I took the SIE this afternoon (first try) and didn’t make the cut and it was VERY close. 68%! (58/85 questions answered correctly) and learned about Achievable (and took some tests) weeks ago). Surprisingly, FINRA states that I scored a “very low performance” on “Understanding Trading, Customer Accounts and Prohibited Activities” but had “Adequate Performance” for “Understanding Products and Their Risks.”
Prior to Achievable, a colleague of mine lent me a copy of a book published by A.D. Banker & Company and noticed some of the language in the book used directly in the test. Additionally, I put in roughly 150 hours of study time (since Dec 29) and I am very proud in this first attempt especially for someone who didn’t come from a finance background (I studied history and English during undergrad). As a friend pointed out to me, many questions have two right answers, so you must choose the one that is most right, which is tricky. Very nuanced writing.
I give credit Achievable credit for its accessible writing style. Wish me good luck as I schedule for a March 30th retake.
Hey Guy, congrats on your hard effort and close call - we’ll get you through on your next attempt!
FINRA’s score buckets are so broad it’s quite difficult to map those 1:1 to specific chapters. We have a partial mapping here (SIE Exam today and got a 68% (Missed by 2 points) - #2 by brandonrith) and as you can see, they’re kind of all over the place. The best way to figure out the specific areas you should focus on is to take a full practice exam and check our score summary, which maps to more specific textbook chapters.
I reviewed your account, and would definitely suggest you take more practice exams overall. We typically recommend people consistently score in the mid-80s to feel well-prepared for test day.
Please reach out if there’s anything we can do to help!
Thanks for the feedback and input, Justin! Interesting re: partial mapping link and I certainly need to slow.down.my.reading with each question. Upon reflection, I finished the exam with 39 mins left and reviewed flagged questions.
I am taking a week break and will refocus my efforts in taking more practice exams. I’ll reach out if I need more assistance!