r/Sieexam

Hey all,
I’ve been studying for a bit with Kaplan (finished the book and audio books) and pretty much got to where I’m comfortable and scoring high 70s and 80s on sim exams. I took my first practice exam today and scored a 77. Feeling really good at this point.

After that I decided I would check out achievable just to see what it was about and try their practice exam. It fucked me up! I did horrible because the wording is so different and it spins questions differently.

I feel I know the material pretty well at this point but it was very disheartening to fail so bad with achieveable. I was getting like 50% of em, correct.

Did Kaplan prepare me enough?

So I failed the SIE twice from a 65 to a 69 and after my first fail I felt so much motivated to study and get it done now after my second fail I seem to be lacking it and I guess it stems from watching the videos on STC and already knowing the answer and going back to the same material that I used before. Is this normal any tips from anyone that experienced this before I wanna pass like nothing else it just worries me I’m not having the drive I’ve had the pass two times

I probably got super lucky, but I passed without taking a practice test and only watching the Series 7 Guru and Kenneth Finnen the night before and morning of. If anyone has any questions please dm.

2weeks of Stc program
Now series 7 in 3 weeks and 66 after that

I think it was a pretty okay exam, heavy on what an RR is permitted to do, barely any calculations and a few basic options. STC practice exams definitely harder. Ask me anything if you need to. Thanks for this group for introducing me to Ken (series 7 whisperer)

Does anyone recall, if you allowed to have a personal sheet of paper when testing online. I do not work well with the online scratch paper.

For the people who used Kaplan to study, what were you scoring on simulated exams before you passed? Also, do you think the questions on Kaplan were harder than the actual SIE. Any other recommendations?

I truly am grateful for all the support. Thank you for all your help I couldn't have done without y'all. If anyone has any questions on the SIE let me know! Some of the questions how it was worded was nothing like Knopman marks.

Hello everyone. For the past month I have been studying for the SIE using Achievable. I liked it, it is a good program, however, I have come to start reviewing and doing practice questions. The questions are great and everything. But, I would like to start to get exposure to other types of questions or questions that have the layout closer to the test. I have heard Knopman and STC have good practice questions. Wanted to see what others say. If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know. Thanks.

Hello Everyone,

My name is Nagaraj, and I’m from India. I’m an Oracle Database Administrator. As part of my organizational requirements, I need to pass the SIE exam.

At present, I’m using the SIE Exam 2025/2026 For Dummies PDF to prepare for the exam and build my knowledge. Could you please let me know whether this material is sufficient to pass the exam, or if there are any other freely available study materials or resources that you would recommend?

Thank you very much for your guidance.

About to take the SIE in like 4 hours and I just wanna say thank you for all your help. I'll be studying lightly just review a little but I'm going to go in there confident because I feel like I know the material at this point it's just discipline with the questions. I got this!

I’ve been using achievable to study and there’s obviously no heavy math but there is some practice questions that would require a calculator. Is there even any math questions on the actual SIE?

Hey all, I am currently associating with a firm and have received access to stc to study. I additionally have used knopman/kaplan.

Here’s a breakdown of what i

Knopman - I’m about 70% through knopmans book while also using their quiz bank and videos/lectures.

Kaplan - completely read twice and used up a ton of their question bank

STC - Just got access to today through firm

I’ve taken the exam twice and scored a 61 and 69. I really need to pass this exam and would like to know how to best take advantage of the materials at my disposal. My test date is next week so I need to maximize my time and energy to get this done. Any recommendations???

I’m right there and know I can do this! Let me know what you guys think!

For context I studied 40 to 60 minutes per day for about two months. I got high 70s and low 80s on the Achievable practice tests and an 82 on the official FINRA SIE practice test. Here are my best tips to pass.

1. Sign up for a test date well in advance. This is key because it gives you a deadline to ensure you study.

2. Use a course. I used Achievable and it was fantastic. The material was easy to read and there was a quiz at the end of each section to help solidify the info. You also put your test date in and they tailor the course and split up the studying into chunks each day that you complete.

3. Don't stress it too hard. If you read all of the info and complete your work each day you should pass.

Literally just passed 5 minutes ago. Thank you all for your help and advice!!

I am taking my SIE exam tonight and have a course readiness of 88% on achievable. Is there anything you guys recommend I watch or do before my test? thank you.

I’m starting to study for my sie and wanted to know which test prep site everyone prefers. I’m leaning towards achievable but definitely open to everyone’s input.

felt i should come here because of how much reddit helped me. i can try to answer questions as best i can but i generally blacked out during it.

76% on Benchmark

I have been going through Knopman marks and I am taking my test on Monday. I have taken my benchmark today and I am not gonna like for like 10-15 of those questions I truly guessed and then the obvious wrong ones. I am stressed because I don't like to guess and be unaware but I feel burnt out to the max at this point.

My scores:

Diagnostic 1: 74%
Diagnostic 2: 64%
Benchmark: 76%
FINRA Practice Exam: 82%
Overall Custom Quiz Score: 56%