
Key Takeaways
- Successful completion of the Series 65 exam qualifies an investment professional to function as an Investment Adviser Representative in certain states.
- Topics include state and federal securities acts, rules and regulations for investment advisers, ethical practices, and fiduciary obligations—including communications with clients, compensation, client funds, and conflicts of interest.
- Questions on the exam have been updated to reflect the 2018 changes to the tax code.
What is the pass rate for the series 65 exam?
What Is a Passing Score on the Series 65? To pass the Series 65 exam, candidates must achieve a minimum score of 72.3% by correctly answering 94 of 130 multiple-choice questions in 180 minutes.
What is series 65 securities license?
The Series 65 license is a state-specific securities license that allows individuals to market and sell securities and give financial advice related to securities. The Series 65 is a NASAA exam but is administered by FINRA. Preparing for this exam with a study course is often the first step to getting your Series 65 license. Recommended Course
What are the series 6 and 63 licenses?
If you’re interested in multiple certifications, then Series 63 compliments Series 6 nicely. That’s because a Series 63 license allows you to solicit orders for any type of security in a particular state. Naturally, that opens up many more options when combined with the Series 6 certification. Start Studying For The Series 6 Exam
How long is the series 65 exam?
What Is the Series 65 Exam Like? When taking the Series 65, candidates must complete the exam within 180 minutes. A passing score is 72%, which translates to correctly answering 94 of the 130 scored questions. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, which administers the exam, does not release Series 65 pass rates.

What can you do with your Series 65?
On its most basic level, a Series 65 allows a financial professional to give clients investment advice and analysis. It's a fairly standard exam in the financial industry. Candidates who receive their Series 65 license are qualified as Investment Advisor Representatives (IAR) in certain states.
How much can you make with a Series 65?
Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination - (FINRA Series 65) (NASAA) Jobs by SalaryJob TitleRangeAverageWealth AdvisorRange:$50k - $131kAverage:$76,995Investment AdvisorRange:$41k - $135kAverage:$68,030Portfolio ManagerRange:$59k - $154kAverage:$84,524Investment AnalystRange:$44k - $100kAverage:$62,6073 more rows•Aug 11, 2022
What is the difference between Series 65 and 7?
The Series 65 enables a financial professional to give clients investment advice and analysis. If the professional wishes to sell packaged investment products or to buy and sell securities they must pass the Series 7.
What is the difference between Series 66 and 65?
Focus of each exam The series 66 is more heavily focused on state laws and regulations of investment advisers, while the series 65 focuses more heavily on content found in the series 7, like product, suitability and economics.
Is the Series 65 exam difficult?
But the bottom line is that the Series 65 exam isn't really much harder than other common industry licensing exams, like the Series 6 or the state Life and Health license. Most will take 2-4 weeks to study, spending about 20-30 hours, and pass the exam with its required 72% passing grade.
How long does it take to study for the Series 65?
55-60 hoursHow long do I need to study for the Series 65 Exam? When preparing to take the Series 65 exam, you should plan to study for 55-60 hours. Typically, candidates study over the course of 2 weeks. The time you need to spend preparing for the exam varies depending on your familiarity with the material.
Does Series 65 expire?
The Series 65 license does not expire, as long as you continue to work for a sponsoring firm in the financial services industry. If you leave your sponsoring employer, you must find a new sponsor within two years to keep your license current.
Should I get a Series 65 license?
The Series 65 is required if you want to charge a fee to give securities advice to residents in most states. You do not need any other licenses to act as an investment adviser representative. You cannot sell securities with only a Series 65 license.
Can you get a Series 7 without a sponsor?
To take the Series 7 exam, you must be sponsored by a FINRA member firm or a self-regulatory organization (SRO). Firms apply for candidates to take the exam by filing a Uniform Application for Security Industry Registration or Transfer (Form U4).
Does Series 65 make you an accredited investor?
If I pass a Series 65 examination, is that all I need to do to qualify as an accredited investor? No. The SEC's August 26, 2020 order allows persons who hold an “Investment Adviser Representative license (Series 65) … in good standing” to qualify as accredited investors.
Does Series 65 make you an accredited investor?
If I pass a Series 65 examination, is that all I need to do to qualify as an accredited investor? No. The SEC's August 26, 2020 order allows persons who hold an “Investment Adviser Representative license (Series 65) … in good standing” to qualify as accredited investors.
How long is a Series 65 license good for?
The Series 65 license does not expire, as long as you continue to work for a sponsoring firm in the financial services industry. If you leave your sponsoring employer, you must find a new sponsor within two years to keep your license current.
Can you take series 65 without a sponsor?
Eligibility. You do not need to be employed by or sponsored by a FINRA member firm in order to register and take the series 65 exam.
Does a CFP need a Series 65?
“A Certified Financial Planner or CFP is a professional designation which requires rigorous coursework, examination and a fiduciary commitment to serve the best interests of the client.” In fact, all CFPs have to undergo training and obtain a Series 65 securities license to become a financial advisor.
What is a Series 65 license?
The Series 65 may be just one license to obtain if you’re looking to become a financial professional. Consider researching every licensing exam before creating a plan that works best for you and your career. A financial professional with a Series 65 license qualifies as Investment Advisor Representatives (IAR).
What is a series 65?
The Series 65, also known as the Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination, is a test and license required of most financial professionals. Menu burger. Close thin.
What is an IAR license?
An IAR is a financial professional who provides investment advice and analysis for a fee. It’s important to note that having a Series 65 license allows a financial professional to give investment advice. It does not license them to sell packages investment products or to buy and sell securities.
How to prepare for Series 65?
Consider purchasing a Series 65 textbook and completing as many practice questions as you can. This may help you become familiar with the structure and length of the exam. There are several third-party companies that can help you prepare for the rest, but FINRA may not endorse them.
How long do you have to wait to take the Series 65 exam?
You must wait 30 days before taking it again if you fail the Series 65. What a Series 65 License Means. On its most basic level, a Series 65 allows a financial professional to give clients investment advice and analysis. It’s a fairly standard exam in the financial industry.
How many questions do you need to answer to pass the Series 65 exam?
To pass, candidates must answer 94 of the 130 questions correctly for a score of 72%. Candidates don’t need a sponsor to take the Series 65 – or the Series 63or Series 66, for that matter. You can apply for the Series 65 exam via FINRA’s website.
How many questions are asked in Series 65?
Candidates have 180 minutes to complete the exam. To pass, candidates must answer 94 of the 130 questions correctly for a score of 72%.
What is a Series 65?
Designed by the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) and administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Series 65 is an exam and securities license required for individuals to act as investment advisers in the US. The Series 65 exam, known formally as ...
How many questions are asked in the series 65 exam?
The Series 65 examination contains 130 multiple-choice questions. Candidates have 180 minutes to complete the exam. Candidates must get 94 of the 130 questions correct to pass (a score of 72.3%).
What is the series 65?
Updated May 9, 2019. The Series 65, officially known as the Uniform Investment Adviser Law Exam, is designed to test an individual's knowledge and ability to advise clients in the area of investing and to discuss general financial concepts. 1 If you have a basic understanding of finance, economics and investing, you will have a huge head start, ...
Who Doesn't Need the Series 65?
If you are not charging a fee and you do not regularly provide advice on securities, then you most likely do not need to get your Series 65 license. But this is rarely the case.
Is a Series 65 investment an asset?
So if you are currently looking for a career in a financial advisory position, Series 65 could be an asset to your résumé. If you don't have it yet, it could be a requirement that you get it once you get hired.
Who is Barclay Palmer?
Barclay Palmer is a creative executive with 10+ years of creating or managing premium programming and brands/businesses across various platforms.
Do you need to be employed to take the series 65 exam?
Eligibility. You do not need to be employed by or sponsored by a FINRA member firm in order to register and take the series 65 exam. It will affect what form you need to fill out upon registering: If you are sponsored, a Form U4 needs to be filled out and submitted; if you are not, you need to fill out a Form U10.
Who can take the Series 65?
Currently, the majority of those who take the Series 65 are either securities professionals who have not passed the Series 7 General Securities Representative Exam, or those in related fields within the financial services industry—such as accountants —who wish to be in the business of providing investment advice for fees. This includes, of course, those who work for investment advisory firms and wish to become IARs.
How long is the Series 65 exam?
It had long been a 75-question exam that focused primarily on state securities laws (the Uniform Securities Act) and ethics but became a 130-question "competency exam" with a time limit of 180 minutes.
How many questions are asked in the series 63?
1 The Series 63 (formally known as the Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination) consists of 60 questions. The exam has a time limit of 75 minutes.
Is the Series 66 exam easier than the Series 7?
As a result, the Series 66 exam is considered by most to be an "easier" test.
What is a Series 6 license?
The Series 6 license is known as the limited-investment securities license. It allows its holders to sell "packaged" investment products such as mutual funds, variable annuities, and unit investment trusts (UITs). 1 The Series 6 exam is 135 minutes long and covers basic information regarding packaged investments, securities regulations, and ethics.
How much does a series 6 license cost?
The Series 6 exam costs $40 ; the Series 7 costs $245; the Series 63 costs $135; the Series 65 costs $175; and the Series 66 costs $165. 7 There are also other fees associated with getting a license, such as the cost of a study course to prepare for the exam.
What is FINRA licensing?
FINRA Licensing Breakdown. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) oversees all securities licensing procedures and requirements. This self-regulatory organization administers many of the exams that must be passed to become a licensed financial professional.
What is the passing score for a series 7 63 and 65?
Most securities exams administered by both FINRA and the NASAA have a passing score of 70%, except for Series 7, 63, and 65, which have passing scores of 72% , and Series 66, which has a passing score of 73%. All tests are now given via computer at approved proctor testing sites.
What is the series 66?
Series 66. This Series 66 is the newest exam offered by NASAA. In essence, it combines the Series 63 and 65 exams into one 150-minute exam. 6 This test contains no investment material, as the Series 66 license is only available to candidates that are already Series 7 licensed.
What license do insurance agents need?
Many insurance agents and other types of financial planners and advisors also carry the Series 7 license to facilitate certain types of transactions inherent in their businesses. Principals of general representatives must also obtain the Series 24 license.
How long is the Series 7 exam?
The Series 7 exam is by far the longest and most difficult of all the securities exams. It lasts for 225 minutes and covers all aspects of stock and bond quotes and trading; put and call options; spreads and straddles; ethics; margin, and other account holder requirements; and other pertinent regulations.
How to sign up for Series 65?
In order to sign up for the Series 65 examination, you can do so by setting up an account and filling out an interactive Form U10 online. The Form U10 is only available online for submission. For new users filing the Form U10 online, you will need to start by signing up for an account on the FINRA website.
Who administers the Series 65 test?
The North American Securities Administrators Association (also known as “NASAA”) sponsors the Series 65 test (also known as the Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination) on behalf of the state securities regulators, and FINRA administers the Series 65 test on behalf of NASAA by currently utilizing the professional testing centers across the country of Pearson Professional Center and Sylvan Prometric Testing Centers.
How much is the Series 65 exam?
The testing fee for taking the Series 65 examination is one hundred and eighty-seven dollars ($187) at the time of this writing. When you complete the Form U10 online, you will be required to pay this examination fee with a credit card or electronic (ACH) payment online. The Series 65 testing fee does not include the costs of study materials or the fee that the state securities regulator will charge when the individual applies to become an investment advisor representative in a particular state.
How many questions are asked in the series 65?
The passing score of the Series 65 test is 72 percent, which is 94 correct responses for the 130 test questions comprising the exam. The 10 pretest questions do not count towards your final score. The Series 65 examination must be finished within 180 minutes.
How long does it take to get a NASAA series 65 challenge?
A candidate, who has taken the Series 63, Series 65 or Series 66 examination, can challenge the specific content of an exam question by submitting the NASAA Exam Question Challenge Form within 30 days of the candidate’s exam testing date.
What happens if your Series 65 exam window expires?
If your Series 65 exam window expires, you will need to open a new window and pay another exam fee.
What is the Series 65 test?
The Series 65 test covers a wide variety of topics, including federal and state securities regulations, ethical guidelines, types of security products, methods for evaluating securities, securities trading strategies, and the principals of economics.
What financial advisors are required to pass series 7?
All of Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and other Wall Street firms’ financial advisors are required to pass the series 7 license.
What are the two types of financial advisor licenses?
Generally, there are two types of licenses for people who call themselves a “financial advisor.” People who passed the series 65 test and people who passed the series 7 test. The nature of these two licenses are as far apart as heaven and earth.
Can a series 7 financial advisor give you kickbacks?
They are actually prohibited by law to give financial advice, except incidental to the financial products they are selling. A financial advisor with a series 7 license can receive third party payments like kickbacks, commissions etc in conjunction with the products they sell you.
Who needs a Series 65 license?
Securities industry professionals seeking to charge a fee to provide investment advice as an investment adviser representative (IAR) are required by most state securities administrators to pass the Uniform Investment Adviser Law Exam, more commonly known as the Series 65 exam. There are no other securities license requirements for individuals acting solely in an investment adviser capacity.
What is the series 63 exam?
Securities industry professionals seeking to transact securities business (make an offer or sell securities) with residents in most states as a broker-dealer agent are required to pass the Uniform Securities Agent State Law Exam, more commonly known as the Series 63 exam.
What licenses are required for a securities broker?
The securities industry is regulated at the federal level, but there are also state securities requirements that must be met. The Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 licenses are required by securities administrators in most states. To obtain each of these licenses, an applicant must pass an exam and apply for state registration.
Is a SIE required for FINRA?
No, the SIE is only required for FINRA licensing. There are no corequisites for the Series 65. Get started on your Securities Industry Essentials. Topics: Securities , FINRA , Series 63 , Series 65 , Series 66.

Understanding The Series 65
- Successful completion of the Series 65 exam qualifies an investment professional to function as an Investment Adviser Representative in certain states. Other FINRA-administered qualification examinations include the Series 3 National Commodities Futures (NCFE), Series 7 General Securities Representative (GS), and Series 63Uniform Securities Agent State Law. NASAA has c…
Series 65 Exam Structure
- The Series 65 examination contains 130 multiple-choice questions. Candidates have 180 minutes to complete the exam. Candidates must get 94 of the 130 questions correct to pass (a score of 72.3%). Test takers are provided with a basic four-function electronic calculator. Only this calculator may be used during the exam. Dry-erase boards and markers are also provided for ca…
Series 65 Exam Content
- NASAA provides updated information on the exam's content on its website. The exam is structured as follows: 1. Economic Factors and Business Information (15%, 20 questions): Topics include monetary and fiscal policy, economic indicators, financial reporting, quantitative methods, and basic risk concepts. 2. Investment Vehicle Characteristics (25%, ...
Who Needs The Series 65?
Who Doesn't Need The Series 65?
- If you are not charging a fee and you do not regularly provide advice on securities, then you most likely do not need to get your Series 65 license. But this is rarely the case. Other certificates and licenses can be deemed sufficient training in place of the Series 65 and exempt the holders from having to take this exam. For example, most states will exempt you from the Series 65 if you hav…
Eligibility
- You do not need to be employed by or sponsored by a FINRA member firm in order to register and take the series 65 exam. It will affect what form you need to fill out upon registering: If you are sponsored, a Form U4 needs to be filled out and submitted; if you are not, you need to fill out a Form U10. Both can be done electronically on FINRA's website. This exam is one of the more ba…
The Series 65 Exam Content
- The exam is closed book and covers topics such as:7 1. Economics and Business Information (15%): Economic cycles, financial reporting, and types of risk 2. Investment Vehicle Characteristics (25%): Types of investments, including fixed income, equity and other securities, and valuing these 3. Client Investment Recommendations and Strategies (30%): Types of clients…