From ZERO to FULLY Licensed in 10 months - My Story

FINRA
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I finally passed the Series 7 yesterday!

After putting in around 100 hours of study time, completing four Kaplan practice exams, one Kaplan master exam, and answering over 1,800 QBank questions, I’m thrilled to share that I passed the Series 7 on my first attempt. Without question, this was the hardest licensing exam I’ve taken—more challenging than the SIE, 63, 65, or Life & Health.

As of today, I’m officially fully licensed. Since August 2024, I’ve successfully completed:
• Securities Industry Essentials (SIE)
• Series 63
• Series 65 - (1 unsuccessful attempt)
• Life & Health Insurance license
• Series 7

The Life & Health license wasn’t part of my original plan, but it became a requirement after receiving a job offer in February 2025. That pivot, combined with all the exams, made this year-long journey intense, and the relief I feel now is beyond words.

If you’re currently preparing for the Series 7, I’d be more than happy to share details about the topics that showed up most on my exam and my study approach while it’s all still fresh. This one truly tested me.

Study Resources I Used

Throughout my journey, I used a mix of Achievable and Kaplan, depending on the exam. Here’s how I broke it down:
• Achievable was my go-to for the SIE, Series 63, and Series 65. Their textbook is incredibly well-structured, clear, and beginner-friendly. It really helped build a strong foundation.
• For the Series 65, Life & Health, and Series 7, I primarily used Kaplan, especially their QBank and textbook, which I felt were much more aligned with the difficulty level and nuance of the actual exams.

That said, I still turned to Achievable’s options section for the Series 7, because they explain options in a very digestible and visual way that clicked better for me.

Quick feedback for Achievable: The textbook content is fantastic—especially for beginners—but I think the question bank could be improved by increasing the difficulty and complexity to better mirror real exam scenarios. More conceptual depth and fewer memorization-based questions would really elevate the experience. That said, thank you to Achievable for being a key part of my success.

I also supplemented with free content from Series 7 Guru and Ken Finnen on YouTube—both were helpful for reinforcing tricky topics in a more casual, real-world tone.

A Look Back on the Journey

I’m 24 years old now, but I started this licensing journey at age 23, right after finishing my undergraduate degree in Business Administration. I had no prior finance experience, aside from a few coursework electives and some casual crypto investing.

That said, I completed a 4-month internship as a research analyst at an international securities firm in Tokyo, and since February, I’ve gained 5 months of full-time work experience in the financial industry.

I started from scratch—unsponsored—and had to figure out the roadmap on my own. It wasn’t easy, but every challenge helped me grow.

What’s Next?

Originally, my plan was to pursue the CFP®, but as I’ve learned more about the industry, I’ve shifted my focus toward the CFA® designation. Since it requires at least three years of qualified experience, I’m planning to start that journey around next year.

To Anyone on This Path:

If you’re just getting started or deep in the licensing grind—I see you, I respect you, and I’m rooting for you. These exams are difficult and the process can be lonely, especially if you’re coming from a non-traditional background.

But I hope my experience proves that it’s possible to make progress and carve out your place in the industry, one step at a time.

Keep pushing, stay consistent, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Wishing you all the best in your studies and beyond!

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I would like to keep in touch with you if you don’t mind. With your cfp what type of jobs do you plan to get? Also if you don’t mind about how much time in between was it between each test? Congrats on getting licensed by the way!

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Congratulations on passing, and thank you for the suggestions and feedback!

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Hey, thanks so much! I’d love to keep in touch as well — it’s great to connect with others going through the same licensing process.

Originally, I was working toward the CFP with the goal of becoming a Wealth Management Private Advisor. If I had continued down that path, some of the typical roles I would’ve pursued (in order of progression) might’ve looked like:
1. Client Service Associate or Financial Planning Associate
2. Associate Wealth Advisor or Paraplanner
3. Financial Advisor or Wealth Manager
4. Private Wealth Advisor / CFP® Practitioner

That path is still a great one, but as I progressed through the licensing exams and got deeper into finance, I realized I was more interested in the investment side and the growth potential in research and private markets. So now I’m planning to pivot toward earning the CFA designation instead.

With a CFA, I’m looking at roles like:
• Equity Research Analyst
• Investment Analyst
• Private Equity Associate
• Eventually something like a Portfolio Manager or even a Partner at a PE or investment firm.

As for the exams, here’s a quick breakdown of my timeline:
• SIE – Took about 7 weeks of study, but midway through I noticed the Series 63 was shorter, so I paused and studied for that instead.
• Series 63 – Studied for 3 weeks, passed, and then went back to the SIE.
• SIE (exam) – Took it one week after finishing the 63, both passed in September.
• Series 65 – Took a 2-week break, then studied from October to December 24th. I failed once in November (overconfident from the 63), but passed it on Christmas Eve.
• Life & Health – Took a break until March 3rd, then studied and passed in 3 weeks.
• Series 7 – Started in April, but was inconsistent until mid-May (about 55 hrs in by then). Got serious from June to July, added 40+ more hours, and passed after around 100 hours total over 3 months.

It’s definitely been a grind, but worth it!

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With the cfa are those all considered asset managment roles?

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Congrats!

Currently working on completing my SIE and finding an opportunity, unfortunately in my area there are 0 job openings or internships so that is my biggest struggle. Did you live in Tokyo when you found the internship? I’ve accepted that once I get the SIE done I most likely just need to move to a bigger area to find a job or internship, there simply isn’t anything around me even with years of experience in finance and two business degrees.

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Also i was going to ask with the certificates you had before going for the cfa what type of jobs did you have in the past? Also what was your bachelors degree in for the field? Im unsure if I should specifically have a bachelors in wealth management because it could hinder the opportunity for other finance fields if I do change my mind.

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The CFA is all about investment management, so a lot of people with that designation do end up in asset management roles. But it’s not just limited to that. You can find CFA charterholders in jobs like equity research, portfolio management, and financial analysis too. So, it’s pretty versatile in the finance world.

To clarify, I haven’t taken the CFA yet, but I plan to start in about a year or so. Keep in mind that even after passing the exams, the CFA designation won’t be active until I have three years of relevant work experience.

As for my background, I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Based on what I’ve seen, if you’re considering a finance career, I’d recommend getting a bachelor’s in either Finance, Accounting, or Economics/business, in that order. These fields are less broad compared to Business, which is more general. Any of these three will set you up well for a finance career.

Regarding your question about wealth management, having a very specific degree could potentially limit opportunities if you decide to explore other areas in finance. A broader degree might give you more flexibility. Whatever path you choose, just make sure it aligns with your interests and career goals!

Hope that helps!

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I am curious how did you find sponsor for your series 7 exam without experience? I am looking for sponsor. Thank you.

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Hey Colin,

In my case, I was introduced to someone in financial services through a family connection, specifically, one of my relative’s friends’ husbands. I initially applied to his company for a different role through the traditional route, but after realizing it wasn’t the right fit, he ended up bringing me onto his team directly.

I found applying through career sites to be pretty tough, even with a few licenses under my belt. Out of dozens of applications, I only received two offers, and those came in a couple of weeks after I had already accepted another job.

If you’re starting out with no experience, I’d definitely recommend tapping into your network, friends, family, anyone willing to make an introduction. Career sites can still be helpful, but I found personal connections made a bigger impact.

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Did you use achievable for series 63 as well?

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Also if you had the sie what made you choose to do the series 63 and 65 separately vs just going for a series 66.

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Hey ebattle07,

How much time in terms of hours did it take you to secure a pass with all of these exams? And, how many practice exams did you take before you felt that you were ready and prepared to pass?

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Yes, I chose to pursue the Series 63 and 65 because they’re both licenses that don’t require a sponsor, unlike the Series 7 or 66. I originally took the SIE, 63, and 65 to make myself more marketable while job searching.

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SIE Exam
Materials Used: Achievable
Study Time: ~125 hours
Practice Exams: 20
Difficulty: 7/10

This was my first FINRA exam, so all of the terminology was new to me. Achievable’s clear and concise explanations were perfect for a beginner, and I found the textbook and question bank fully sufficient as a standalone resource. I reached a 100% readiness score before sitting for the exam.

Series 63 Exam
Materials Used: Achievable
Study Time: ~60 hours
Practice Exams: 9
Difficulty: 4/10

There was helpful content overlap with the SIE, which made this one feel more manageable. Achievable’s focused curriculum and manageable question bank made it easy to target key concepts. I again reached a 100% readiness score before taking the exam.

Series 65 Exam

Materials Used: Achievable + Kaplan (Q-bank + textbook)
Study Time: ~90 hours with Achievable + ~40 hours with Kaplan
Practice Exams: 6 with Achievable, 2 with Kaplan
Difficulty: 10/10 (1st attempt), 7/10 (2nd attempt)

I initially scored a 90% readiness score on Achievable, but it wasn’t quite enough, so I supplemented with Kaplan for the second attempt. Kaplan’s additional Q-bank and textbook helped round out some gaps. I passed on my second try with stronger overall confidence.

Series 7 Exam
Materials Used: Kaplan
Study Time: 100+ hours
Practice Exams: 6
Difficulty: 11/10

Kaplan doesn’t offer a formal readiness score for this one, but I completed about 50% of the question bank and averaged 74% on practice exams. This exam was broad and content-heavy, but my background from the SIE, 63, and 65 helped significantly. It was extremely difficult for me compared to the other exams, and I flagged 47 questions for review. After taking another look, I was able to reduce it to 26 questions before submitting my exam.

Feel free to check out my other posts on Achievable’s community forum for a more detailed analysis of my experience with each exam. You should be able to view them through my profile. Let me know if you have any questions—I’m happy to help!

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hi I forgot to reach out to you again. First of all since I am not currently enrolled in a 4 year college I don’t have any financial friends. I wanted to see if you like to keep in touch regarding the career growth and sharing career advice. Also are you US based even though you got the Tokyo internship?

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There are also more private questions I wanted to ask you regarding the finance degree and future employment. I wanted to see if I could get your contact information if you don’t mind.

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Hello,

If my experiences can provide some insights into the financial field early in your career, I’d be happy to connect!

Regarding your question, I’m no longer working with the company where I did my internship in Tokyo. That was simply my starting point, and it’s what helped me get into finance. I’d be happy to share more!

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