Fees and rules
Exam day at the test center
Independent site, not affiliated with FINRA, NASAA or Prometric. Enrollment and scheduling happen only through FINRA and your firm.
Pick your exam and how far you are: the pacing tool tells you the seconds per question and the time you should have left at that point.
Time per question on exam day
Seconds per question
104
| Questions on screen | 130 (5 unscored) |
| Time allowed | 225 minutes |
| After 60 questions, on pace | 104 min used, 121 left |
The unscored pretest questions look like the others and are spread through the exam, so the pace counts them too.
On the day of a FINRA exam at a test center, the rules come from FINRA's page on preparing for the appointment (test center page). Arrive 30 minutes before the appointment; a candidate more than 30 minutes late may lose the seat if the full testing time cannot be offered. Bring one valid, government-issued photo ID with a signature, in a name that matches the registration exactly; copies and expired documents are refused. Phones, watches, wallets and other personal items go into a locker, and study material is not allowed in the building. The center provides a four-function calculator, erasable note boards and markers, and noise-cancelling headphones. Breaks are allowed for the restroom only and the exam clock keeps running, so a break eats into the 225 minutes of the Series 7 or the 105 of the SIE. Results appear on screen shortly after the end, with a printed report: a pass report gives no score, while a fail report shows the overall score and the performance by section.
Your score · SIE
0 / 0
0 / 5 answered
Choose an answer to begin
| Pass: scaled score of 70; here 4 of 5 correct (70%), an approximation |
| You can still miss 1 |
Practice questions written by Radif Partners from the official outline topics. They are not questions from the real exam. Progress is kept in this browser only (local storage) and never sent.
Questions, formats and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Time per question, exam by exam
| Exam | Questions on screen | Time | Average per question |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIE | 80 | 105 min | 79 s |
| Series 7 | 130 | 225 min | 104 s |
| Series 6 | 55 | 90 min | 98 s |
| Series 63 | 65 | 75 min | 69 s |
| Series 65 | 140 | 180 min | 77 s |
| Series 66 | 110 | 150 min | 82 s |
The averages are generous on paper, but questions are uneven: a definition takes twenty seconds, a margin or options calculation two minutes. The pacing tool above gives the time you should have left after a given number of questions. Check it at a few fixed points, every quarter of the exam for instance, rather than after each question.
Before you leave home
- One valid, government-issued photo ID with a signature, in the exact name of your registration.
- The appointment confirmation, with the address of the center; plan to arrive 30 minutes early.
- Nothing else of use: phones, watches and notes go into the locker, and the calculator and note boards are provided.
If you booked the SIE online instead, the setup is different: a private room and a checked computer replace the travel. The scheduling page compares the two and covers late changes.
During the exam
Use the note board for calculations
Write the formula before the numbers. For a margin question, put down the debit first; for an option, the breakeven. The provided calculator does arithmetic only, so square roots and exponents are not expected, and the yield shortcut is designed for it.
Mark and move on
Some questions are unscored pretest items, mixed in with the others, and you cannot tell which. Do not spend five minutes on one stubborn question: answer your best guess, mark it if the system allows, and come back at the end. An unanswered question is always wrong.
After the exam
A pass is shown on screen and printed, without a score. A fail shows the overall score and the result by outline section, and a waiting period starts before the next attempt: 30 days after a first or second failure today, 15 days for FINRA exams from January 19, 2027 (retake calculator). Rehearse the day with a full timed mock first: the SIE mock or the Series 7 mock reproduce the length and the section weights.
The day before
Check the address and travel time to the center, and the ID you will bring against the name on your registration, letter by letter. Prepare nothing else to carry in: study notes are not allowed in the building and the locker is small. Sleep matters more than a last revision session, and a short review of the formulas you use most (breakevens, current yield, equity in a margin account) is enough. If you feel unwell, remember the change rules: a move made three to ten business days ahead costs half the fee, while not showing up costs all of it.