r/Series7exam

I can’t believe I passed this test first try. For starters, I began working in a firm 9 months ago after a change in careers from healthcare to finance with absolutely NO background. When the opportunity arose for me to get my SIE, 7, and 63 I didn’t think I’d even make it past the SIE but here we are and one left to go!

I was scoring 76-78 average on my practice exams. The day before I made a 74 on Ken’s online and that freaked me out but I made a 79 on pass perfect Monday so I thought I’d be alright. I only took 7 finals bc I felt so unprepared in so many areas so the last 5 days before I just used YouTube.

I thought that Ken’s options membership wasn’t worth it bc I thought maybe ppl on here were just advertising but I bought it two weeks ago and let me tell you… IT IS WORTH IT. Those questions become guaranteed points. I spent all day Sunday drilling options bc I was nervous to get a heavily weighted options exam. THANK YOU KEN AND DTINNEY! As everyone says, the brutal exam is WORTH THE WATCH. I spent 3 hours on it bc I’d pause and answer the questions but it was so worth it. So many similar questions. I struggled understanding munis and investment analysis which I watched DTinney’s videos bc he gives such thorough explanations. Also shoutout to everyone in this thread YALL HAVE GIVEN SO MANY HELPFUL TIPS.

Lastly, I didn’t have many options but my exam was heavy on munis and taxation. Honestly not very difficult, I was about halfway through and even thought “I hope this is the right exam” bc I was expecting worse. I also felt many questions were asked a different way twice? Idk I kind of black out during these but everyone is right suitability, munis, tax, mutual funds are all huge. Quite a few questions on muni products like PAB, IDR, etc. Know your investments and walk in there with confidence and you can crush any draw given!!

Finally making the post to say I passed!!! Used Pass Perfect. Feel free to ask any questions and I’ll answer to the best of my ability!

Best of luck to everyone in their studies and remember, its just a damn test !

I have been studying for around a 4 weeks. I am using Kaplan and scoring between 80 to 90s and on Series 7 Whisperer I have scored lower 80s on every exam. Am I ready to take the exam?

Going to try and only give the stuff that would be helpful, but feel free to ask questions and I'll reply.

1. Series 7 Whisperer's premium YouTube. Even if you think you're good at options and don't really need his extra videos, it's the smartest $25 you will pay for anything in the testing prep process. Everyone's draw is completely different, but options math questions are like free points, so there is no reason not to be 100% on these, and Ken's way of doing it is objectively the easiest and best way

2. Accept that you will suck at some areas and don't try and master everything. I suck at margin. No other way to put it. I can get the 50% for Reg T and usually remember the 25% vs. 30% rule, but anything beyond that is not going to happen. I cut my losses and accepted that it was worth it to study the more important areas. In the real exam, I think I got 2 or 3 margin questions, and for 1 it was easy, and for the other two I fumbled around on my calculator until I got one of the answer options and picked that. I probably got the two harder ones wrong, but I didn't care.

3. KNOW YOUR PRODUCTS. The exam must be made by some somewhat sadistic people because the differences between some products are so small. When your gut says something when you're really torn between two, go with your gut AND DON'T COME BACK AND CHANGE IT. Some of these questions really suck, and knowing the tiniest difference can be why you lock in a point vs. lose it.

4. Reddit is awful, and I was stupidly addicted to this place and am so glad to leave it now. Try and touch some grass. Towards the end of this exam, I was compulsively opening Reddit, which is laughable because before I started licensing, I had never used Reddit in my life. I spent so much time on here, but the truth is that we all get a different draw. Dreading the fact that someone else got a ton of questions in an area you're bad at has NOTHING to do with the draw you will get.

5. PRACTICE QUESTIONS. Do them. Do them all. Do them so many times that you begin to memorize them because when the test comes, it's going to be so easy to get rid of answers because you distinctly remember some random practice question you did 100 times saying that's wrong. Take the free Achievable one. Take the one on https://series7exam.org/. The STC questions are phrased the closest to the real exam after Ken's (which are almost identical, if not word-for-word the same), BUT STC was way too hard on some really small details that never came up

6. Get Achievable if you didn't study finance and this is a new world for you. After today, I will have passed the SIE in 2 weeks and the 7 in 2.5 weeks ONLY with Achievable to learn the content. It's the most simple and easy-to-understand textbook. When the exam comes, memorization won't save you, so actually understanding the content matters. Also the people who run achievable are absurdly kind and helpful and will send you a legit essay on why you got a question wrong if you ask for help. I can say I've hands down had the best experience with them compared to my friends who have used every other major company.

Good luck. Godspeed. Hopefully, you get off this subreddit (and all of Reddit) soon.

It burns to type this, but today was my third attempt at the Series 7 and it was a failure.

My scores: 60, 71, 67.

I’m in my 40s. I have a family, bills, and realworld obligations.

The emotional weariness right now is heavy, to say the least. Now, the people around me are whispering: "Let it go. Throw in the towel. It’s not in the cards, just keep doing what you're doing."

Let’s be honest about support in this industry: Everyone wants to clap at your finish line, but nobody wants to carry you through the mud. In this game, you are entirely on your own.

But looking at the data, I’ve noticed something about how FINRA and Prometric design this exam.

The test feels highly adaptive. This isn't just a random, set deck of questions. The moment you trip up on diagrams, variables, or mutual funds, the system senses it and feeds you more of them. It is designed to find your blind spots and exploit them.

The biggest frustration is the massive gap in study materials. I was scoring in the high 70s on Kaplan, 80s on Knopman, and I literally just took Ken’s 125question exam and scored an 80 on it. WOW.

Yet today, I had at least 20+ questions where I looked at the screen and thought, What the heck is this? Reminiscing the first attempt.

No prep material or coach out there tested this stuff. My first attempt was 70% taxation. Today's exam was heavily stacked with options, mutual funds, and variables. Not a single order ticket question, and only four margin questions. It felt completely foreign.

The Series 7 is just the gatekeeper. It doesn't dictate your ultimate success.

A lawyer I met in Manhattan once told me he failed his 7 exams exams three times before going on to pass the NY Bar. If a future lawyer can face that defeat and still make it, it proves a test doesn't define you.

The system won today. The algorithm won. No cookie for me today, Ken...

I'm hurting, and honestly, I don't even know what a "pivot" looks like right now.

But to everyone on here who has passed especially those who finally conquered it on their third try I have immense respect for you.

Rant over. Thanks for listening.

Not sure what I made, nor do I want to know. I was making between 68-70 on Kaplan simulated exams two weeks before, but I got it up to 76-80 the week of the exam. During the exam, the first 15 questions were difficult and so were the last 15, but I found a solid groove in the middle of the exam. I had marked 29 questions overall that I was unsure. I changed about 3-4 answers during my final review.

Topics that caught me by surprise: 1.) Business Development companies with Floating Loans Rates? Not sure what that was. 2.) Inverted bond funds 3.) a lot of questions about account transfers (ex. Broker to broker and B/D to B/D) 4.) opening accounts in general. 5.) Selling a Put in the Money or At the Money 6.) Hedge fund Taxing 7.) Funds of Funds Hedge Funds.

Other than that the typical questions are there: Options, Option Strategies (ex. Selling Calls), Long Margin accounts, Variable Annuities, Tender offerings, Sell Stop Limit Tickers, Advertising ( I was not good here), Mutual Funds, Warrants/Rights, ETFs and Municipals. I did not have many questions on DPPs, which I found odd.

Any ways, good luck to everyone else that is soon to take the exam. My Testing Journey has now come to an end:)

Special shout out to the Whisperer, and the GEEK! Those guys rock!

Series 7 Experience: Passed after failing with a 68
I wanted to share my Series 7 experience because reading everyone else’s experiences on here helped me SO much, so I wanted to hopefully help someone else too.
I started with Kaplan. I read the entire book, took notes on every chapter, and watched the Kaplan videos that go along with each chapter. Once I finished the book, I started taking practice exams, but I just could not get passing scores. My highest Kaplan practice exam score was a 68.
I also paid for Ken Finnen with Cap Advantage Options Membership, and honestly, it was worth every single penny. I actually got about three people from my work to also pay for the membership and they agree that it’s life-changing. He makes what a lot of people think has the hardest part of the test the easiest. I went into my first test basically hoping I would get a test full of options because I felt so much more comfortable with them after using Ken’s material.

Then came my first attempt. I got a 68. I honestly did not feel great while I was taking the exam, and getting that score was obviously disappointing.
After that, I completely stopped using Kaplan. I don’t think I logged into Kaplan even once after my first attempt. I went ALL IN on Ken’s videos.

The week before my retake, I watched almost every Series 7 video Ken had. I took notes on anything I wasn’t 100% confident about. Then, for the last 3-4 days before my exam, I took every practice exam Ken had on his channel with him and scored myself. I started with his baseline exam and got a 77.

From there, I made a list of EVERY question I got wrong. Before taking each new exam, I would go through that list and literally read all of the wrong answers out loud. I kept adding to the list as I went. Eventually, things just started clicking. I was remembering things instead of having to constantly relearn them. EDIT ****Also adding in here from the test that I did with Ken’s videos, I had probably at least five questions that were word for a word the exact same on my real test. And all of the choices were the same too. There was one question I had that I could not remember how to solve but I literally remembered what the answer was from when I took the practice exam the day before. FINRA has got to use his questions and material. lol

Yesterday I passed my exam. One thing I really want to mention because I genuinely think it made a difference for me: when I finished the exam, I only had about 20 minutes left. I had probably marked around 30 questions to go back and review. But I remembered Ken’s advice about going back through the first 10 questions because your brain isn’t fully in “test mode” when you first start.

So I did that.I changed about 7 of those first 10 answers. And when I went back and read some of them, I literally thought, “Oh my gosh, how did I get that wrong?”
What was crazy is that I hadn’t even flagged those questions. I had answered them, moved on, and didn’t think anything of them. Going back through those first 10 caught mistakes I didn’t even realize I had made. I am sure that if I would have just reviewed the questions I flagged those first 10 would’ve made me fail.

Overall, I genuinely cannot say enough good things about Ken. The way he explains things just made concepts click for me in a way that Kaplan wasn’t doing. His videos, especially the way he breaks down questions and explains the reasoning behind the answers, were exactly what I needed.I honestly don’t think I would have passed without his material.

Hey everyone, taking series 7 next week. Just curious for those who have taken it, if you can remember how many questions there were about options. Does it take up a huge portion of the exam?

I took an STC greenlight exam today and got a 68%. I went back and reviewed my answers before submitting and changed some answers I had doubts on. As I checked my incorrect answers after the exam I saw that some of the ones I changed would have had me in a passing score if I left them alone.

My exam is on Thursday August 20th. Im currently averaging mid 80s on my STC final exams and haven't scored anything lower than an 80% on final practice exams in the past 1.5 weeks.

Is there anything I should do or do differently besides not changing my answers. I feel confident about my knowledge going into the exam however, this greenlight score made me question/doubt a lot. I have one more greenlight exam ill take tomorrow after I review my errors today.

I've seen that greenlights are a decent benchmark for how you'll perform during the exam. Hoping I can close any information gaps until Thursday or at least put myself in a safe range by then.

Are there any review tips you guys have when it comes to missed questions on practice exams? How can I review my errors efficiently and make sure I don't neglect any little info that can be crucial? What's the best way to review considering my time span?

Literally started studying for the series 7 5 days ago and got a 62 on my knopman benchmark last night.... YOU WILL PASS

Not sure what I can else I can do. My nerves are all over the place. I feel ready, but people on this thread make me more nervous sometimes. I really hope I don’t get an unfamiliar draw . No matter what, shoutout Series 7 Whisperer

First attempt was 64, second 71, then somehow worse on third attempt at a 70. Any advice?

https://preview.redd.it/n2xu122l6qjh1.png?width=2021&format=png&auto=webp&s=d5720119f824b68dca95fc4e6a38b6d7172bb813

"I have my test tomorrow. I used STC and I use Kaplan, and I hate the wording, it's so hard. I can't put it off any longer. I took Ken's exam this morning with a 75. If I can just go tomorrow and do the same, I will be so happy, but I'm like test-dumb, not sure others have used this as a benchmark. But is a 75 on Ken's exam a true benchmark if you can pass? I will keep everyone updated, and no matter my result, we still know he's the man. Here goes nothing.

Used Knopman Marks to study, but the real nail in the coffin was Ken and the mighty from D Tin (not sure why he’s filtered here).

Ask me anything you’d like, got a two hour train home. Happy to answer any questions.

High level passover: Heavy on municipals, heavy on investment companies, heavy on options, heavy on suitability, and know your customer accounts (and how you should advise a customer within each).

Ive been studying for about 3 months and i take the test in about 40 days. I’ve also been using STC. I was intimidated when I first got the book because of how big it was but after skimming it, I felt like I was in a good spot because a lot of it expands on the SIE. I’ve read through all of the chapters multiple times and taken good notes. I feel like I’ve learned a decent amount and reinforced some things I already know. However, I feel like I’m not retaining nearly enough information. I’ve done pretty well on the chapter exams but have struggled quite a bit on the final exams. I’ve mainly scored in the mid to high 50’s. It’s pretty discouraging to feel like I haven’t made a ton of progress despite the time I’ve put into studying. It just feels like there’s so many small details that you need to remember for every topic.

Does anyone have any tips for retaining information so I can make my study time more efficient. Should I just start grinding quiz questions and try to pick up things that way instead of continuously reading the book over and over again?

For context I have been in the industry for 13 years. I have taken the 7 before. Once 4 years ago and once last year and scored a 70%. Super depressed about it and during RMD season I couldn't get back into it. It is not required for my job, I have all the other liscenses, 6,63,65 L&H etc....About 8 weeks ago my manager told me about a change that he knew for weeks....that i need my 7 by the end of the year or else I will not get a raise. I will have to wait another year. I had 3 summer trips planned back to back. I am using achievable and was almost done with the entire thing and I did not study during my trips. SO DUMB yes I know... I don't know where to get back in...I wanted to test at the end of Sept but took a Kaplan simulated last night and got a 53%!. I do not get study time but my work will throw any amount of money at my studying. I will have 2 more tries before the end of the year.

Any advice? Do I start over?

Actually cannot describe this feeling. Ask me any questions because this thread has helped more than you can know. So many options,munis,investment companies & suitability. I feel like I got a good draw but still super hard.

Please take Ken’s exams I don’t think I would’ve passed without them!( 5 questions right from the exams). Use www.series7exam.org. Thank you Ken for simplifying this stuff and dea for the mighty.

This was my second try and job was on the line. So please ask away and I’ll answer.