This is a sticky subject.
As someone who’s been in a huge firm now for several months going through licensing, here’s my thoughts:
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Pacing may be necessary, but it’s not your ‘friend’. Don’t listen if others tell you to brush through material without fully understanding it.
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“Don’t shoot for 100%; shoot for a passing score of 72% (s7).” – This is also terrible advice. Firms say this because they truthfully want to move candidates through like cattle, and I understand why. It’s ‘sink-or-swim’ and the creme rises to the top. But with that mentality, you and only you need to accept accountability for yourself.
No offense, but firms that preach this approach really care about their own interests, not yours. They want people to move through their training programs like cattle, that’s why they tell you NOT to shoot for a 100%.
It’s not true. Try and fully understand the concepts thoroughly to be successful on the Series 7. Because at the end of the day, that’s what they’re testing for. They’re testing to see if you UNDERSTAND this stuff, not if you can memorize it. And FINRA is mighty good at it too.
I’m passing this forward as someone who FAILED my Series 7 the first time, partially for the reasons above. I let them get to me about falling behind pace, and trusted my manager who kept telling me to shoot for high 60’s.
And I ended up with a 61%.
After that, I did it MY WAY which took an extra couple of weeks (about 6-7 instead of 4) and nailed it on my second attempt.