! You will spend plenty of time during your SIE exam prep taking practice questions. As a college student , you know the benefits of a high GPA. It signals to others that you are intelligent, and/or work hard. Keep this in mind. A passed SIE exam will send a similar signal. When employers compare you with others in the hiring process, the more prepared you are for the job the better.

All in all, I hope some of these tips help! For more, check out our SIE exam cheat sheet here.

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Do You Need A College Degree To Get A Series 7

To earn the Series 7 license, you need to do the following: Take and pass the SIE exam. There are no degree or work requirements for taking this exam, although most candidates are either earning a college degree in a finance-related field or already have one. Secure a sponsorship with a FINRA-member firm.

How Many People Pass The Series 7

Around 6.5 out of 10 people, or 65%, will pass the Series 7 exam on the first try. The first-time pass rate for the Series 7 has been between 60% and 70% for the past few years.

This is an important distinction, as it shows how difficult the exam is and how prepared you need to be in order to pass it. If the pass rate is low, it means that many people are failing the exam, which could indicate that the exam is too difficult or that people are not adequately preparing for it.

But if you studied and prepared properly, you have a good chance of passing the exam. However, even if you dont pass the first time, you can still take the exam again.

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Series 7 Exam Study Tipshow To Increase Your Odds Of Success

The Series 7 exam is not easy. It requires a significant investment of time to be successful. Proper preparation is the key. These tips will help you develop the knowledge and confidence necessary to increase your odds of passing:

Read this article on Series 7 study strategies for more details about preparing for the exam, including what to do on exam day.

A Prior Education In Finance Will Mitigate The Sie Exam Difficulty For You

Now for those of you with economics, finance, or business degrees. There is likely going to be less of a learning curve to climb. In fact, I know some students that have walked into the exam without studying at all and passed .

One way to lessen the SIE exam difficulty, is to buy the right study books. Your SIE Exam study material can be a major factor in how well you do, and how long it takes you to study. We recommend you stick to the sure thing when it comes to study material . Once you start scoring over 85% on their practice exams, then youre good to go.

In some situations however, the SIE exam will be hard even for those of you with a business degree. Investment experience can also help. Order types, Options, and Bonds often get less attention in traditional college-level course curriculum than in the real-world. The SIE exam is fairly theoretical, but still has a healthy dose of real-world curriculum. The more personal investing experience you have, the more you will be able to relate to the material.

You need to get a score of 70%, or higher, to pass. During your SIE exam prep, be honest with yourself about how much knowledge you have going in. If you have a hard time defining a stock or bond for example, then you should expect to take about two months to study on average. Very few people can pass with only a week or two of studying.

The longer you spend time learning the curriculum, the more confident youll be, and better your odds of success.

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Series 7 Study Material: Stc

In terms of the STC study material, I have observed that it is generally sufficient to help students pass. Despite some minor discrepancies between STC and Kaplan, STC is a solid text, in my view. Easy to understand, and topics are well laid out. That said, for really thorough students I recommend getting both STC and Kaplan texts. At a minimum I recommend getting STC material, and Kaplan QBank questions.

Why?

The number one complaint that I hear from students around STC is that their questions are not as challenging as Kaplan. Furthermore, STCs practice questions leave more to be desired. Many of my students get through STCs practice questions in no time. This leaves them prone to memorizing answers after repeated attempts.

Having at least one text but both sets of practice questions will really cover your bases. I should also mention that I have seen such an approach consistently succeed in practice. STC practice material can come with eight practice exams . These are quite helpful, and you want to get through them all . Supplemented with Kaplan, aim to do at least 1,500 questions from Kaplans QBank. When your scores on Kaplan practice exams are in the mid-80% range, then you are ready for the actual exam.

For inexperienced students with no background in economics/finance/accounting, you will need to read the text a little more carefully, and this could take extra time. Be sure to account for this dont be surprised if it takes 2 to 3 months to study for this exam.

Which Is The Most Difficult Section Of The Series 7 Exam

The most difficult section of the Series 7 exam is undoubtedly the securities analysis section. This part of the test requires a thorough understanding of financial statement analysis, security valuation, and investment risk assessment. It can be challenging for test-takers to remember all the relevant information in a precise manner.

If you are preparing to take the Series 7 exam, it is important to focus on mastering the securities analysis section. You should review financial statements and practice calculating various ratios. You should also be familiar with different types of investments and their risks. Practice makes perfect, so make sure to study as much as possible before taking the test.

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The Factors That Makes Series 7 A Difficult Type Of Test

There are a number of factors that contribute to the difficulty level of the Series 7 exam. First, it is a very long test. It consists of 250 multiple-choice questions, and test-takers are given six hours to complete it. That means that there is a lot of ground to cover, and not a lot of time to do so.

Second, the question format on the Series 7 exam can be tricky. Many of the questions are worded in a way that is designed to trip up test-takers. They may be asked to choose the best answer from a list of options that are all technically correct, but only one of which is the best answer.

Third, the topics covered on the Series 7 exam are very detailed and specific. There is a lot of information to know, and it can be difficult to remember everything. Finally, the Series 7 exam is timed. That means that test-takers need to be able to work quickly and accurately under pressure.

All of these factors combine to make the Series 7 exam one of the most challenging exams out there.

Now For The Other Sie Exam Texts

Although I believe Kaplan/Schweser is the premier choice when it comes to CFA exam prep, it seems to be less of a favorite as a SIE text of choice for my students. Although I dont have exact numbers, anecdotally speaking, many of my students that come seek out my tutoring services after a failed SIE exam, report having used Kaplan study material prior to failing.

Please note that this may just be a fluke, although it has been observed from dozens of students. That said, the feedback I have received largely centers around what I mentioned above, namely that the questions from Kaplans QBank are too easy, when compared with those on the actual exam.

When it comes to Knopman Marks, the feedback is a little more positive but the company rarely seems to be a first-choice pick so I dont see their material as often. On the other hand, Pass Perfect, is used by a large minority of my students. From their feedback, consensus is that Pass Perfects questions are a little too hard, especially for those completely new to the industry. The company appears to thoroughly instruct their students, but the most common complaint I hear is that there is too much irrelevant content specifically, many practice questions include concepts that go much more in-depth than what seems likely to be tested.

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