You’ve reached the end of the Achievable Series 9 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’s no single perfect indicator, but Achievable’s exam readiness score is a strong 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 been using the system as intended, you’ve likely answered hundreds (or even thousands) of practice questions. Completing practice quizzes and assigned reviews is how you build the knowledge base 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 Achievable chapters in a format similar to the real test. One of the most effective ways to raise your readiness score is to take additional practice exams and improve your scores over time.
Before you take a practice exam, set 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. Also, think beyond the question. A common pitfall is studying specific questions instead of learning the underlying content. While our questions are designed to resemble the real exam, no one knows which questions they’ll see on test day. FINRA closely guards its question bank, and its test writers use unique wording.
If you’re memorizing answers without understanding the why, you’re likely to struggle when the scenario or wording changes.
A helpful self-check is:
“If I was given another question, with a completely different scenario and wording, am I confident I would know the answer?”
There’s no uniform answer. Some people pass without taking a single practice exam, and others may take many and still fall short. It depends on your starting point and how well you learn from review.
Generally speaking, we recommend taking at least 10 practice exams. Many students start in the 50s or 60s. The goal is to build knowledge from each exam through careful review.
A consistent passing score (70% or higher) over five or more exams usually indicates a solid grasp of the material. Higher is better. Plan to review each exam right after you finish it - this is where most of the learning happens.
Another reason to take several practice finals is topic coverage. The Series 9 can test a very large range of subtopics. A full-length practice exam covers 55 questions, which is only a small slice of what you may need to know. Taking multiple exams increases the variety of topics you’ve tested yourself on.
A passing score (70% or above) is a good baseline. However, it’s smart to aim higher.
If you’ve averaged around 70% on your last several practice exams, you have a reasonable chance of passing. Still, the real exam often feels harder because of the testing environment and the pressure of sitting for the real thing. Anxiety can affect timing, focus, and accuracy.
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. In general, the higher your average, the better your odds.
1. You must be sponsored by a FINRA-member firm to take the Series 9 exam. This means you need to be employed by or affiliated with a firm that is a FINRA member.
2. Your sponsoring firm will need to file Form U4 (Uniform Application for Securities Industry Registration or Transfer) on your behalf. This form is submitted to FINRA and contains your personal, professional, and background information. Once submitted, you will be authorized to take the Series 9 exam.
3. You’ll schedule the Series 9 exam through FINRA’s Test Enrollment System (TES) or Prometric (the test administrator).
The FINRA Series 9 exam costs $130 per attempt. The passing score is a 70% 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.
Check your appointment details either the night before your exam or the morning of it. Make sure you know the time, location (or online check-in steps), and any testing-center requirements.
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, ensure that your name on this ID is the exact same name under which your exam is scheduled.
Arrive early.
This helps you check in without rushing and ensures you’ll be ready to start on time.
As always, refer to the FINRA website for further information.
Check out the Achievable Blog for more study tips and best practices.
FINRA exams can feel stressful. The most reliable way to prepare is to use the Achievable system as intended: complete the readings, take practice quizzes and exams, and review your results carefully so you understand the underlying concepts.
Thanks again for choosing Achievable for the FINRA Series 9. If you have feedback, please let us know!
Wishing you the best,
The Achievable team