How many questions are on the SIE, and what’s the passing score?

What’s on the exam

FINRA splits the 75 scored questions into four sections. Products and their risks is by far the biggest, so spend the most time there.

How the score of 70 works

Scores run from 0 to 100, and you need 70. FINRA uses a process called equating to adjust for small differences in difficulty between versions of the exam. That way everyone is held to the same standard.

So a 70 isn’t exactly 70% of questions right. It’s still the best target to use when you practice. There’s no penalty for guessing, so never leave a question blank.

What about the pass rate?

The FINRA pages we checked don’t publish an official SIE pass rate. You’ll see figures on prep company websites, but they aren’t from FINRA. Your practice scores on full-length exams are a better guide to whether you’re ready.

The Series exams at a glance

If you go on to a Series exam, the format and pass mark change. These figures are from FINRA’s exam pages, as of October 2026.

The Series 7 needs a sponsoring FINRA member firm, and you must pass the SIE as well to get the registration. The Series 63, 65 and 66 are NASAA exams that FINRA runs. They don’t need a sponsor, but the Series 66 needs the Series 7 as a corequisite.