Assigning yourself Series 7 homework is not always easy. Figuring out what to study from one week to the next is daunting for most people. In today’s post, I discuss some best practices to create structure for yourself. Series 7 Homework: Start At the Beginning We recommend starting with two full practice exams. What this Series 7 homework will ultimately do is give you a general sense of your strengths and weaknesses. To determine this, reference the performance tracker on Kaplan. Kaplan’s Performance Tracker will give you an excellent breakdown of not only the different chapters where you sc ..read more

With the markets closed on Friday, many students have a chance to implement long weekend FINRA exam studying. In today’s post, we include some recommendations around studying for your exam this long weekend. To Take the Vacation or Not? We tend to hear a lot about student guilt when it comes to vacations during study time. Our general advice for those worried about missing out on added productivity is to not sweat it too much. When it comes to vacations, especially a quick weekend trip, you won’t forget much, if anything. Sure, you won’t learn anything new but you have to ask yourself if the t ..read more

Discipline and structure for FINRA exams make all the difference. We see it time and again with students at all different education levels. In today’s post, we discuss why it’s so important. Discipline and Structure for FINRA Exams: Intelligence can be Acquired At Professional Exam Tutoring, we get students with all different educational backgrounds. A common misperception is that the bad high school or college student, is the bad student forever. In fact, we find that being a bad student at any point in your life – which simply means not putting in the effort to read and learn – can be totall ..read more

The Series 79 Exam in 2024 seems to be about the same as it has been in recent years. Specifically, the breakdown of the exam between analytical and non-analytical questions is roughly similar. In today’s post, we recommend a few areas of focus given this structure. Series 79 Exam in 2024: High Scores in Non-Analytical Regular feedback from a students on a week-to-week basis in 2024 have similarities with prior years. Namely, the analytical portion of the exam tends to be the big stumbling block. As has been the case in recent years, the exam ends up roughly 60% non-analytical, and 40% analyti ..read more

For those of you that have to take the Series 63 Exam 2024 has minimal changes so far. In today’s post, we address what you should expect from this state exam this year. Series 63 Exam 2024: Exempt versus Non-Exempt Many of the same old issues are coming up again this year. Namely, students are tripping up over exempt versus non-exempt securities and transactions. These two topics are still among the most that we get queried on for private Series 63 tutoring. If you have a problem with these sections, you are certainly not alone. One reason for the focus, is because they remain a key component ..read more

The Series 86 Exam in 2024 has not changed much. That said, consistent feedback we hear from students is that the exam has become a little more conceptual. In today’s post, we discuss what exactly that means. The Series 86 Exam and 2024: Current Events The Series 86 Exam in 2024 has a different feel than it did in 2022. On May 15, 2023 the exam changed to 85 questions from 110 questions. And, towards the end of 2023, many students reported that the exam had become much more conceptual. In other words, the exam of prior months and years was heavily analytical and quantitative. Current feedback ..read more

We can list off plenty of Series 7 stumpers that trip up many students. However, in today’s post, we take a look at the ones that trip everybody that we come across. Series 7 Stumpers: Start and Finish with Options Unsurprisingly, the Options section is our most requested topic at Professional Exam Tutoring. The three stumpers in this section are: Hedging with Options, Spreads, and Straddles. You could probably even throw in “Combinations” for fun since they are a derivative of straddles. In all questions on Options, the very first step in understanding how to answer them is to identify the st ..read more

Years of tutoring have given us a unique view of the Series 66 exam priorities that should be front and center. A little extra attention in these areas will significantly boost your odds of passing. In today’s post we take a look at where you should spend your time.   Series 66 Exam Priorities: A Tough Exam Needs a Good Strategy The Series 66 Exam is a notoriously challenging exam. Not quite the Series 7 Exam, and certainly not as easy as the Series 63 Exam. There are many areas where this exam trips up the average student. Specifically the math and economics sections: IRR, NPV, present v ..read more

Playing the odds on your FINRA exam sounds like some form of gambling. But, in fact it’s probably the most efficient and effective way to study. In this post, I describe how we encourage our students to focus on the heavily-weighted areas. Playing the Odds on Your FINRA Exam – Avoid the Small Bets Some people don’t get a lot of time to study. A few hours at night, or on the weekend can be the best some get. To maximize your time, you need to focus on what matters. Namely, areas where you’re having trouble. More specifically, areas where you’re having trouble in the highest weighted sections. A ..read more

When it comes to SIE exam prep in 2024, we have already seen a lot of students with familiar habits. Generally speaking, spending a lot of time spinning their wheels. Specifically, putting work into low return on investment areas can extend your study process. Not only that, but it runs the risk of leading to a failed exam attempt. in today’s post, we recommend where to focus your energy for the SIE exam SIE Exam Prep in 2024… Start with the Basics First, you want to make sure that you have the right study material. On this front we continue to recommend STC as the provider of choice. STC is b ..read more