Brutal. I had a ton of confidence going into the test, and unfortunately came up short with a 67/100.
Economic Factors and Business Information: 4/8
Investment Vehicle Characteristics: 13/17
Client Investment Recommendations and Strategies: 19/30
Laws, Regs, and Guidelines: 31/45
Was about 96% prepared according to Achievable’s readiness score, with pretty damn good practice exam scores to show for. Also did a practice exam on youtube with a certain guy (unable to name his name) and only missed about 10.
I certainly get horrible test anxiety, had terrible sleep the night before, however I felt like the questions were a bit tougher than I’d prepared for (clearly). I felt like the first 40 questions on the exam were as easy as they come, and then the next 70 were insanely hard.
Using this post partially as a therapy method as well as seeking out advice. Obviously I need to drill much deeper in the Laws/Regs, as I thought that I had a pretty good grasp on the content.
I am sorry to hear that the test did not go as you had hoped. It’s clear you put in the work, and you’re approaching this the right way by reflecting and seeking advice. A 67% means you were very close, and with your foundation already in place, it won’t require a full restart; just focused refinement.
When taking practice exams, treat them like the real thing: limit distractions, use your time wisely, and avoid instant feedback mode to mirror the actual testing experience. Afterward, review your results carefully and focus on understanding why you missed each question rather than just identifying the correct answer. Focus on the concepts behind each question. Understand what concepts you did not understand to cause you to miss a question, and how the exam may try to test the same concept differently on the next exam. This step alone often makes the biggest difference.
From your practice exam breakdown, your most significant opportunities lie in:
Strategies: Type of client (50%)
Strategies: Special accounts (33%)
Characteristics: Pooled investments (75%)
Characteristics: Derivatives (67%)
Characteristics: Insurance (67%)
Strategies: Trading securities (67%)
Regulations: Registration (86%) — solid, but still high-volume and worth reinforcing
These areas are conceptually dense and frequently tested, so it’s worth revisiting the related chapters and redoing the quizzes to strengthen the “why” behind each rule or suitability decision. Continue doing your review questions as they come up, but pair that with targeted study sessions for the sections above. Once you’re feeling solid there, start taking full-length exams again and aim to score consistently in the mid-to-upper 80s. This will give you a buffer for test-day stress or a tougher set of questions.
You’ve already shown you have the discipline; now it’s just about fine-tuning. Stay consistent, and you’ll be ready to crush it on your retake. You got this
