You’ve reached the end of the Achievable Series 66 material.
This final chapter doesn’t introduce new testable content. Instead, it covers what to expect on exam day and a few practical best practices as your test date approaches.
There isn’t a single perfect answer, but Achievable’s exam readiness score is your best overall gauge. At the top of your homepage, you’ll see a 0-100% score that estimates your likelihood of passing. In general, the closer your score is to 100%, the better your odds on test day.
Your score reflects multiple factors, including:
If you’ve used the program as intended, you’ve likely worked through hundreds (or even thousands) of practice questions. Completing practice quizzes and assigned reviews is how you build the knowledge you’ll need for the exam.
One of the most important inputs to your readiness score is practice exam performance, including both your scores and the number of attempts. Practice exams help you “put the big picture together” by pulling questions from across all chapters in a format that’s similar to the real test. The most reliable way to raise your readiness score is to take additional practice exams and improve your scores over time.
Before you take a practice exam, put your notes aside. Using outside resources (for example, the Achievable text or Google) will artificially inflate your score. On the actual exam, you won’t have access to study materials - only a notepad and a calculator.
After every practice exam, do a thorough review of each question and answer. Make sure you understand why you got a question right or wrong, and then think beyond the question. A common pitfall is studying the questions instead of the underlying content. Our questions are designed to resemble the real exam, but no one knows the exact questions they’ll see. The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) closely guards its question bank, and exam questions are often uniquely worded.
If you’re memorizing answers without understanding the reasoning behind them, you’re relying on something the real exam won’t reward.
A useful self-check is:
“If I was given another question, with a completely different scenario and wording, am I confident I would know the answer?”
If the answer is yes, keep moving forward. If the answer is no, go back and review that topic in the reading materials.
There’s no universal number. Some people pass without taking a practice exam, and others may struggle even after many attempts. It depends on how well you understand and retain the material.
Generally speaking, we recommend taking at least 10 practice exams. Many students start out scoring in the 50s or 60s. The goal is to use each exam to identify weak areas, then build knowledge through careful review.
A consistent passing score (73% or higher) over five or more exams is a strong sign that you have a solid grasp of the material. Higher is better.
Be sure to spend quality time reviewing each exam right after you take it. That review process is where most of the improvement happens.
Another reason to take several practice finals is topic coverage. The Series 66 can test you across thousands of subtopics. A full-length practice exam covers 100 questions - so the more exams you take, the more breadth you’ll expose yourself to.
A passing score (73% or above) is a good starting point. However, it’s smart to aim higher.
If you’ve averaged around 73% on your last several practice exams, you have a good chance of passing. Still, the real exam environment can feel more stressful than practice, and anxiety can negatively affect performance.
We recommend aiming for a mid-to-high 70s average (or higher) on your last 2-3 practice finals. That gives you a buffer for test-day nerves or other issues that can pull your score down.
Create and register an account on the FINRA website. The Series 66 is typically taken by individuals who are already associated with a FINRA-registered firm, although you do not need a sponsor firm to take the exam.
Enroll for the The Series 66 exam - the NASAA Uniform Combined State Law Examination from the list of available exams. As stated previously, the Series 66 does not require sponsorship from a firm, but if you plan to register with a firm, they may assist with the process. If you don’t have a firm sponsor, you can still proceed with registration independently.
Schedule your exam. The exam will be administered at a Prometric test center. The Series 66 exam will only be available online for candidates who require a testing accommodation.
The FINRA Series 66 exam costs $177 per attempt. The passing score is a 73% or higher.
There are waiting periods after failed attempts: 30 days after the first two failed attempts, and 180 days after the third and subsequent failures.
As you approach test day, we recommend the following to help things go smoothly:
Review your email confirmation.
Set aside time to review your appointment details either the night before your exam or the morning of it.
Bring your ID.
Regardless of how you are testing, bring one valid, government-issued identification document with a signature and picture, such as an unexpired driver’s license, passport, or military ID. Also, make sure the name on your ID exactly matches the name under which your exam is scheduled.
Arrive early.
Arriving early helps you avoid last-minute delays and gives you time to check in without rushing.
As always, refer to the FINRA website for further information.
Check out the Achievable blog for more study tips and best practices.
Many test takers use “dump sheets” as study supplements and as a way to create a “legal cheat sheet” for exam day. Dump sheets typically include visual guides and summarized notes on key topics. As the name suggests, you memorize the material and then “dump” it onto your notepad at the beginning of the exam.
These are allowed in the test center as long as they are created after the test has started (and not during the initial tutorial). They aren’t required to succeed, but some test takers find them helpful.
You can certainly create your own, but here are Achievable’s Series 66 dump sheets:
Download: Series 66 Exam Dump Sheet - General Formulas
Download: Series 66 Exam Dump Sheet - Product Characteristics and BRTI
Download: Series 66 Exam Dump Sheet - State Laws and Regulations
Download: Series 66 Exam Dump Sheet - Federal Laws, Regs, Ethics, and Accounts
NASAA exams can feel stressful, so it helps to plan for that reality. Use the Achievable system as intended, keep your practice exams closed-book, and make exam review a non-negotiable part of your routine in the final days or weeks before test day.
Thanks again for choosing Achievable for the NASAA Series 66. If you have feedback, please let us know!
Wishing you the best,
The Achievable team