I’ve completed about nine practice exams, averaging ~83% in around 30 minutes each, without rechecking flagged answers. My dashboard showed I was 97% ready, though I scored 79-80 something on the last three while sick, bringing my dashboard down to 94%.
I took the SIE today and was surprised by how different the question wording was from the practice platform. I scored a 69, using the full 1 hour and 40 minutes vs the practice questions. I was particularly shocked by my low score in Section 2, despite my efforts to understand it well.
Can you provide any advice or insight based on my account performance?
Hi, @Gerald_Swaniawski. I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t pass. I’ve viewed your account and have some suggestions that will help! You did take 8 full-length exams and averaged in the upper 70s/ low 80s for those. You completed those relatively fast, so my first suggestion would be to slow down and analyze the questions and answers to ensure you understand what it is asking and why each answer is wrong or right. You took your other specific exams much too quickly - some as fast as 5 minutes. Taking your time on exams is critical; the most crucial part is reviewing them extensively afterward. I strongly suggest you improve your reviewing habits and begin reviewing your full-length and specific sections of exams after each take. Make sure to view each question and figure out what you understand regularly and what you do not. That way, you can hone in on those topics and re-learn the concepts to get a better grasp. You mentioned you did not recheck flagged answers as well, so I suggest you do instead check those as you flagged them for a reason.
Overall, my suggestions going forward would be to take more intentional time on each exam, review your flagged questions, and then review the questions after the exam is taken for some time. A couple of specific areas you could focus on, too, would be: Retirement and education plans, Primary market, Brokerage accounts, Rules and Ethics, Investment companies, and US Government debt. Please let me know if you have any other questions as you continue to study. Thank you, - Brenden
I might be misunderstanding your message. How I’m interpret it is that I should slow down on the practice questions, review my flagged answers so I can score higher on the practice exams?
The 8 exams that I took getting low 80s, and taking them fast, was bc I felt confident in my answers for the most part. Post the results, I would then review both flagged (correct or incorrect) and wrong questions, to improve my knowledge gap, after submitting the practice test (essentially studying what I know I don’t know and didn’t know I didn’t know). Again, just to clarify, I hadn’t been reviewing flagged questions during the practice tests (and getting low 80s), but after submitting the practice tests, I would review all flagged and incorrect answers, analyzing why and where I went wrong, create flash cards, and further studying content on those areas.
On the actual SIE today, I found myself having to use the whole time allocated vs the time need to answer the practice questions.
Based on the results that I shared from my failed exam (sections 1&2 mostly), and the deficit in areas in my performance from my account, are they aligned and if so, or not , i’m seeking to understand what areas and chapters I need to focus on more to improve my understanding of those sections.
I failed with a 66. All I can say is the wording on that test was HARD. Achievable taught me the material, there’s no questioning that. What I did not feel it prepared me for was the wording difference on the actual test. I almost feel like I need to study a dictionary, not the material again!
Hi @Gerald_Swaniawski, I understand you’re disappointed by the exam outcome, but missing by just 1 point signifies you’re very close, only needing one more correct answer. Stay determined!
Over the next month, I suggest focusing on two key strategies. First, consistently complete your Reviews assigned on the homepage. Our adaptive learning platform evaluates your progress and presents practice questions exactly when you need reinforcement. This targeted review is highly effective, so make sure to adhere to this routine daily or at least every other day.
Second, keep taking practice exams and analyzing the results. While reviewing, try to “think beyond the question.” Focus on understanding the core concepts rather than memorizing answers, as the exam questions are uniquely phrased. FINRA’s question set is tightly controlled, making encounter repeats unlikely.
Here are our chapters that are most closely aligned with FINRA’s SIE outline for Section 1:
While the chapters mentioned above don’t encompass every concept within Sections 1 and 2, they do address the most critical test topics. Alongside maintaining your ongoing reviews and practice exams, it’s a good idea to revisit these chapters and complete quizzes following each reading. I’m certain that your review will lead to success on your next take - best of luck!
