Series 7 and 6
The Series 7 exam in 2026
Ten questions drawn from the four job functions of the official outline, corrected one by one. Below: the format, the weights, the fee and how to plan the work.
Your score · Series 7
0 / 0
0 / 10 answered
Choose an answer to begin
| Pass: scaled score of 72; here 8 of 10 correct (72%), an approximation |
| You can still miss 2 |
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.
The Series 7, or General Securities Representative exam, is the FINRA exam that qualifies a person to sell almost every kind of security: stocks, corporate and municipal bonds, options, investment company products, variable contracts and direct participation programs. It is the broadest representative exam, with 125 scored questions plus 5 unscored ones, 3 hours 45 minutes to answer them, and a scaled passing score of 72 (FINRA Series 7 page). Since January 1, 2026 it costs $395, against $300 before. Unlike the SIE, it needs a sponsoring FINRA member firm, and the SIE is its corequisite: both must be passed before the registration is approved. The outline organises the content by the four functions of a representative's job, and one of them dominates: providing information about investments, making recommendations and maintaining records carries 91 of the 125 scored questions, about 73% of the exam.
Is my mock score above the passing line?
Result against the line (approximation)
Above the line
| Passing line | scaled 72, about 90 of 125 |
| Your share | 74% |
| Margin | 2 answers |
| Questions you can miss | 35 |
FINRA reports a scaled score after equating each exam form; it publishes no table from correct answers to scaled score, so the share of correct answers is only a guide.
Questions, formats and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
The Series 7 in figures
| Series 7, 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Questions | 125 scored questions plus 5 unscored |
| Time | 3 hours 45 minutes |
| Passing score | 72 (scaled) |
| Fee | $395 ($300 until the end of 2025) |
| Sponsoring firm | required |
| Corequisite | SIE |
The four job functions
FINRA's content outline describes the exam as the tasks of a representative, from finding customers to settling their trades. Each function has a fixed number of scored questions and its own practice page here.
| Function | Subject | Scored questions | Share | Our questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Seeking business | 9 | 7% | 28 |
| F2 | Opening accounts | 11 | 9% | 37 |
| F3 | Investments and recommendations | 91 | 73% | 154 |
| F4 | Orders and transactions | 14 | 11% | 33 |
The imbalance is the key planning fact. A candidate can be weak on communications rules and still pass, but not weak on options, bonds or suitability, since they all sit in the third function. The other three functions are smaller but rule-heavy: they reward precise knowledge of what must be signed, approved, disclosed or reported, and when.
Who takes it, and how it is registered
Under FINRA Rule 1220, the general securities representative category covers almost all securities business with customers, apart from a few specialised areas with their own exams. A firm hires you, files your registration on Form U4, and the enrollment follows with a 120-day window to sit the exam. Many firms add a state registration, which brings the Series 63 or the Series 66. The sponsorship page explains the filings.
How to prepare
Start from the SIE level
The Series 7 assumes the SIE vocabulary and goes deeper: where the SIE asks what a covered call is, the Series 7 asks for its breakeven and the customer's maximum gain. If your SIE is recent, begin with the third function directly; if not, a few SIE practice sets on products are a useful warm-up.
Work the math early
Options, margin, bond yields and fund pricing are where points are lost to arithmetic slips. Each has a calculator here: options, margin, bond yields, municipal bonds and fund pricing.
Then full mocks
When each function sits above the line in practice, take the full timed mock: 125 questions in the official proportions. Plan for several, spaced out, and use the review page between them. The study planner turns your available hours into a date to book.
After the exam
A pass, combined with the SIE, lets the firm complete your registration. A failure triggers a wait of 30 days before a second attempt, shortened to 15 days from January 19, 2027, and a new fee (retake calculator). The registration then carries yearly continuing education.
How the Series 7 differs from the SIE
The SIE checks that a candidate knows what products and rules exist; the Series 7 checks that a representative can apply them to a customer. Questions often describe an account, a goal and a recommendation, and ask what the representative must do, what the customer must receive or which choice is suitable. That is why reading the explanation of each practice question matters more here than on the SIE: the reasoning, not the definition, is what the exam rewards. The comparison page sets the two exams side by side, with their fees, lengths and lines.