I have a job offer - about 100k more than my current job in banking.
The new roles requires me to be duel hat, thus I need to pass SIE, 63 and 79 within 120 days.
I want the role, but is it worth leaving for the job and risk not passing?
I'm in my 30s.
i failed first attempt with Pass perfect when i was scoring 85-90% on 13+ practice exams
for my second attempt im using Kaplan, what should i average or aim for to feel safe for the actual test?
Alright honestly if I’m averaging a 75% across 4 complete Achievabke practice exams, how are my chances of passing the SIE. Are Achievable questions more difficult / less difficult than the actual questions given
I took the Series 63 today and I failed, missed 4 too many question so I was close but not enough to keep me up at night. I have already passed the SIE and Series 6 by using achieveable and thought it was helpful so I used it again for the 63. It was not nearly as good for the 63. The achieveable practice tests were much more complex than the real thing, which may seem like it would make it easier, but in reality it made it to where I was spending my time studying much more complex concepts that were not even mentioned on the exam. If I knew that I needed to spend more time to master the more baseline concepts I would have done it but the practice tests/content made it seem like I would need a general understanding of the smaller stuff and need to know a lot about the more complex issues so I focused on that. It is very frustrating because looking back I definitely spent enough time and was smart enough to pass on my first try but I spent my time on the wrong things. Even more frustrating that the things I needed to focus on were much easier to master than what I end up doing. Do not use achieveable for the 63, even if it was helpful for the SIE/Series 6-7. Does anyone have any suggestions for who has better study material for the Series 63? I have heard Knopman does a better job of mirroring the actual exam so I am thinking about using them. Anyone else have a similar experience that could give me some advice?
based on my scores and study progress, would you sit for the exam if you were me?
Here’s where I currently stand using mainly Achievable:
- 95% exam readiness on Achievable
- Predicted scoring range: 79%-84%
- About 30+ hours of study time
- Completed all 50/50 pages/modules
- 210 practice questions completed in the last few days
- Overall recent accuracy: 82.9%
Breakdown:
- Definitions: 93%
- Registration: 84%
- Enforcement: 81%
- Ethics: 77%
I’ve also taken Kaplan exams and usually land somewhere in the mid/high 60s depending on the test. Ethics has been my weakest area at times, but I recently retook an ethics section and scored around an 82.
From NASAA’s actual exam outline:
- Ethical Practices & Obligations = 25% of the exam (15 questions)
- Communication with Customers = 20% (12 questions)
- Agent Regulations = 13% (8 questions)
- Broker-Dealer Regulations = 12% (7 questions)
I know the Series 63 only requires 43/60 scored questions correct to pass, but I’m trying to pass first attempt and not walk in overconfident.
A few things I’m still reviewing:
- IA/IAR exclusions & exemptions
- Administrator powers/remedies
- Communication rules
- Ethics wording/trick questions
For people who already passed:
- Were the real questions more straightforward than Achievable/Kaplan?
- Did you feel fully ready before taking it?
- Is a consistent 80%+ on Achievable enough?
- Any “must know” concepts you saw heavily tested?
Brutal honesty appreciated.
Hey everyone, I recently passed the SIE and want to knock out the Series 63 sometime this year.
A couple questions:
• Is Kaplan still considered the best prep material for the 63?
• If anyone is selling used study materials, especially Kaplan, I’d potentially be interested. The new packages are pretty expensive for a relatively short exam. Any PDFs etc I can use?
For context, I started my own financial services firm with a handful of clients focused on capital raising, investment readiness, and related advisory work for pre Series A companies, instead of going the traditional firm route. Long term, I’m aiming to get the Series 79 and pursue sponsorship through that path.
hey i just wanted some advice because i feel so lost and defeated. i worked in corporate banking at citi. but i struggled so much with this exam, spent so many hours worked through the questions and was not able to pass. i just lost my job. i want to continue and not give up. what should i do? idk what roles to apply to and at times i feel like i want to go to the investment banking route because I know I can do it and this exam does not define me. question is would IB take me knowing I failed this twice? I need a third chance, I haven’t stopped studying since.
Everything I read says the broker dealer has an exemption if they only affect securities transactions with institutions in a state.
However, if I’m an agent, my only exemption is vacationing clients correct?
I also must be employed by a BD registered in a state to register there.
So, my question is, doesn’t my BD need to register to effect securities transactions in a state, because you need a registered agent to effect it and that’s impossible without the BD being registered? Is this not paradoxical?
Let me know if I’m overthinking this or missing something
I have full access to Kaplan and limited access to STC . Based on your experience which is the best vendor for the 7. I took the 7 twice with pass perfect and failed both times so this is my last shit. Also if you have any advice how to start re-studying for the 7 I’d appreciate it.
Taking Series 63 Monday — looking for honest feedback from people who passed
I’m taking the Series 63 soon and wanted to see if anyone who has actually passed thinks I’m in decent shape or if I should postpone.
Here’s where I’m at:
Achievable:
- 90% exam readiness
- Predicted score range 79–84% (high confidence)
- Mock exams:
- 78%
- 80%
- 82%
- 85%
My strongest areas:
- Definitions
- Investment advisers/IARs
- Ethics recognition
Weaker areas:
- Remedies & administrative provisions
- Securities registration/exemptions
- Some communication rules
Kaplan scores are lower:
- Around mid 60s overall
- Unit breakdowns:
- Broker-dealers/agents: 72%
- IA/IARs: 86%
- Securities/issuers/exemptions: 63%
- Remedies/admin: 38%
- Communications: 61%
- Ethics: 65%
The thing messing with my confidence is Kaplan feels WAY harder and more detailed than Achievable.
People who passed:
- Did you feel the actual exam was closer to Kaplan or Achievable?
- Were the questions more straightforward than Kaplan?
- Is the real exam mostly ethics/registration recognition like people say?
I’m mainly worried about overthinking wording traps and exemptions/exclusions.
Any honest advice appreciated.
Any tips to help pass the 57? I am using STC and failed my first attempt with a 56%. Thanks!
I have a short turnaround and need to register and enroll in the 63. Who have you found to be the best provider ?
I’ve been studying for 3 weeks and scoring 70-80% on Kaplan q bank consistently (closer to 80%).
I do the customer quizzes and am choosing new questions mainly to keep things fresh.
I used a combination for 2dollartests and Knopman. Both extremely helpful. Knopmans video and week before email was huge. 2dollartests to supplement were helpful for a different way to look at questions. Thank you to both providers.
Hey all, I just failed my series 63 today by 2 points… wtf. Gutted. I was getting high 70s and 80s scores on my practice finals and felt confident going into the exam after spending almost a week and a half of just straight studying. Granted, I only took 4 practice finals, maybe I didn’t take enough or do enough QBank quizzes? The time on the test had me anxious around the 35 question mark. I finished with 12+ minutes to spare and review questions but my anxiety spiked at the end. Maybe I need to get on medication because of anxiety? I flagged a few answers and went back and double checked those and a few I corrected.
My score was a 41/60.
Communications with customers and prospects; Ethical Business practices and obligations was 16 out of 27 correct
State and Federal Securities Acts and related rules and regulations was 25 of 33 correct.
Honest thoughts?
Afternoon all, I’ve got my 63 tomorrow morning and I’m nervous for it. My average Qbank score is 75% and my Avg. exam score is 82%. My previous 3 practice finals were: 81,75,78%. I’ve only taken 3 and am trying to hammer out qbank quizzes on my weak areas which are: Unit 4 and 5 on Kaplan. Any advice? I’ve only had a week and a half to study and pass this. I’m going to do 1-2 more practice finals today. What do you all think?