United States · ExamPut in your SIE date and the planner spreads 28 lessons over the days you have left. It starts with capital markets and the Fed, moves through stocks, bonds, options and funds, and ends on trading, prohibited activities and the rules for registered people. Two days before the exam it sets a full practice run and a redo of what you missed. Our set has 20 questions, so use FINRA’s free 75-question practice test for that run if you can.
Pick the date of your test and how long you can study each day. You’ll get a plan that takes you right up to the test.
How should you study for the SIE?
FINRA doesn’t publish a study method, but its own materials tell you a lot about what to do:
- Work from the content outline. It lists every topic the exam can test and says some questions test general industry knowledge, such as how a bond’s price and yield move, while others test specific rules, such as Form U4 filing.
- Take FINRA’s free 75-question practice test. FINRA says its questions are like the real ones, but your score on it isn’t a reliable prediction of your result, so use it to find what to review.
- Practice against the clock yourself. The practice test is untimed, and the real exam gives you 1 hour 45 minutes for 80 questions.
- Watch FINRA’s exam tutorial, so the screens aren’t new on the day.
- Answer every question. There’s no penalty for guessing.
How long should you study for the SIE?
FINRA doesn’t give a recommended number of hours or weeks. The planner works from your date instead: it divides the lessons by the days you have, keeps the last two days for practice and review, and tells you when the plan looks tight for the time you set each day.
Once you enroll, FINRA gives you a 120-day window to take the exam, so pick a date inside it that leaves room to get through every section.