Series 66 MEGATHREAD!

This is helpful. Thanks for your post layhe! I am also not a good test taker. I am currently studying for the 66 and using TC because of the praise that is on this website from former users of the material. Glad to know I have the right material! Congrats on the 76 score. I would take that anyday!

I am taking the 66 in a week and I’m worried sick. My firm has me on a study program using STC’s material. The book was absolute torture to read, as I had to read 2 chapters a day…several of them 30 page chapters. It was like a whirlwind covering so much material and being up past midnight every single night.

I say this not to sound negative, but to let you know that, I too, am a horrid test taker. I choked the first time I took the Series 7 and failed with a 70…got a 79 on my second attempt.

After taking all 10 of the “open book” STC tests, I am officially worried. My firm has us take those all closed book instead of open and wants an average of at least 70. I averaged a 69 after taking all 10. Next are the “closed book” practice tests I will take starting tomorrow and all next week until I take the real thing. I definitely need to go back and review, because I’m not ready.

One last question - why do you say the 66 is easier than the 7? My firm says the 66 is a good bit harder, and I agree based on this material. Sorry for writing a book, but I’m really getting worried and need some tips. Thanks for starting this thread!

If you are averaging 69%, you should be worried. 75% is passing for the 66. Which is easier is very subjective. One might say that a higher passing score for the 66 would make the 66 more difficult to pass. Also, a 50% weight to law can make the 66 difficult for some people.

If you are averaging 69%, you should be worried. 75% is passing for the 66. Which is easier is very subjective. One might say that a higher passing score for the 66 would make the 66 more difficult to pass. Also, a 50% weight to law can make the 66 difficult for some people.

Yes I understand that 75 is a passing score. But like I said, I averaged a 69 on the open-book tests…without opening the book. I definitely need to learn more, but that 69 is hardly indicative of how I would do on the actual test. Like I said, my firm is looking for a 70. That’s what I’m worried about.

One last question - why do you say the 66 is easier than the 7? My firm says the 66 is a good bit harder, and I agree based on this material. Sorry for writing a book, but I’m really getting worried and need some tips. Thanks for starting this thread!

Jhud, there are a couple of reasons… There is much less material to study and the exam is no where as long as the 7. I have issues concentrating during tests, especially after 2+ hours of taking a test. The 7 is about a 5-6 hour test, which is what had me struggling to pass it.

Also, there aren’t a lot of ways to change up 66 questions like they could on the 7 by changing different variables. I think this is why people (and myself included) believe they are seeing identical questions from the TC study material.

I only had the TC material for 1 week, so don’t feel like it’s too late. I would go ahead an buy it if I were you. If you have windows 7 or 8, use the “Snipping Tool” app to take screenshots of questions you’ve missed or need to look over more and save them to a folder on your desktop. I had about 60-70 TC questions that I saved that way and would go over them all the time. In addition to that, in the STC book take out the “cheat sheet” pages at the ends of chapters 2,3, and 4 (I think) and keep them with you at work/home studying over them. I have a nice 2 pg (front and back) Kaplan cheat sheet that is helpful. I can e-mail it to you or try to post it on here if you’d like.

[quote=Jhud423]One last question - why do you say the 66 is easier than the 7? My firm says the 66 is a good bit harder, and I agree based on this material. Sorry for writing a book, but I’m really getting worried and need some tips. Thanks for starting this thread!

Jhud, there are a couple of reasons… There is much less material to study and the exam is no where as long as the 7. I have issues concentrating during tests, especially after 2+ hours of taking a test. The 7 is about a 5-6 hour test, which is what had me struggling to pass it.

Also, there aren’t a lot of ways to change up 66 questions like they could on the 7 by changing different variables. I think this is why people (and myself included) believe they are seeing identical questions from the TC study material.

I only had the TC material for 1 week, so don’t feel like it’s too late. I would go ahead an buy it if I were you. If you have windows 7 or 8, use the “Snipping Tool” app to take screenshots of questions you’ve missed or need to look over more and save them to a folder on your desktop. I had about 60-70 TC questions that I saved that way and would go over them all the time. In addition to that, in the STC book take out the “cheat sheet” pages at the ends of chapters 2,3, and 4 (I think) and keep them with you at work/home studying over them. I have a nice 2 pg (front and back) Kaplan cheat sheet that is helpful. I can e-mail it to you or try to post it on here if you’d like.[/quote]
Thanks for the tips! I am glad to say I scored an 84 on my first STC timed simulation test last night. Definitely not going to get my hopes up though - I still have 8-9 more to go.

As far as the Kaplan cheet sheet, I would love to see it! I have been provided with a couple of different tools but I would like to access as much as possible. Thanks!

Layhe, I would like to see that Kaplan “cheat sheet” as well. What is the best way to get that from you?

Guys, shoot me a pm or reply with your email and I’ll send it to you

I want to chime in on this post as well. My firm also provided me with STC. I read all of the chapters then took the practice test. I avg between 72-77 on those. I read on this website TC was the way to go so I bought the online test for $99. I took all the individual chapters test then took the practice exams avg. between 80-85 after my 2nd try on each one. The questions asked in STC compared to TC was night and day. STC asked a lot of math based questions. The real test might’ve asked a handful of math questions and it was math questions that anyone can do in their head (13.5% - 5% = ?)

Today, I took and passed the 66 with a score of 77. I felt like TC best prepared me for what the test was asking. No joke, I saw 10-15 questions almost identical from TC to the real test. Like layhe said, it was a bell curve test with the first 10 and the last 10 questions being chip shots, real easy questions. The middle part was challenging but just read the question and pick apart the wrong answers and you’ll pick the right answer.

I hammered the TC practice questions for the last week and I did see the same questions multiple times so I felt it was better for cram session, something one should focus on within the last two weeks. All in all, anyone who tries to study and pass the 66 should. People that think, “well I passed the 7 so I can pass the 66” without studying will most likely fail.

Good luck to other test takers out there, hope this advice helps.

let me know if anyone needs the TC series 66 material. I have the online lectures, practice exams, and book for sale. Expires 12/24/2013. looking for $140 obo.

Make_it_rain reminds me… TC apparently checks with finra to see if you’ve passed the exam. If you’ve passed, they expire your account to prevent reselling the account. I know this bc I tried it.

Just passed the Series 66…made an 84!!!. TC prepared me well for the exam. Honestly, there was not much I didn’t know when taking this test. Felt very confident… However, I did put in a lot of study time but so glad to be done with it.

Just passed the Series 66…made an 84!!!. TC prepared me well for the exam. Honestly, there was not much I didn’t know when taking this test. Felt very confident… However, I did out in a lot of study time but so glad to be done with it.

Must be nice. I made a 70 today. I aced the suitability/recommendation part but did terribly on the rest. Makes me sick. Yeah yeah, I know the test focuses on laws more than anything. It’s just frustrating, because I’m prepared for what’s really important in the industry.

I’ll have to push back the process and study 2 more weeks, but like I said my firm has us on the STC program, so it’s my only option.

Jhud423-Sorry to hear about that. My firm used to use STC but the failure rate was so high that they switched to Training Consultant. Glad that they did…I would highly recommend you purchase the software on your own if feasible.It’s broken down in a way that’s easily understandable.

Pass Perfect is the best for the 66. I recommend their program to all of my students. One overlooked detail regarding any materials provider is the their explanations to answers. Pass Perfect often gives you very detailed explanations to questions. You should avoid providers that reword the question and then use it as an answer/explanation.

Hi Guys, I recently took the 66 and failed with 74% using STC. I am now using Training Consultants, rereading their study manual and going to the Live Class next week. I am averaging 91% on the content exams. I took 1 of the final exams (when I first started) and got a 77%, the 2nd final I got a 91%. Has anyone ever taken the Live Classes before? I hear TC is definitely the way to go for the 66 but any feedback on my progress and/or classes would be greatly appreciated. I also found the Uniform Combined State Law Examination (Series 66)
Exam Specifications and Outline a few days ago on the NASAA Website http://www.nasaa.org/industry-resources/exams/series-65-66-resources/series-66-study-guide/ . This is an exact outline of the subjects (IN DETAIL) that will be tested on the exam. I thought this may be of great use to everyone. Thanks

[quote=AN714]Hi Guys, I recently took the 66 and failed with 74% using STC. I am now using Training Consultants, rereading their study manual and going to the Live Class next week. I am averaging 91% on the content exams. I took 1 of the final exams (when I first started) and got a 77%, the 2nd final I got a 91%. Has anyone ever taken the Live Classes before? I hear TC is definitely the way to go for the 66 but any feedback on my progress and/or classes would be greatly appreciated. I also found the Uniform Combined State Law Examination (Series 66)
Exam Specifications and Outline a few days ago on the NASAA Website http://www.nasaa.org/industry-resources/exams/series-65-66-resources/series-66-study-guide/ . This is an exact outline of the subjects (IN DETAIL) that will be tested on the exam. I thought this may be of great use to everyone. Thanks[/quote]

AN714, sorry to hear you failed by only 1 point. I used STC too and felt that it tested on things that were never going to be on the actual exam.

When you say final exam, do you mean one of the 1-5 exams? or do you mean the Final random exam? If you’re scoring in the 70’s on the 1-5 exams from TC, that’s normal. Make sure you’re going over the areas that you do poorly in. I recall making around 75-80’s on the 1-5 exams. When I took them, I would go over my problem areas by taking a 50 question set in the topic area. Then, I went on to the random finals, making high 80’s to low 90’s.

Pass Perfect is the best for the 66. I recommend their program to all of my students. One overlooked detail regarding any materials provider is the their explanations to answers. Pass Perfect often gives you very detailed explanations to questions. You should avoid providers that reword the question and then use it as an answer/explanation.

Pass perfect is good, especially their explanations. The explanations go into detail and often include “!” marks to emphasize their point. However, I felt that (like STC) they test on things that were never going to be on the test, which was frustrating. Then again, I had the 2008 version, so things may have changed since then.

[quote=mstudy]Pass Perfect is the best for the 66. I recommend their program to all of my students. One overlooked detail regarding any materials provider is the their explanations to answers. Pass Perfect often gives you very detailed explanations to questions. You should avoid providers that reword the question and then use it as an answer/explanation.

Pass perfect is good, especially their explanations. The explanations go into detail and often include “!” marks to emphasize their point. However, I felt that (like STC) they test on things that were never going to be on the test, which was frustrating. Then again, I had the 2008 version, so things may have changed since then.[/quote]

No company should have an “inside track” to what will actually be on the test. They should all be using the NASAA outline and teach the material based on that outline. Some providers may give you more than you need to know, which I think is totally okay. The material should also be challenging, which is a characteristic of Pass Perfect. Working with challenging, comprehensive material should help you pass the exam and also help in your career.

[quote=layhe][quote=AN714]Hi Guys, I recently took the 66 and failed with 74% using STC. I am now using Training Consultants, rereading their study manual and going to the Live Class next week. I am averaging 91% on the content exams. I took 1 of the final exams (when I first started) and got a 77%, the 2nd final I got a 91%. Has anyone ever taken the Live Classes before? I hear TC is definitely the way to go for the 66 but any feedback on my progress and/or classes would be greatly appreciated. I also found the Uniform Combined State Law Examination (Series 66)
Exam Specifications and Outline a few days ago on the NASAA Website http://www.nasaa.org/industry-resources/exams/series-65-66-resources/series-66-study-guide/ . This is an exact outline of the subjects (IN DETAIL) that will be tested on the exam. I thought this may be of great use to everyone. Thanks[/quote]

AN714, sorry to hear you failed by only 1 point. I used STC too and felt that it tested on things that were never going to be on the actual exam.

When you say final exam, do you mean one of the 1-5 exams? or do you mean the Final random exam? If you’re scoring in the 70’s on the 1-5 exams from TC, that’s normal. Make sure you’re going over the areas that you do poorly in. I recall making around 75-80’s on the 1-5 exams. When I took them, I would go over my problem areas by taking a 50 question set in the topic area. Then, I went on to the random finals, making high 80’s to low 90’s.[/quote]

Thanks for replying Layhe. I am averaging 90% on the Study Content test’s. I took 2 out of the 1-5 Final Exams (Non-Random). When I first started with TC, right after failing the 66, I took Final Exam 1 and got a 77%. I then took Final Exam 2 right after and got a 91%. I have now finished reading TC study manual and will be completing the rest of the Final Exams including the Random Exam. I plan on rereading the study manual and taking all the test’s again until I reach above an 85%+ on all of them. I will be sure to take the 50 question set in the topics that I have unsatisfactory scores in. Thanks!

[quote=AN714][quote=layhe][quote=AN714]Hi Guys, I recently took the 66 and failed with 74% using STC. I am now using Training Consultants, rereading their study manual and going to the Live Class next week. I am averaging 91% on the content exams. I took 1 of the final exams (when I first started) and got a 77%, the 2nd final I got a 91%. Has anyone ever taken the Live Classes before? I hear TC is definitely the way to go for the 66 but any feedback on my progress and/or classes would be greatly appreciated. I also found the Uniform Combined State Law Examination (Series 66)
Exam Specifications and Outline a few days ago on the NASAA Website http://www.nasaa.org/industry-resources/exams/series-65-66-resources/series-66-study-guide/ . This is an exact outline of the subjects (IN DETAIL) that will be tested on the exam. I thought this may be of great use to everyone. Thanks[/quote]

AN714, sorry to hear you failed by only 1 point. I used STC too and felt that it tested on things that were never going to be on the actual exam.

When you say final exam, do you mean one of the 1-5 exams? or do you mean the Final random exam? If you’re scoring in the 70’s on the 1-5 exams from TC, that’s normal. Make sure you’re going over the areas that you do poorly in. I recall making around 75-80’s on the 1-5 exams. When I took them, I would go over my problem areas by taking a 50 question set in the topic area. Then, I went on to the random finals, making high 80’s to low 90’s.[/quote]

Thanks for replying Layhe. I am averaging 90% on the Study Content test’s. I took 2 out of the 1-5 Final Exams (Non-Random). When I first started with TC, right after failing the 66, I took Final Exam 1 and got a 77%. I then took Final Exam 2 right after and got a 91%. I have now finished reading TC study manual and will be completing the rest of the Final Exams including the Random Exam. I plan on rereading the study manual and taking all the test’s again until I reach above an 85%+ on all of them. I will be sure to take the 50 question set in the topics that I have unsatisfactory scores in. Thanks![/quote]

Np, goodluck. Sounds like you’ve got this

UGLY. I just took the 66 this morning (11/14/13) and barely passed with a 77. It was the most difficult standardized test I have ever taken, period. Yes, harder than the 7.

I studied through Fire Solutions. This worked well for me on the 7, where I got an 89. So I expected good results for this. I studied very hard for both and my average quiz/final scores for the 66 were much higher than the 7. In general I am a solid standardized test taker.
So why the disparity? Maybe I do not do as well with legalese. While there were a lot of familiar things, I don’t think the testing company really has a lock on the material like they did with the 7. I am not sure if this is because the language is so convoluted, the post-test data they collect is not as good, or what.

But just understand—this one is a real slice of misery. I found that the language was significantly more ambiguous than the 7. Barely any math to speak of. Much more about NPV and cash flows than I would have anticipated. The curve of difficulty people mention is about right.

There were moments during the test when I was simply tempted to get up and walk out, I was so convinced I failed. This has never happened to me in my life. My understanding is that this 66 is not your mother’s 66—high fail rate. Interestingly I can’t find good data on first-attempt fail rate because it is probably awful. My firm gives you two shots at it, versus one for the 7, which also tells you something.

My point: your results on the 7 are absolutely no indication of how you do on the 66, which is a completely different animal. Emphasis on legal minutae.

Advice: study as hard or harder than you did for the 7, keep re-reading material. Tests help but they are not enough. Read, read, read.

BEST WISHES AND GOODS LUCK TO ALL!

Also–to note that I had 4 weeks to study for the 66–that was the allotted time that the firm gave me. Prior to that I was working on the 7 (which was 7 weeks of study).

Also–to note that I had 4 weeks to study for the 66–that was the allotted time that the firm gave me. Prior to that I was working on the 7 (which was 7 weeks of study).

Congrats on passing and thanks for sharing that information for others to read. 4 weeks is a short time period if you’re working full time. The information on the 66 isn’t intuitive at all, like the 7 can be.

Well, here I go again. I’ve been given 2 more weeks to study for the 66 since I failed with a 70. Again, I’m forced to use STC material.

Question: does TC offer a podcast or even CDs I could order and listen to for extra information? I need help quick. Thanks!

Any help??

If you buy the program with the book and on-line lecture you can listen to Tina walk you through the book and let you know the important topics to highlight or take note of. I think that its around $210.00 for the entire package with practice tests.

Jhud, I’m not sure what firm you are with but the firm I am with also provides STC but it is not mandatory that you use it for the 66. If you have already failed with STC I would strongly advise you to go ahead and spend the 210 dollars and get the TC material. If you are short on time maybe just get the practice tests from TC. I think you can order the p-tests for around $100. You probably will not have very different results from doing the same thing to prepare for the test. Besides, if you were to buy TC and use it on your own time how will the firm you work for know? You have already shown that you’ve gone through the material numerous times. If you pass the actual test is what they are really looking for. I hope whatever you decide your results are better this time around. Good LUCK!!

Jhud, I’m not sure what firm you are with but the firm I am with also provides STC but it is not mandatory that you use it for the 66. If you have already failed with STC I would strongly advise you to go ahead and spend the 210 dollars and get the TC material. If you are short on time maybe just get the practice tests from TC. I think you can order the p-tests for around $100. You probably will not have very different results from doing the same thing to prepare for the test. Besides, if you were to buy TC and use it on your own time how will the firm you work for know? You have already shown that you’ve gone through the material numerous times. If you pass the actual test is what they are really looking for. I hope whatever you decide your results are better this time around. Good LUCK!!

Thanks, but it’s not so much the material as it is my test taking skills. I also failed the 7 with a 70 the first time I took it and made a 79 the second time using STC.

Since I also made a 70 on the 66, it’s pretty clear that I have a fairly solid grasp of the overall material. It’s just a matter of me fine tuning the areas I am weak in, and I’ll do that. I wanted some good audio to listen to while I fall asleep at night, but not willing to pay $200 just for that. Thanks for the feedback, though.

$200 is a small price to pay to give your self a better chance of passing. I would consider it an investment and not a cost. If you want to pay less and get an excellent product, you can try Pass Perfect’s Smart 66 on the Web for $125. This includes their manual and their questions. It does not have audio, though.

$200 is a small price to pay to give your self a better chance of passing. I would consider it an investment and not a cost. If you want to pay less and get an excellent product, you can try Pass Perfect’s Smart 66 on the Web for $125. This includes their manual and their questions. It does not have audio, though.

I’m using a combination of TC examsand STC exams for the 7. Do you think this a good combination to pass the exams? Sorry for hijacking the thread…

I will be taking my second attempt at the 66 on Monday. Could someone tell me a good pace to use while testing? I have been trying to answer 47 questions in the 1st hour, 47 more in the 2nd hour, leaving me 30 minutes for the last 16. Other suggestions???

I had a difficult time finishing on time as well. They key is to keep moving and don’t get bogged down on questions that you are lost on just guess, move on and mark them. I was more like 45 in first hour and then 65 in the last 1.5 hrs. The order of questions is always different so just figure you have 1.36 mins per question

Thanks FMR. Unfortunatelty I didn’t see your post in time, but I DID pass the 66 today!!! Stoked!!!

Thanks FMR. Unfortunatelty I didn’t see your post in time, but I DID pass the 66 today!!! Stoked!!!

Nice work! I’m sure others would love to hear how it went, if you have the time. Hope our information helped get you over the hill so to speak

[quote=Jhud423]Thanks FMR. Unfortunatelty I didn’t see your post in time, but I DID pass the 66 today!!! Stoked!!!

Nice work! I’m sure others would love to hear how it went, if you have the time. Hope our information helped get you over the hill so to speak[/quote]
I stuck with STC and corrected my trouble areas from the first time around. I’m sure your product is fine, but it’s like I said before the test…you have to believe in yourself and correct the problem staring you right in the face.

I know this is an old thread, but can someone send me the Kaplan cheat sheet for the series 66?

I asked a couple of weeks back for the Kaplan cheat sheet to the fellow who offered it (PM’ed) and never received. I will tell you though that I’m taking it on Friday and I did buy the TC materials and studied for the past 2 1/2 weeks and I feel more than confident that I’m going to pass, I would strongly recommend! @ggrenda

I recently finished working with someone who used Smart 66 on the Web from Pass Perfect and he passed with a 80%. He was using materials from another provider and was scoring 80 to 90% on practice tests and then he switched to Pass Perfect and on his first final exam he scored about a 60%. Their exams are tough which is great. With my help and his hard work with the Pass Perfect materials, he passed the exam on his first try. A friend of his had used Training Consultants based on positive comments about them and failed the exam on his first two attempts. Not sure if it was the materials or lack of effort on the second attempt. On his first attempt, this person did not study very much.

I would have to say it was lack of effort. I studied with TC and TC only and passed with an 83 on the first attempt.

I must stay the series 66 is a very hard exam. If you are using training consultants focus on the laws chapters 1,2,4 and chapter 5 and 6 for Investments and you will pass. You have to score in the 90’s for the standard finals to succeed in the exam and really try to understand the concepts. I managed to get an 83% first attempt but I earned it. Very very very hard exam and I can see how someone can fail if you don’t understand the underlying concepts. I would say you can use any provider but understand the concepts because if you are looking for questions hoping for them to be on the actual exam you WILL FAIL plain simple. You have to put in more effort than 7. Anyways good luck to you all.

Well guys, mark another win down for TC - I studied my butt off after not passing the first time using FireSolutions and decided to purchase TC on my own because of all the great things I heard about it from this forum.

I studied for three weeks (1/4-1/23) using TC and scored in the low to mid 80’s (83, 85, 82, 79, 85) on my first round of finals, I then went back and reread chapters 1 and 6 and took sets of 50 questions twice in chapter 1 and 6. Following this I took 2 Random Finals and scored 92 and 89 and then retook the finals I didn’t score above 85 on.

Following this I called TC and spoke with the people they had available to answer questions - every time I called they were available and gave me 30-40 minutes of phone time to ask any questions I had and were extremely quick and helpful in answering everything I had asked.

Yesterday I took my exam at 3pm - before it I was extremely nervous (my job was on the line) and I called to ask 2 last minute questions, to my surprise the owner of the company, who is also the founder (Tina) was actually the one who took my call. She was extremely nice, helped me figure things out and literally gave me a pep talk and calmed me down, she said “I predict you will score between 83 and 87 based on your questions and exam scores - you will be fine” and then gave me her email to follow up and let her know how I did. I SCORED AN 85. Talk about an accurate forecast! I must say that not only did the course content completely prepare me for the test but the customer service and availability of support was amazing.

10 out of 10 for TC - buy it if you want to pass this test.

Can someone please send me the KAPLAN “cheat sheet” for the S66. I am testing next week.

I had to pay for mine, so I am guessing that everyone else is going to make you do the same. Don’t put all of your hope in passing the exam with it. It is a 4 page breakdown. You need to know a lot more about the information than what they give you. The best thing, even though it is time consuming is to go through the book and jot down, “what is this…” on every subject that you are having difficulty with. I had the cheat sheet for the 7 and it only helps you if you know a lot about the subject.

Anyone who has recently taken the 66 exam and pssed using training consultants-
I am using TC and am currently scoring mid-high 80’s on exam’s and topic quiz’s. However,my concern is that Ive seen most of the questions before…
Is the actual S66 exam harder than the TC study questions?

I dont feel confident. Im testing in less than a week.

Was scoring 60’s on Kaplans 50 question mini-sets on Friday. Bought TC on Saturday scored 75, 83, 85, 88, 89 with a 88 on the Random Final on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Took the exam today, and got an 85%. Net net, about ten days of studying and banged it out whenever I had time after work. My advice, do as many questions as possible, even if it means less time taking notes on the actual material. After you have completed enough questions you can start to see trends, and in my opinion that is a much better way to learn than reading this dry garbage.

I’m not sure if people still look at this forum since it’s a little old, but passed the 66 today with an 82 and thought I’d give my experience since I read through forums when I was studying…a lot are probably my opinions…

1…yes, the 66 is much harder than the 7. The 7 was a TON of material, but it was "this definition is “this” and that security is “that”. Very, very little of the 66 is actual straight up answers, a lot is scenarios and understanding concepts…and if u know that “x” is the reason for “this”…u also have to know “x” might have 3 other things it’s called.
2.) I used my calculator once, and as stated earlier by someone…it was like “3.5% x 4%”…so if u graduated 8th grade…no math
3.) I used pass perfect to study, once u got to the FINALS…the questions became realistic, studying the practice questions/tests will give u a BASE understanding…but the main focus should be the final exams.
4.) don’t get discouraged…again as stated earlier, I felt like I was guessing 3/4ths of the test…so what was CRUCIAL was eliminating the wrong answers first. It seems inevitable, a LARGE part of the 66 is making educated guesses…I even remember looking at my screen seeing 51/110 complete and thinking “wow I’d really like to just stand up and leave…” So I raised my hand, took a pee break, and came back and finished
5.) the bell curve for me was 100% accurate…first and last 10-15, super easy, basic outta the study book questions…the middle was where I literally said multiple times “wtf test am I even taking??”

Study hard, study a lot, and learn concepts instead of straight up answers and ull do fine. Just don’t expect this to be a test u breeze through. Just my $.02

I took the 66 yesterday. Prior to doing so, I read through this thread with great interest and much fear. Maybe my experience can help.

I am in a unique situation in that I had actually taken and passed the 66 14 years ago (with a 72, which was good enough back then). But I had moved out of the country since then, and have just returned, so was required to re-take both the 7 (which I passed one week ago with a 92), as well as the 66. Having taken the 7 and the Canadian equivalent before, and having worked as an adviser managing securities in the real world, the 7 was not a problem. The 66 is a different animal. I had forgotten everything relating to state regulations, and had to learn this stuff from scratch. Also, the regulations have changed somewhat since I took it before.

My study guide was Kaplan, which I supplemented with the video tutorial from Knopman. The Knopman videos were very good at providing a core understanding of the key concepts. As a side note, I also used their video seminar for the 7, which I found much better than at explaining it than the Kaplan study manual and video lectures. I highly recommend Knopman for the 7 more than the 66, although both are good.

The Kaplan 66 guide seemed pretty good to me, although I have nothing to compare it with. It’s the only guide I used. My approach was to use the Knopman videos to learn the core information, and the Kaplan material to delve into the minutiae. I only had four study days, and spent about 8 hours each day reading or using the Kaplan Qbank exams. My last day of study was almost exclusively taking practice exams. My highest score was a 74 on those exams, so needless to say, I worried. Reading this thread scared me even more, and I had every expectation of failing this exam.

Turns out, I passed with a 75. I got every answer right on the investment and recommendation portions, and scored in the 60s everywhere else.

This exam sucks on many levels. Listen to the others who have emphasized that doing well on the 7 isn’t an indication of how you might do on the 66. It’s a different beast. Much more difficult than the 7, in my opinion. It also has zero application to the real world. It’s more a rite of passage than helpful preparation. I hated this exam so much, and suspect there is a special place in hell for those who create it.

I passed my series 66 yesterday with TC! This was my second attempt.

(My first attempt was with Examfx and I only got a 63% after 15 hrs of studying. I hadn’t touched series 7 stuff at all, new to industry, and had no idea how hard I had to study. Maybe Examfx isn’t so bad, but who knows…)

The TC practice exams were great (especially for the laws, which were half the exam), I only used them for 3 days. I read the TC book for about 30 hours though, prior to taking the exams.

The real test had many similar questions, but there were about 20-35 in the middle of the exam that were still iffy. The answer choices to these questions were either worded really similarly or required more in-depth knowledge of things like UGMA accounts, small details of variable annuities/life insurance policies.

IMO, no one can get 100% on this beast of an exam, since NASAA basically gets to focus on any small topic and ask super detail-oriented questions that are barely addressed in TC, STC, or what have you. The wording on the questions regarding laws can get super ridiculous as well.

I’m willing to talk more about/share TC if you PM me.

I just wanted to take a moment to add my 2 cents from my experience with the 66.

TLDR: Passed the 66 with an 82 using STC. Used Prac Exams and Closed Books with a review of the On Demand the night before.

I have to say first off this test was much more difficult for me than the 7. Even though I scored better on this test I felt I was double guessing myself throughout all of the prac exams and the final. What I feel was the most difficult was the versatility of concepts going back and forth on the state and federal side.

I scored decent on the Chapter reviews but horrible on the Q & A “Open Book” exams(Avg 68-70). The First Greenlight I scored a 66. I then went back and started the Closed Books exams and also took some of the exams “By Topic” on the areas I struggled on. From there I was scoring 80’s and 90’s on the Closed Books and scored a 79 on the Final Greenlight. Finally last night I repeated what I did for my 7, I opened up my laptop and let the On Demand lecture play on the topics I felt needed further review before I fell asleep. I also followed STC’s advice to arrive an hour early and review your notes one last time.

All in all this was a make or break test for me and I am beyond relieved that I passed. The test itself was very general with the questions and I felt I had about 22 questions that I was unsure of. I know most would like some magic trick to pass this but I feel the test itself is an anomaly.

In closing don’t get discouraged and don’t be scared off by whether someone fails with one product or another. I think I psyched myself out reading the stories on STC and the failures here. At the end of the day you get what you put into it and I wish everyone who attempts this the best of luck. Cheers.

I took the 66 for possibly the 5th time today, losing count at this point, and still did not pass, I made a 68, isn’t the passing grade 72? Each time I’ve taken it come just 3-4 points away from passing but I just cannot pass. I’ve done the online courses, studied the book done the live cram course, what else can I possibly do to get beyond the few points I’m coming behind at? I am really getting frustrated and it is maddening. I took the 7 and 63 and passed fine but the 66 is absolutely crazy I know the material since I’m coming so close but I understand there is a standard grade for passing. WHAT the heck else can I possibly do to pass it??? It is really upsetting me and I have studied very hard, each time I take the online Kaplan tests I can create on line, I pass them so I thought that was a sign I’m ready… can anyone offer any suggestions I’m going to take it in another month and if I don’t pass the 6th time I am giving up.

The passing score is not 72, it is 75. Failing by 7 points indicates that you do not know the material well enough. You might be doing the work but you might not be understand what you are doing on a high enough level. I would look for different materials. My experience with students who use Kaplan is that sometimes they score considerably lower on the actual exam than on practice exams. This is especially the case when the student is using the materials over and over again. I recommend Pass Perfect’s Smart programs to most of my students. I just finished working with a series 65 student. He took 3 PP finals and the average of his exams was 77%. He passed today with a 77%. With that said, he had an advantage going into this; he has worked in investments for 30 years. You are at a big disadvantage with the 65 and the 66 if you do not have much investment experience. These people should probably seek help from someone with the experience.

Just seeing if there was anyone out there that could help me with the current situation I’m in? I have been studying with TC and Kaplan for the past month. I started taking the mock exams for kaplan and the standard finals with TC. So for, I’m averaging about a 78 with the kaplan exams and about a 77 with the TC exams (73, 79, 79, 78, still have to take the 5th exam). I am pretty scared becuase I take the exam on Friday and I don’t think I am getting good enough grades on these finals. I should be making higher grades on them, when I go back I tend to see that I have made a very dumb mistake on 3-4 questions each exam. So my knowledge is much greater than my test scores. I was just wondering if there is anyone else that has taken the test and has been in my position? If so, how did you do, any advice?

I would postpone the exam.

Hey all! So my story is that I took the 7 with STC material and got a 87. However, I realized that 1) STC practice questions are worded very differently from the actual test and 2) that it gives you more information than you need.

So, for the 66 I have been using TC partially because of comments on here and partially because of what other people I know have said. I have studied SIGNIFICANTLY less for the 66 than I did for the 7 and have gotten 85, 77, 83 and 78 on the first 4 tests by TC. The 78 doesn’t worry me too much because frankly i took the 4th test in a rush and didn’t go through it at a reasonable pace. However, I am slightly worried that these tests don’t really ask you tough questions. I take the test this Thursday and am curious of what other practice tests i can buy and take that will help build my confidence in the material. Basically, what other program has a great question bank/practice tests?

Also what scores should i be getting on the TC and whichever material you recommend to make sure that I’m really prepared for this thing?

Ok here is the real deal and no BS. I took the series 65 two times and got a 70 both times. I was using Test Teachers who I used for my 7, 6, 63, and Life and Health. They are amazing for those but for the 65 and 66 I would NEVER suggest. The only program I would suggest is Training Consultants. Training Consultants is amazing and was way different material than Test Teachers. I was scored a 78, 84, 74, 76, 84 on my finals. I scored an 89% on the 66 yesterday and I am a HORRIBLE test taker as you can see from not passing twice. TC had a bunch of questions that were word for word that I would have never got if I didn’t see them in my practice exams. They went over all the material that they tested on. TRUST ME!!! GET TC because they saved me from possibly loosing my job if I didn’t pass. Another thing, the 66 was WAY easier than the 65. Even if you already have your 63 like I did, still take the 66 over the 65. The 65 was by far the HARDEST test I have ever taken and I was a Finance major. Trust me!!! I hope this helps someone because I wish I had this advice 2 months ago.

just wanted to share my experience…
with regards to the 7, i used STC, passed with an 85 after 6 weeks of studying a lot, especially practicing the exams which were a f** pain…
I felt extremely hesitant while i took the real exam. got to the point that after the first half of the exam, i was feeling like i was failing and didnt want to go back in for the second part. but apparently, i understood the concepts more than i thought i did (i dont know if that is worded correctly).

For the 66, I was going to use STC as well, which is the one my firm provided. but after going online and reading this thread, i gave it a shot with TRAINING CONSULTANTS.
works GREAT. although there’s a lot less material to study, it can get extremely confusing, especially because in a lot of questions, all 4 answers are practically identical. but TC does a very good job preparing you for the real thing. my biggest challenge was vocabulary and wording because english is my second language.
Take as many finals as you can, and go over the explanations because that definitely helps a lot.
in my opinion,it is unfair to compare the 7 with the 66.
series 7 is a BEAST compared to the 66. the amount of material is overwhelming.
i put a lot of work and effort on both. i felt i didnt have to study as much for the 66 because i studied my butt off for the 7 and a lot of the material was still fresh.
for the 66, once you get the gist of state vs. federal, you should be perfectly fine.

Count me in as another believer of TC’s material. I took the 66 a month ago using another vendor and failed with a 68%. Took it today after studying diligently with TC for 3 weeks and passed it with an 81%. The questions from TC are very similar to what the actual exam contains in structure. I probably saw at least 10 questions I can remember that were almost word for word. That’s not to say the exam still wasn’t difficult – it absolutely was, especially the middle of it. But I was averaging 88-95% on the TC finals so I was fairly confident.

I’m very happy to have this exam in my rear view mirror, and I strongly encourage anyone who has failed previously with a different vendor to give TC a look. They SIMPLIFY concepts that can be very confusing by nature.

When anyone scores in the 60s on the series 66 exam, it usually means that you did not understand the material very well. Scoring 90 to 95% on the final exams from any vendor suggests to me that the exams are too easy. The best way to prepare is to use materials/questions that are challenging. When you use challenging material, you should be better prepared for questions on the actual exam.

Thx to all who shared their successful strategies!

I took the 66 today and passed with a 90.

Here’s what I did:

-Bought Kaplan + TC practice exams (only the exams, no material)

-Took Kaplan weighted 100 Q exam: scored a 66

-Took 4 TC Standard Finals: scored 80, 85, 81, 85

-Took another Kaplan weighted 100 Q exam: scored 80

Then I took the actual exam. The only reading/review I did was in reference to missed questions on the practice exams. Kaplan + TC provide a small explanation of the concept tested on each of the questions–and this was usually sufficient–but I also referenced Investopedia and other sites for concepts on which I was scoring particularly low.

The TC exams were hands down the most valuable resource. I’d say >50% of the questions were worded in similar fashion and the difficulty of the questions / answers was very comparable. I was worried that the selection of answers on the actual exam would be more difficult (e.g. trickier), but I found them comparable to TC.

Good luck to those yet to take the exam!

I passed my Series 66 yesterday with an 85%. It was my second attempt. My first attempt was back in June and I used PassPerfect. I used PP for my Series 7 and thought it was EXCELLENT. My last practice exam was a 78 and that’s exactly what I got on the 7 that next day. Very true to life. However, when I was using it for the 66, I was scoring relatively well (mid 80s) and only managed a 73% on the exam. Back to the drawing board.

Second time around, I used a recently passed rep in my office’s Kaplan login and thank goodness. I studied my ass off until I was scoring in the mid 80-90s and then went and took that thing. Many questions on the exam felt almost word to word from questions I saw on the Kaplan exams. I remember a lot of LLC vs. C corp vs. S corp etc questions and multiple questions on discount cash flows. 4 or 5 options questions. Everything else was kind of a blur. Slow down and RTFQ! It pays off.

Also, don’t be discouraged if you notice a dip in your scores…I was consistently scoring low 80s and then dipped into the mid-low 70s before getting into the 90s.

Study hard. Good luck.

Please PM me if anyone can share/sell your KAPLAN online access or study material in a fair price. Thank you

If anyone is looking for cheap series 66 TC practice exams please PM me, I have an STC book too. Passed the test last week. There’s about 60+ days left on the TC practice test. Thanks!

I took the Series 66 on Friday. Passed with 75%. I gotta say, I’m extremely lucky. I didn’t really study all that much, except cramming for like 4 days. In the practice questions of Kaplan Q Bank, I was scoring around the 70s -80s. I did the Practice Exam (which is their best simulation for the test) and got 62%. I really don’t know how I got 75%… but at any rate… The textbook is for sale if anyone wants it.

Starting to study for the 66. Has anyone used Kaplan exclusively and had success? Would anyone recommend reading the Kaplan and just using the TC for the test.

Starting my final week of 66 studying. Averaging 75 on 3 STC tests. My firm monitors my progress on STC with certain expectations. My plan is to knock out more STC exams than I have to this weekend. If I’m not comfortably in the mid 80s by tomorrow night it’s TC time next week.

The problem with the STC material in my opinion is it feels like it was put together by 3 different people who didn’t communicate while they doing it. Various and inconsistent points of emphasis. A few questions are just flat out poorly constructed as well. The whole thing looks like a failure in management/ quality control to me.I’m sure I could pass with just STC, but unless something changes I’m not going to chance it.

Just passed the 66 on my first attempt with STC material and got a 78% To everybody that is using STC material I would highly encourage you to avoid the online tests as they are not even close comparison to as what the actual test is like. STC loads the tests with many counterproductive material. I was averaging between a 66% and 78% on the tests. I was beyond upset and confident that I was going to fail. Here is my two cents if you are required to use STC material. The book as boring as it is, is really the best course of studying and using the slides from the crash course was EXTREMELY helpful. Also, expect almost all questions to have 2 very similar answers, be very careful and decipher accordingly.
Also to the individuals who are constantly struggling to pass the practice exams,and I encourage readers to stay the course and reread any thing you don’t grasp, I don’t believe not passing the practice tests is an indication of failure. I am a perfect example of that. I could recite every law, regulation, ethics, and transaction both forward and backwards and trust me I understand the material. The bottom line it is almost impossible to cover all the material that will be on that test. I leave it at this, if you are required to use STC focus on the book and Crash Course Slides. I did maybe 10 practice exams and felt it actually hurt my learning progress. GOOD LUCK as this test is a BEAST.

I used a combo of Pass Perfect and TC for the 66. TC I felt was better as there was no material in the book that would not be tested like PP.

The test is based on NASAA’s very broad outline. Since the outline is broad, a prep provider’s materials should be comprehensive.

Just passed the series 66 with an 88% using Pass Perfect. Great material, it seems like every question in the actual exam I had some knowledge of. Will recommend this vendor to any one. Used PP for series 7 and made a 90 on the actual exam. I did do their entire program as recommended. There is no shortcuts or tricks, just study hard and stick to their program. I have their material in case any one ones to buy. Passed series 7 early December 2014 and passed series 66 January 2nd, 2015. Great way to start the year.

Just passed the series 66 with an 88% using Pass Perfect. Great material, it seems like every question in the actual exam I had some knowledge of. Will recommend this vendor to any one. Used PP for series 7 and made a 90 on the actual exam. I did do their entire program as recommended. There is no shortcuts or tricks, just study hard and stick to their program. I have their material in case any one ones to buy. Passed series 7 early December 2014 and passed series 66 January 2nd, 2015. Great way to start the year.

Congrats Mr. BullyBear. You are exactly right in that there are no shortcuts. The path to success on this exam and other exams includes hard work.

Thanks mstudy.

Hey guys, sorry I am late to the blog. Would anybody out there be able to confirm if STC Practice Exams helped at all and what they were scoring? I really wish I had found this blog before and ordered TC but any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks guys! Best of luck to everyone else out there taking it as well!

TC will get you through it, no doubt. Have you tested yet mm1109?

Promised myself I’d post here when I passed the 66, so here I am.

Just passed today (my first attempt) with an 81%. I used a combination of STC and TC (after reading all the support of their 66 material on this site). STC was what my firm provided and I did read their book, but I didn’t find their practice questions to be helpful at all. They were overly complicated and after taking a few of their Q and A exams I decided to buy the TC exam pack. Took all of the TC subject and final exams (retaking any that I scored poorly on) and I found they were much more straight forward and easy to learn from than the STC questions. There was also a great deal of overlap between their questions and what I saw on the actual test. Don’t know if I would have passed without TC… so count me as yet another supporter.

Feel free to message me with any questions about the exam or how I studied.

Anyone have any study guides or notes they wouldn’t mind sharing? Just passed my 7 yesterday, so tomorrow is day 1 for 66 prep. Thanks!

Just passed the 66 today, using primarily Training Consultants and had to complete Fire Sol for my firm. I will tell you TC is the way to go, clear and simple.

Just passed the 66 today with an 88. Thought I’d add my 2 cents for what little it’s worth.

First things first. It’s not that hard of a test. I’m not saying you don’t have to study, but some of these posts act like its a CFA exam or something. Don’t psych yourself out.

I used the TC ExamCenter, it was great. No complaints, I purchased the flash cards too, don’t waster you’re money, really didn’t even use them. Purchased the TC study guide Mon, wrote the exam today (Thur). In fact I thought the TC practice exams were tougher than the real thing.

Surprisingly, Investopedia had a great section on 66 Exam prep that was all free. There were no practice exams, which is probably what prepares you the best, but as far as the information in a nice organized format, it was pretty good.

Probably the driest, most boring exam I ever wrote, kind of reminded me of an LSAT.

congrats what do you mean by you wrote the test? I am using tc online study for this one based on all the recommendations…$225 will just use their study guide and their exam questions as I love to see some very similar questions from practice on the real thing

I stumbled upon this thread while searching for any input I could use to assist me with the 66 exam. After reading all the positive input on Training Consultants I was dead set on purchasing the program. I made a commitment to share my experience on this blog once I passed the exam. With the help of TC I achieved a score of 85!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with what to expect when you use TC let me give you a break down. You’ll be guided through the entire book word for word via lectures from the owner Tina who has been teaching the course since inception. She even instructs you when to write pertinent study info onto a flash card or when to highlight key concepts in the book. I thought that was extremely helpful getting me through all the dry info your brain will be subjected to throughout your studies. At the end of each chapter you will have a chapter test ranging from 10 - 50 questions testing you on your knowledge of what you just learned. I highly recommend you take these chapter tests seriously as they will further cement all key concepts assisting you with the final exams.

Be warned you are thrown right into the heart of the exam in chapter one which is the Uniform Securities Act. There are a series of lectures within this chapter roughly 4 1/2 hours in length. This accounts for 30 percent of the test and it is crucial you know the material inside and out. The second hardest would be chapter 6 Investment Recommendations and Strategies… Stock up on Caffeine and shock therapy for this chapter as it is probably the biggest chapter within the material which accounts for 30 percent of the test as well.

Majority of the test is memorization… I only had two or three questions where the calculator was required. You will need to know certain formulas or concepts for some questions which do not require the use of a calculator.

I suggest you read the question twice and beware of questions with the words “only, except, not… etc.” it sounds easier said then done but when your midway through the test and the questions are lengthy missing one word can make a huge difference. Secondly make sure you read ALL the possible answers even if your certain that the first or second choice seems dead on… You’ll be surprised to find that there are usually more than on correct answer your job is to find the Best answer… again this is all trivial.

When you sign up with TC you are provided with a phone number should you need to speak with a teacher to assist you with a concept that just is not clicking in your head. Every time I called someone was available and believe me I used that number. Your also provided with a support option via the web which was always answered in my case the next morning by 10 am Eastern time with a very detailed explanation. I found all the support staff to be very knowledgeable and sincerely happy to assist you with ANY question you threw at them… Very helpful in my case.

It is vital that you score 85 or better on ALL the chapter exams prior to taking the final exam (five in total and countless random finals) this will give you the best chance. I had difficultly getting passed the first chapter exam… for some reason it just did not sink in I finally moved onto the next chapter after 5 failed attempts to achieve 85 and revisited it a few days later with success.

The goal is to score 85 or better on the final exams ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT this is why it is critical to pass all chapter exams with 85 or better. If your scoring 85 or better on the first shot you are in a good position to succeed. I found it useful to review every question on the final exams even if I got them correct and whatever questions I got wrong I went to damage control and reviewed the material within the chapter associated with the question. I recommend taking all five final exams the first two will draw on all the core questions, and take two-three random finals and you should be fine.

Lastly, I highly recommend you get through the entire book, You must know this material inside and out. Just continuing to do test after test will not cut it with this exam you will be putting yourself in to a difficult position with this strategy in my opinion. I have the 7, 63, 24, L&H and I can definitely say this is an entirely different animal.

I hope I have answered some questions or curiosities for any of you stumbling upon this blog. I assure you if you put the time in and follow the program word for word you will pass this exam with no problem.

Should anyone have any questions feel free to ask.

Good luck to all!

I promised myself I would post here after passing the 66, and I’m so thankful I can finally follow through with that. I actually failed the exam twice, once with a 70 and the second time with a 74. I was using Kaplan for reading, and STC for questions. To much of my frustration, although they provided a lot of detail, it wasn’t quite clicking for me.

My colleagues swore by TC and after stumbling upon this blog, I was reassured and bought the testing material. I didn’t do the lectures or the readings for TC, since I already knew a lot of the basics. The TC tests were worded very similarly to test, so that was very helpful. The only stipulation I have is a lot of the questions are recycled throughout the final exams. I was scoring in the high 80’s and low 90s on the TC tests and received a 80 on the actual exam.

Overall, I don’t think I would have passed this last time around if it was not for TC. They really do help prepare you for the exam and I honestly would recommend the practice tests to anyone that is struggling with the material.

Good luck and feel free to ask any questions, trust it’s worth every penny.

just passed my 66…took it in about an hour and passed it with an 81…i must say it was easier than the 7. TC is the real deal 20-25 verbatim questions…flew though it…TC ALL the way.

Now on to the real world…this is where I actually get started…

does anyone have any experience with testeachers for the 66? i used them for the 7 and passed and am signed up with them for the 66. however- after reading all the TC supporters, i’m worried. i was hoping to take my exam on 6.29.15… will that be enough time? also thought about perhaps supplementing my studying - and get the TC online exam section… any thoughts- feedback? bueller? bueller?

Very few of my students have used test teachers for the 66 ( none that I can recall). The majority of people that I work with have used Kaplan and STC and sometimes Pass Perfect. A small percentage that I have worked with have used Training Consultants. I usually recommend Pass Perfect. The questions are challenging and there are lots of them. I think they have about 4000.questions in their online product.

thanks mstudy!

[quote=soodafed]I promised myself I would post here after passing the 66, and I’m so thankful I can finally follow through with that. I actually failed the exam twice, once with a 70 and the second time with a 74. I was using Kaplan for reading, and STC for questions. To much of my frustration, although they provided a lot of detail, it wasn’t quite clicking for me.

My colleagues swore by TC and after stumbling upon this blog, I was reassured and bought the testing material. I didn’t do the lectures or the readings for TC, since I already knew a lot of the basics. The TC tests were worded very similarly to test, so that was very helpful. The only stipulation I have is a lot of the questions are recycled throughout the final exams. I was scoring in the high 80’s and low 90s on the TC tests and received a 80 on the actual exam.

Overall, I don’t think I would have passed this last time around if it was not for TC. They really do help prepare you for the exam and I honestly would recommend the practice tests to anyone that is struggling with the material.

Good luck and feel free to ask any questions, trust it’s worth every penny.[/quote]
Hello,
I am currently in the exact same situation as you. I failed the exam twice, the first go around with a 70 and the second with a 74. Now I am waiting another 30 days to retake it and I am using TC for the second time around. Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

hello, I found this website extremely helpful.
My husband has to take this test in a few days and he is struggling. He did pass the series 7 first try and I am very proud of him. The series 66 is much more challenging and that and the combination of work and family life is draining. Can anyone please send me any cheat sheets or pointers ? I would really appreciate it.

CW,

The cheat sheet would be the same he used for the series 7. Depending on who he chose, they may provide these.

I’m using STC as provided by my firm.

I enjoyed the series 7 and the process. I loved learning the concepts and the math.

Unfortunately, I failed the 66 two days ago with a 74% (75% required)

I agree with the general consensus that STC gives material that is slightly harder than the actual exam. I remember being very confident during my 7 and 66, but I had a few difficult questions and ultimately that’s what got me.

In the opinion of people who have used STC for the 66 have you found that sometimes the questions and answers contradict each other? I’m guessing it has more to do with the fact that I am mixing up exempt and non-exempt, registered and non registered, as well as the tricky definitions of what is and is not a security (commodities vs options on commodities)

I think the biggest hinge for a lot of people is the wording, it gets convoluted because it feels like they are intentionally trying to trick you as opposed to the 7 where it was just to see you understand the concepts.

How could a “cheat sheet”, if there is one, be the same for the 66, as it was for the 7. The 66 is a different exam, with half of the test focusing on regulations.

How could a “cheat sheet”, if there is one, be the same for the 66, as it was for the 7. The 66 is a different exam, with half of the test focusing on regulations.

There is a lot of overlap. Mainly calls, puts, spreads, etc. Same acts like '33 and '34

DO NOT USE EXAMFX, for life and health they were good, series 7 they were below average and series 66 beyond appalling. The server might log you off during a simulated exam (ex: on question 91 out of 100, logged off), and they have no way to find out what you did. Kaplan Kaplan Kaplan, they over prepare you and you have a much better chance to pass using them. I was scoring in the mid 70’s on kaplan and around 95 on ExamFx… All of the exams arent that bad and are of course not a problem with serious studying but using a good platform is half the battle.

Count another one for Training Consultants! I got an 81 today. I scored a 74, 85, 81, 85, and 90 on my practice exams. I saw a bunch of the same questions on the actual exam.

Count another one for Training Consultants! I got an 81 today. I scored a 74, 85, 81, 85, and 90 on my practice exams. I saw a bunch of the same questions on the actual exam.

Congrats! Would you recommend just getting really good at TC stuff? I have acess to both TC, STC, and then a Maggie Shine book.

After reading this may just try to get really proficient at TC and Maggies Class book?

I recently passed the S7 with Kaplan and now moving onto the 66. Anybody want to share any hints/tricks that helped them with their 66? I take mine at the end of the month and looking for advice. I did purchase the TC program and will be focusing on their structured study guides along with their practice test.

Any sayings, riddles, tips, and or tricks would be helpful!

Sorry double post

If anyone needs the exam bank from TC, I still have it. It’s valid through end of this year. $50

Hi all!!

I finally just passed the Series 66 on attempt #2 with an 85%!!! I finally have my life back!!!

I wanted to get on here to help any future test takers!! Piece of advice, DO NOT USE KAPLAN!!!
Kaplan’s book is unneccessarily large and the questions are not in similar format of the test. I used Kaplan on my first attempt, because I had such success with Kaplan for my Series 7 (passed the first time with a 78%).
I felt prepared, was scoring 80s on the practice tests, and then got to the test and had a panic attack when I saw information that was not in the huge study book.
I got a sad 70%.

I did some research on this thread and got the Training Consultants book for my second try! THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING! The practice exams are excellent!

That being said, the test is still very hard. You have to re-read every question and every answer choice. The wording can be confusing and you have to go with your gut.

If anyone wants to talk more about TC or Kaplan or the test, feel free to PM me.
GOOD LUCK!!!

I am taking the 66 and have the materials for 63 and 65 from a friend. Is this good enough or should I buy the 66 manual?

I promised myself I would come back and post on these threads. I purchased Training Consultants (TC) to study for the Series 66 only because of the success stories I read on these threads. I thought maybe some of the stories were fake and trying to boost the credibility of TC, but in the end I am glad I went with them.

I took the 66 today and passed with an 88%. I spent a few months working through the lectures by doing 5-10 hours a week and then I did 12 practice exams. It truly is effort with this exam to learn the material and go back to re-learn the sections you struggled in after taking the practice exams. I took the 5 practice exams and scored 78, 89, 83, 75, 77, 80. THE KEY is I reviewed the incorrect answers and reviewed the hard sections and eventually was getting 78-93 on the 5 exams and then 2 random finals. Granted I was remembering some of the questions from before but still felt good.

During the test I would say 5-10 questions were almost exact from the practice tests which is nice. A few questions are out of nowhere and just have to guess but for the most part I thought the test was easier than the practice tests. I hope this helps!

Another TC success story over here. Just took the series 66 about 45 minutes ago and passed it. The test questions were different from the practice test but they were similar in how they ask questions. The exam is very tricky so practice all of the practice tests as much as possible especially the laws and regulations and USA sections. Training Consultants is a great program.

I just passed this test on the first time around with a 75 (couldn’t believe it when I saw it). I honestly thought I did better than that, but as always I’m sure I fooled myself with some of the questions.

I studied with STC and also worked from the TC QBank - I think both helped, with STC being a little more difficult than most questions on the test. I had quite a few “factoids” that appeared, rather than “interpretations” of laws etc. Could have just been my draw, but I was surprised.

I picked up the Kaplan/STC Crunch Time Facts and spent some time with those - I would definitely recommend that to anyone as those documents are good to have with you to look at at all times.

If you have any questions shoot me a PM and I’ll get back to you - glad to be done with this and wanted to share my experience with ya’ll. Goodluck!

I am looking for the kaplan study manual for Series 66. I have found the 8th edition but kaplan’s site says there is a 9th edition. Where can I find the 9th edition for less than what they rip you off for $70. Also is the 8th edition sufficient?

Help please.

I told myself that I would come on here and post something after I took my Series 66. For those of you who are preparing for the test, DO NOT listen to all of the negativity on these threads! I completely psyched myself out for this test by reading the comments on these threads. The Series 66 is not a simple exam by any means, but it is NOT very difficult if you put the time in. I recommend Training Consultants, as many others do. I used Kaplan for my Series 7, and was overall not impressed with their materials - too overwhelming, and the practice questions were very different than the actual exam itself (in my humble opinion). I was brand new to the industry (graduated college as an English major) when I took my Series 7, so I’m sure that didn’t help. Anyways, I ended up passing my 7 with an 84%, and I contribute that to the week-long crash course that Kaplan offers, plus countless hours of studying. One MUST understand Options to pass the 7. I swear, Options accounted for half of my exam and probably contributed to my passing score.
So - back to the Series 66. I HATED the 7, and was dreading taking another exam. I stumbled across this thread in search of a vendor to use for study materials, since I did not have the best experience with Kaplan. I saw that many people praised Training Consultants, and I can see why they did. Training Consultants FULLY prepares one for the 66. I went through the lectures online, but found it hard to concentrate because of the dull material. But I stuck to it and studied the book meticulously. You MUST know the laws backwards and forwards, as it is half your exam. If you take the time to read the book and memorize the laws, you’ll be fine. Know the exemptions and exclusions, etc. etc. The practice exams for TC are EXCELLENT and mirror the actual exam. I saw many questions that were either word-for-word or extremely similar in nature. The test was MUCH easier for me than the 7. I finished with an hour to spare. When I got to the middle of the exam I kept wondering when it was going to get more difficult… Since so many people gripe and complain about it. There were maybe 15 questions that I was unsure of, and my score was accurately reflected as I received an 83%.
Moral of the story: I recommend Training Consultants. Put the work in. Memorize the laws. Do the practice exams. YOU WILL BE FINE! Do NOT psych yourself out for this test, as I did. As long as you put the time and effort in, it will be underwhelming.

I am studying for the 66. Does anyone have TC materials for sale? This is my 3rd time taking the test and I need to pass.

When was the last time the test was redone? It looks like the test is getting a facelift later summer. Does anybody have an idea if it’s going to be easier or harder? Looks like the passing grade comes down 2 points, but what about subject matter? NASAA is pretty vague. Good time to take it now or wait (if you can)? Thanks!

I know there is a lot of back and forth on this thread about what company to use so here is my story. My firm ordered the STC training materials for me. There were a lot of practice questions. The questions were lengthy and wordy. Based on the comments here, I also ordered the TC question bank. Did I really need the TC question bank? I don’t know. I passed the exam but cannot say wow that question bank really helped. TheTC questions are a lot less wordy but still somewhat tricky.

The STC question bank is much harder than the actual exam. The TC exam bank is good but I had ZERO questions that were word for word or even close. My scores on the TC practice exams were always higher than the STC practice exams.

For me the exam was easier than the 7. With that being said you MUST read the question slowly and understand what they are looking for. Read every answer before you pick your answer.

You must understand and know the laws to pass this exam

I took the Series 66 for the second time recently and passed with a 79. I failed the first time with a 74 (one question!). It really is a difficult exam. I found it a lot more difficult than the Series 7. Yes, there are easy and straight-forward questions, but there are many ambiguous and tricky questions. Only one math question which covered short-term capital gains and long-term capital gains.

It’s also only 100 questions (110 and 10 don’t count) and you need a higher percentage to pass. There is not much leniency on getting many wrong. I used Kaplan with their test bank, and I thought it was very good.

Hey guys.

Long story short, I used pass perfect for the 7 and the 66. Passed the 7 with a 73 on my first go. Failed my 66 today with a 67. I saw everyone saying how great TC is. Is this still the general consensus?

It really depends on how hard you studied, the 66 it is not an easy exam, I took the 66 three weeks ago and I failed with 66 too with using TC btw. Remember the score to pass is lower but they add new material.

I recently took and passed both Series 7 (94%) and Series 66 (88%). Since I used this thread to get some studying tips, I’ll also give a little bit of my advice to test takers…

In general, what I noticed from the posts on this thread is that discussion is concentrating too much on what material to use for studying. Honestly, I think this is the least of the worries.

I used completely different materials for S7 and S66 (First one I used Pass Perfect and second one I used Kaplan), and both had all the necessary information and practice for me to pass the tests.

I’d even risk saying that my results would have been similar with any major material provider. All of these guys are in business for a long time and their material is well crafted, having helped thousands of people pass the tests already.

The real issue is not the material, but each person’s studying method.

Let me try to explain what I did while studying for both tests, since at least for me, it worked very well, regardless of the material:

The warm up part: I took a very quick read into the content. I didn’t pay attention to details such as exact names, dates, and I didn’t waste too much time into complicated concepts. I didn’t bother memorizing anything just yet. I just read it to have a general idea what each chapter was about. This part shouldn’t take more than a weekend to finish.

I started taking practice tests on each chapter with the goal of having 80%+ on them. Since I didn’t know many details (remember, I didn’t bother memorizing anything while reading the material), my results were definitely not good at first. But after taking quizzes on each chapter multiple times and reviewing them, my score would gradually increase until I would be reaching my goal. During this part, if I would be making many mistakes in a specific concept within the chapter, I would go back to the book just to read that concept, and clear out my doubt.

Once I reached 80% in every chapter, I would alternate between taking exam simulations and specific chapter quizzes as well. This time, I would aim for 85%+ in the chapter quizzes. This part was the toughest, but it was also the one that pretty much guaranteed a passing score on the real test. Needless to say, I was taking a LOT of quizzes. I would average from 200 to 300 questions every day, and more than this on weekends. Before taking the tests, I was averaging 85% to 92% in the simulations.

That’s pretty much it! It’s a lot of work, but there is no secret. Once you have taken so many quizzes, your brain starts memorizing things on its own. And you will only need the material to go for very specific things you still don’t fully understand.

I didn’t take any notes, didn’t write any summary or anything. Just practiced and reviewed, practiced and reviewed, practiced and reviewed… taking occasional glances in the reading material once in a while.

And as I said before, I really don’t think the specific studying book/material matters as much as people think. But since you still have to choose, I’d probably go for Kaplan, just because its practice section (Qbank) has a lot of features to customize tests according to your own needs.

Good luck on your studies!

does anyone have access to TC material for series 66. I need to pass my exam in 3 weeks and any help would be appreciated.
Thank you

Hi,

This may be an easy answer but I could not find it. Is there a site that lists like a 3day crash course for the Series 66 exa.? I checked Kaplan and google and did not see any. Thanks

I just took the exam this morning. Failed with a 63. I would not recommend TC as of July 1st of this year as NASAA changed the exam. I was told by individuals of my firm that TC test bank is a lot like the test, it is not. Good luck!

Anyone know of a solid chart to pinpoint differences and similarities of BDs, Agents, IAs, and IARs?

You might want to consider creating one because writing down the information might help you remember it.

30 days ago I failed using pass perfect scoring a 67. Today I took the exam in 45 minutes using TC. I got a 91. If you follow the instructions, it works.

Hello all, I also just took Series 66 and passed with 80%.
I realized many of these comments are old so I promised myself, either pass or not, I will write a comment after first try.
Luckily, I passed and I am so greatful that I am done with it.
I passed my Series 7 last month.
TC was the only one that 90% of these comments recommended so I went with TC just like others. My firm gave me STC, I only used it as a supplement. Because I passed about an hour ago, some of the questions are still in my mind. I wasn’t shocked at how questions were formulated but it was interesting how they play with examples. Many questions layouts are similar with TC. Out of 110 questions I saw, 2 questions I realized I had no IDEA. 40 Questions were like half half and rest was for sure correct. They will throw you about 3 - 4 questions about DIscounted Cash flow + NPV. I didnt know they can worded so differently for these questions. I dunno if I got them right or not but thats what i saw. I studied for 3 weeks. first week , not really at all… 2nd week about 2-3 hours each and final week, 6ish hours a day. TC Program tells me that i was online for 57 hours(Study time).
Because I knew some materials from Series 7, I didnt bother watching videos about investment vehicles.
My final test scores were 74, 75, 76, 75, 86, and random 84.
STC Greenlight exam first one, I got 57%. I was like what? this is BS. I totally ignored them.
However, it is very good idea to go over what NASAA has supplemented after 7/1/16. Because they did ask me about 4 questions which were directed linked to supplement materials.
I Hope my reviews helps some of you who are also studying this !
send me PM if you have any questions also !.
Thx for reading too =)

Passed second time (83%) with Kaplan. Use the qbank filters to select unused questions and select the sections you struggle with instead of doing comprehensive exams each time. I think I cranked out 30 different 40-question exams with show explanation as you go and it helped.

Failed 66 twice. First attempt was last month (August) I got a 71. I thought to myself, fine - I did not study enough. Second try this month, I got a 72. Used Training Consultants provided by my firm for both tries. I was so confident I was going to pass the second time - it seemed easier compared to the first try. But no luck. I was scoring all in the low to mid 90’s on the practice final tests with TC. I plan to purchase a different material to prepare for the 3rd try. What am I doing wrong? Help!

My advice is over study. Alternate with question banks and reading, and get at least 2 different companies material because they will both contain different stuff. Don’t follow a 3 week prep program either. Use a six week plan or more and put in time and sacrifice your time. It will be worth it and is the only way to pass this tricky exam.

Has anyone seen questions referring to Class A,B,C, or D shares on the exam?

Has anyone seen questions referring to Class A,B,C, or D shares on the exam?

Yes I got one. Question was easy. Difference between class A and B

I passed the 66 today with 77%.
A few thoughts:
My firm provides STC and I used that last month for the series 7 which I got 87%.
I found it to be very good for the 7.
After reading threads on this site I was discouraged to use STC and asked my firm to at least get me the TC question bank, which they did, for $99.
So I studied with STC but used only TC for practice exams, in which I got 84 86 79 85 90 84.
On to the actual exam:
Either I got a random hard exam, or everything changed after the update on July. People here were saying they got 25 question verbatim from TC. Not with me. I got 3-4 which were extremely similar, but that’s it. 3 questions had concepts that were never even mentioned on TC final exams (I took all 5 and 1 random). On TC there were grammar mistakes galore that made you cringe and sometimes gave you a headache. I’m 99% sure there were some contradictions as well, like content mistakes, not just grammar, but maybe that’s just me not understanding it. For example: Whats the simplest for of investing? 1) tactical 2) strategic 3) buy and hold 4) indexing Well it’s either 3 or 4. I chose 4. Wrong. 3).
I check on the STC material and there’s a line: the simplest form of investing is indexing. That one is not specifically a mistake from TC, could be STC is wrong. But I encountered a few of these contradictions between TC and STC and sometimes within TC itself.
25,000,000 assets under management is when you cross over from state registration to SEC. Or is it 100,000,000?
Cash dividends are taxed at 20% (15%?) or as ordinary income?
My point here is, I’m not sure using STC to study and TC for practice exams is the best idea. You should probably stick to just one or do both fully.
Regarding the exam itself: the 7 exam tested you on material, if you knew it, you could answer the question. Pretty straight forward.
The 66 on the other hand… I would say between question 10 and 95 there were 60-65 trick questions. Not exaggerating. And at least 6-7 questions about present value, NPV and different versions of it.

The word “simplest” is not an investment term. If anything, indexing would be a less complex form of investing than buy and hold. Buy and hold incorporates analysis to select securities while index indexing does not. The old asset test to be eligible for SEC registration as an investment advisor was 25 million. This changed several years ago to 100 million. Qualified dividends are taxed at a maximum rate of 15% if one earns $400,000 or less and a maximum of 20% if one earns more than $400,000. This has been in effect for several years.

How do you know when you’re really ready to take the test? I’ve finished the Kaplan material and have been spending each day doing a couple hundred questions.

I’m assuming that I really shouldn’t take the test until I’m getting at least in the high 80s for every series of kaplan question bank questions that I do? Also, I’m assuming I should buy a set of practice exams and get in the high 80s on that as well? Thanks for the advice!

I’ve also been going back and taking notes on the sections that I do not know as well as others.

The word “simplest” is not an investment term. If anything, indexing would be a less complex form of investing than buy and hold. Buy and hold incorporates analysis to select securities while index indexing does not. The old asset test to be eligible for SEC registration as an investment advisor was 25 million. This changed several years ago to 100 million. Qualified dividends are taxed at a maximum rate of 15% if one earns $400,000 or less and a maximum of 20% if one earns more than $400,000. This has been in effect for several years.

How do you explain? This question is form PassPerfect I guess the term is not incorrect:

The simplest way of investing in a mutual fund is:
A buy and hold
B indexing
C rebalancing
D dollar cost averaging

I just took my 66 and got an 68. ive been using Kaplan. Any suggestions?

Took the series 66 and got a 65% on test. STC study material I averaged 80%. One month later (today) I retook the test. Today I got a 65% What again? After restudying and maintaining 90’s%.

I really feel that I know this information inside and out. Then Why did I fail the test? I feel that it maybe how the series 66 is constructed. The subjective wording of each question.

I’ve read on the forum that the TC seems to be the best study site/program. However I want to get the best practice exams on subjective questions and wording just like the exam. Any thoughts?

Thanks

Dave

I think it would be a mistake to think you are going to find prep exams with wording just like the actual exam. The key to doing well on any exam is to understand the concepts. If you know the concepts, you should be able to answer questions in any format. You may over estimating how well you know the topics.

Has anyone actually used STC AND Kaplan? The kaplan is 575 pages before the glossary and I've heard the STC is much smaller. With that said, does Kaplan give you a ton of uncessary information? Or does STC give you too little? I can't see why a prep company would give your MORE than necessary.

I took the actual exam last Saturday and I got 80%, is not an easy exam but is not impossible to pass. I studied with FireSolutions and PassPerfect. FireSolutions go more into depth with the new material added to the test, and the course includes live tutorial or recorded, which are super helpful, PassPerfect exams prepare you for the real exam, trust me on that, my first time (I got 65%) and I used TC and is not as good as people said in this forum, maybe before they changed the exam, but not now I found the practice exam super easy. Also, I took the study guide from the NASAA web page and did a review for each point to make sure that my study materials covered every point. Don't compare materials in terms which book have more pages, look the one who covers every topic, once you get 80's in your practice exams PassPerfect or FireSolutions you are good to go.

ppmm wrote:

I took the actual exam last Saturday and I got 80%, is not an easy exam but is not impossible to pass. I studied with FireSolutions and PassPerfect. FireSolutions go more into depth with the new material added to the test, and the course includes live tutorial or recorded, which are super helpful, PassPerfect exams prepare you for the real exam, trust me on that, my first time (I got 65%) and I used TC and is not as good as people said in this forum, maybe before they changed the exam, but not now I found the practice exam super easy. Also, I took the study guide from the NASAA web page and did a review for each point to make sure that my study materials covered every point. Don't compare materials in terms which book have more pages, look the one who covers every topic, once you get 80's in your practice exams PassPerfect or FireSolutions you are good to go.

I tried to PM you but for some reason could not. I purchased the pass perfect databank. Compared to Kaplan it seems like they are (obviously) asking questions about the same information, but in ways that I was never taught in my material. These questions seem like a much better way to prepare. Would you say that the exam questions are asked in the way similar to PassPerfect or does PassPerfect overprepare you?

To all, I took the exam and scored a 70, shy of passing by 3 points. To be honest it wasn't as bad as I thought. I actually didnt' get to review all the ones i marked to review since I ran out of time.

Between discounted cash flow and dividend discount model there were a combined 4 questions. A couple questions on PV. For many of the questions...if you knew one, that would help you answer a couple others. There weren't questions that repeated exactly but they repeated with very similar. I wasn't expecting that at all. Since there was so much material to study, I thought they would diversify the information more than they did, but they didn't.

My advice is over prepare, see a lot of questions, and make sure you get the easy ones! I'll have a better review after I pass the next round!

Hello everyone. I used this forum to help make my selections, so I thought I would post a reply as well. I took the 66 today and passed with an 83%. This was my third attempt taking the exam, and on both prior attempts I got a 69%.

STC was provided by my firm, and I used it for the 1st 2 attempts - it was ok. For my 3rd attempt, I bought Training Consultants as per this discussion. This program was worth every dollar, and I had to spend it out of my own pocket. Do the exact steps within the program as per the program, and make sure you score at least 80% on all exams would be my recommendation. I felt very prepared for this exam using the Training Consultants program, and their data is up to date as to the new changes that have been instituted this year for the 66. Read the book, listen to the lectures with your book, and make 80's on the exams.

I also see many people posting questions about 3-day courses and/or crash courses for the 66 exam. You will not find any! This exam is written by lawyers who must get creative with the questions in order to keep THEIR jobs. This is a very hard exam and the material cannot be learned overnight. 2 weeks should be your minimum, and that is with devoting 5 hours/day to study.

Good Luck!

Just wanted to post since I read this thread before and while studying for the Series 66. I took the test today 12/9/2016 for the first time and am HAPPY to say I passed with a 75%. My firm provides STC which I used but after reading about TC I bought the book used and the Online Tests. I must say that TC helped a ton! I scored on their 5+1 exams 75, 81, 82, 84, 84, 84 and felt very comfortable going in. I can say one thing about the Series 66...for most of the questions I read the question and in my head said I know that answer BUT it always came down to 2 chocies and you just have to know the concepts to pick the right answer. Anyway just wanted to post and also if anyone is looking for the TC book and Online Tests, I'm obviously not needing them and will sell them at a great price, just e-mail me.

Just wanted to give my testimonial as I passed the Series 66 today first time with an 89%! I mainly used TC with STC as an supplement as my firm provided it. I want to start off by praising TC. The program is top notch. Use it if you need to pass the first time. Throughout the exam I was almost laughing at how easy it was. Many of the questions were extremely similiar to TC exams. I also want to give a side note on STC. ITS NOT AS BAD AS EVERYONE SAYS IT IS. I have no doubt in my mind if I only used STC I would have passed as well. The biggest knock I have against STC is the exam questions are overtly difficult(I scored a 73% on the Greenlight), and they give you lots of information that won't be on the exam. That is not necessarily a bad thing. It will make sure that you are overprepared. One can most definitely pass using STC if that is what they are given. But once again I would definitely recommend TC! My job was dependent on me passing the first time and TC came through. Relived to be passed all of my licensing and able to move on in my career.

I just passed my S7 using TC on my first try. I got a 74 and studied for about a month. I definitely recommend TC for the S7 because the Practice tests are almost identical to what I saw on the S7. I'm gearing for the S66 and want to use TC again to study from. My S7 is still active and has 102 days left on the subscription. If anybody wants to but this off me I'll sell it half off in order to pay for TC S66. Just email me and good luck with testing!

Kennn wrote:

To all, I took the exam and scored a 70, shy of passing by 3 points. To be honest it wasn't as bad as I thought. I actually didnt' get to review all the ones i marked to review since I ran out of time.

Between discounted cash flow and dividend discount model there were a combined 4 questions. A couple questions on PV. For many of the questions...if you knew one, that would help you answer a couple others. There weren't questions that repeated exactly but they repeated with very similar. I wasn't expecting that at all. Since there was so much material to study, I thought they would diversify the information more than they did, but they didn't.

My advice is over prepare, see a lot of questions, and make sure you get the easy ones! I'll have a better review after I pass the next round!

Just passed the 66 exactly 2 months after I failed the first time with a 70 as mentioned above. I used Kaplan since I was originally studying independently. I don't recommend Kaplan as I think the book is way too long and they give you too much material. After reading a post here I bought the Passperfect Databank 5 days before I failed the first exam.

Second time around I read the STC book since my coworker had it and I did the Passperfect questions and tests. By the end I was getting low 80s then mid-high 80s. I would write down the answers to the questions that I got wrong and would review them right away and then again the next day. I passed this time with an 81.

Please contact me with any questions I would be happy to help. Even though my position wasn't dependent on this test I still was very nervous and freaked out a lot so I understand how people feel.

Hi guys! First just want to say thanks to everyone posting here. I take the 66 in just over a week am seriously stressed out. I'm using STC and my QA scores have been less than stellar with an average of around a 67% after 6 Q&A exams. Still have 5 more Q&As, and all the closed books to go. But as of now, I'm freaking out. Can anyone shed some light on what your Q&A scores were then what your closed book scores were? Thanks for any additional assistance and advice you can provide.

Gator2017 - don't stress too much. Just get in as many questions as you can between now and the test and write down all your wrong answers/questions. Review those and also review before your test. I've heard the STC stuff is harder than the test. Overall the test was not as bad as I thought. I went into it getting 75s on Kaplan simulated tests and I felt I wasn't ready at all. I failed with a 70 and I was shocked I did that well. I should have passed but I missed a few easy questions. It is very common to fail the first time so if you do don't worry. If you do fail purchase the PassPerfect data bank. It's 110 but I found a code for 10 off. I bought that because I saw someone here use it. I bought this a week before my first test and was getting 67-70. Second time after preparing for 2 months because of xmas - I was getting high 80s on these and I passed with an 81.

I just passed the 66 this morning and am feeling so good about it, so I thought i'd come on and say yahoooo! I used TC and would recommend it to anybody. I passed the 7 18 days ago and was naive to think that I could skip over the last 5 chapters of the TC 66 material dealing with investment advice/vehicles. I barely passed with a 75 because of it as well as the fact that I only took 4 final practice exams. If I were to give any advice: don't get too cocky if you just passed the 7, even if you got a decent score like I did (88); instead, be aware that you still need to study everything and be keen about what is new in the 66 material instead of assuming only the state regulations questions will be difficult.

Anyone searching the web worrying about the 66 should please read this...

I just passed my series 66, 2 days ago. I got an 82 and figured I'd shine some light to help your worries to calm done. First, make sure you know "DCF - Discounted Cash Flow, PV - Present Value, and Future Value"... These will not be heavily tested on ANY study material. You just need to know about it.... Not do any calculations. I must say.... I failed my 7 the first time I took it... Took it again and passed. I was worried because I've heard horror stories of the 66. What a complete joke. The 66 was WAY easier than the 7. Its all about studying over and over and over. I took my 7,63,and my 66 series exams. My method of madness was BUY TC (training consultants) books and full course and go through it all. Then buy the kaplan Qbank and hammer out all there 3,000 questions. You dont need Kaplans full course study material just there Qbank. Kaplan tends to put way more info in their study materials which is unessary. I've passed all my exams with this method and its an amazing way to get the job done.

I literally did 30 questions out of the 110 in 11 minutes on the 66. It was that easy at first. Then the middle was pretty rough and the end was super easy again. I felt like there were 5-7 questiosn were two answers were right. Which is kind of bullshit if you ask me.

***** YOU MUST KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE USA, AND THE INVESTMENT ACT OF 1940, AND YOU MUST KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN IAR, IA, AGENT, BROKER DEALER, FEDERAL COVERED ADVISOR, ETC***** if not... you will no doubt fail.

I finished with over an hour left with 18 flagged for review. Went back changed a few i thought could swing either way. However, this is by far the easiest exam except for 63.

The Series 7 was a beast because of all the questions. However, if you do all the TC material, and do ALL the Kaplan QBank..... You will easily pass no worries on the Series 66. It comes to the point where you look at the question and don't even think.... You know you hit the right answer.

Im not a test taker.... And was so worried... But when I did 30 questions in 9 minutes.... Yeah we got a winner..

As far as the the test and I've mentioned DCF, PV, FV, and NPV.... The rest were exactly like the TC and Kaplan questions. I took around 12 practice exmas 6 on Kaplan and 6 on TC 4 days before my exam. I scored 75,76,78,83,87,95,82,80,79,78,78. I always hit at 75% or better on the practice exams. I scored a 82% on the real exam. Not bad but not amazing. However, its done and I'm happy.

Just use TC and Kaplan Qbank... And you will bang home this exam. I stuided for about 2 months... 1st month no weekends. 2nd month was everyday 4-6 hours a day. Goodluck and I hope this helps calm some nerves! It literally was easier than the 7.... I absolultely hated the 7....

Hey All,

My firm provided me with STC material. I don't mind it but I want something to supplement it so I can make sure I understand the material. I'm debating between Training Consultants or PassPerfect. Which one seems most current and which one would you recommend for practice tests?

TC IS THE BEST FOR 7 AND 66. I USED STC BEFORE AND IT sSUCKED AND I FAILED MY 7. THEN I SWITCHED TO TC AND PASSED MY 66 WITH 80 AND MY SERIES 7 WITH 83 TODAY!!!! I CAN NOT THANK TC AND MS. TINA ENOUGH FOR MAKING THE MATERIAL SO EASY AND UNDERSTANDABLE FOR ME SINCE I AM NEW TO INDUSTRY. YOU MUST FOLLOW HER STEP AND STUDY AND REVIEW DURING THE FINAL PRACTISE EXAMS. BUNCH OF THE QUESTIONS ON THE EXAM WERE SIMILAR FORMAT TO PRACTISE TESTS. 2 OR 3 WERE EVEN EXACTLY THE SAME. TC IS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME. KAPLAN AMD STC SUCKKKK. IF YOU WANNA PASS THAN GO WITH TC FOR SURE. YOU WON'T REGRET IT!!!! :) :) :)

Based on the comments here I ordered the Training Consultants book and online access and I am every glad I did. I had been using STC's materials because that's what my company paid for. I also attended their live two day prep class. Class was good but the study manual and online lectures were dry, verbose and boring. I am really sick with Lyme and am cognitively impaired right now. My concentration and short-term memory really sucks right now. I was not retaining anything I was studying and I got very concerned that I wouldn't pass. Based on the feedback here, I went out of pocket and bought the TC Series 66 prep course. I only had about a week left before my exam. I can tell you I would not have passed if I didn't switch to TC. Training Consultants content was the absolute BEST. Excellent materials, online classes, practice tests and support. I can not recommend TC highly enough. They advertise a 91% pass rate and I believe them.

I purchased the TC study materials for the Series 65 that I will be taking this upcoming weekend. My exam scores have ranged from my lowest at a 66 (first exam) to a 88 on my most recent. I'm a little nervous because I don't really know what to expect, but if everything is true based on the previous comments with TC and the Series 66; I should be good to go.

For now, I will review what I missed on the exams and follow up on material within the chapters that I still have trouble with.

From reading this thread it seems like TC is the closest to the actual exam? My firm provided me with STC which on all practice test I am getting 73-80, on the TC I am getting 76-78. Should I get kaplan as well? Any reccomendations would be greatly appreciated.

If anyone did STC for Series 7, like me, they probably had high respect for the program coming into series 66. Within 2 minutes of opening it I knew it was going to be a joke. STC for S66 is awful, you could tell they didn't put any thought or effort into producing it. I felt that S7 with STC was spot on and if you followed the schedule, like me you'd pass. With S66 there is no schedule, no retakes on the end of the chapter exams, no real conection between the material and the test questions. In any event I went into S66 knowning I was going to fail beacuse I wasn't able to be as strict with my studying as I was for the S7 with STC. Got a 71 and knew I gave it my all. Getting ready for take 2 of the S66 and studying with TC, its LITTERALLY NIGHT AND DAY. When studying TC it feels like they know what you aren't understanding before you know and they answer it thoroughly and thoughtfully. I highly recommend it, I look forward to going back in and passing the S66 because I know I can answer 2 questions more correct with what I've learned with TC.

PS if your firm offers STC for free it doesn't hurt ot ask if they will sponsor your TC test prep too.

Hi everyone, I take my 66 in 5 days, and have been heavily studying the TC material for about a month. Their content is great, and easy to comprehend. I'm worried about the level of difficulty of the actual 66 compared to their material and their final quizzes. To be honest, I'm finding their final quizzes to be pretty easy (easier than I was expecting). Has anyone recently used this program and recently taken the 66 that could provide some feedback on the level of difficulty of the actual exam in relation to the TC materials and final quizzes?

Thanks!

gregatron wrote:

Hi everyone, I take my 66 in 5 days, and have been heavily studying the TC material for about a month. Their content is great, and easy to comprehend. I'm worried about the level of difficulty of the actual 66 compared to their material and their final quizzes. To be honest, I'm finding their final quizzes to be pretty easy (easier than I was expecting). Has anyone recently used this program and recently taken the 66 that could provide some feedback on the level of difficulty of the actual exam in relation to the TC materials and final quizzes?

Thanks!

How did it go? Did you find the questions to be similar as the ones on TC? I take my test on Monday.

How did the exam go for you guys that took it in 2018. What topics were most seen

How did you both go? Do you recommend TC? My firm provides STC, but considering paying TC based on all the reviews.

I passed, which I contribute to prayer! I had Kaplan materials and bought the TC questions a few days ago, I would recommend, as I do not like the format of the Kaplan, and if anything it will build your confidence.

Congrats on passing. Any recommendations or topics I should focus on?

Today I took the Series 66 using STC and I got a 64% (bummer!). I was looking through quite a few of these and not many people mentioned their scores on the Q&As, mine were between 70-73% however, on three of them I scored in the 60% range. I didn't get around to doing the Closed Books, I was told that there wouldn't be any new information presented. Hoping my firm allows me another chance. If you haven't I suggest going to the NASAA website and looking at their study guide for the exam. I just discovered it and had I thoroughly reviewed it I feel like my chances of passing would have been higher!

Just took the exam on Friday 4/6, 31 days after my first attempt and passed with a 83%. 17 points higher than my first try.

Here is how I did. I took about a 2 week break after my test and then about 2 weeks before my exam, I did a 3 day kaplan online live course for 6 hours a day. This was really helpful in getting me back in the material and looking at it from a fresh perspective. The instructor really helped me clear up some things I had struggled on with the State/Fed regulations. After, I used kaplan Qbank and answered about 1,000 questions. Averaging 70-80s. The weekend before my exam I took a practice test on TC and scored 76, then used passperfect for an exam and only score 69. So naturally I was a bit worried with my exam in 5 days. Mon, Tues, and Wednesday I read through the entire pass perfect material which was the best thing i could have done. It allowed me to review everything in depth and could remember kaplan quiz questions that related to it. It gave me confidence going into the exam becasue I knew I put in the work leading up.

I hope this helps and can be an encouragement to anyone who has failed this exam or just looking for ways to pass. Feel free to ask any questions.

Hey guys, I'm new to the site but I figured I would post on here to help out anyone that is studying for their 66. I just finished studying for about 3-4 weeks and passed with an 86% first try last Tuesday. (Used STC)

Q&A Scores: 62, 75, 69, 73, 74, 75, 78, 75, 70

Closed-Book Scores: 77, 82, 83, 84, 88

Greenlight 1 & 2: 80, 67

Prior to studying for the 66 I had come off my series 7 grind. I think if you are taking both the 7 and 66, you should start studying for the series 66 right away. My reasoning is that there is a lot of overlap from language to technical skills. For example, investment vehicle characteristics and client investment recommendations/strategies. My advice is to read the entire book without skimming, should be able to knock that out in a week if you don't have much going on. Do not over analyze it the first time through, just read and take any notes as you would do with a regular text book. Make sure to take all the quizes/tests in the order that STC lays out. I also heard taking the test three-four weeks after you begin studying will increase your odds of passing because everything is so fresh and retained. Actual test itself was very reasonable. I had maybe 5-7 exact/similar questions 80 questions were different but the concept was the same. Then the rest were tricky ones. Not too bad though. Good luck!

Does anyone have the most up to date TC book for Series 66 that they're looking to sell? I would be interested!

Kaa25 wrote:

Does anyone have the most up to date TC book for Series 66 that they're looking to sell? I would be interested!

I do

I am taking the he Series 66 in 11 days- I have been using Pass Perfect (I used for the 7)- I am scoring low to mid 70's on final exams- any words of wisdom for the final stretch? I also have uses the free Series7Specialist.com over 30- 20 minute videos- I find them very easy to understand but I would appreciate any suggestion to increase my chances.

Msarsan wrote:

I am taking the he Series 66 in 11 days- I have been using Pass Perfect (I used for the 7)- I am scoring low to mid 70's on final exams- any words of wisdom for the final stretch? I also have uses the free Series7Specialist.com over 30- 20 minute videos- I find them very easy to understand but I would appreciate any suggestion to increase my chances.

Take as many practice questions as you can. Review every section with test questions, and do more questions until you are at least in the 80's. I used the TC bank and was finally getting 80's on my quizzes and got a few points less on the actual test.

How did you find the 7 to be? I am taking that in a few days. Was it super hard with lots of calculations?

hrh52 wrote:

I passed, which I contribute to prayer! I had Kaplan materials and bought the TC questions a few days ago, I would recommend, as I do not like the format of the Kaplan, and if anything it will build your confidence.

How was the exam compared to the TC questions? I have been using TC and was wondering if I should purchase the Kaplan QBank or if TC will be enough to get me ready?

I recently took the 66 and wanted to share my experience. I will preface this by saying I was 37 weeks pregnant when I took the test. I was given accomodations by FINRA for extra time and I did need the extra hour for bathroom breaks and to stand up and walk around. I failed this exam with a 71. I will take it again when I'm not pregnant.

All in all I felt like this exam was very very fair. I do hold a Series 7 and a Series 6 and have been in this industry since 1999. I used the Securities Training Consultants (STC) study materials. I read the entire book 1 time and then "reread" what I highlighted one more time near the end. I watched all of the videos and took almost all of the practice exams they provided. My average scores on the practice exams were 72, 88, 64, 88, 84, 80. The final exams were 73, 66, 67, 76, 65, 70, 63, 70. Not that great but again I was super pregnant and working full time. This test wasn't make or break my career.

I had three questions on REITS. 4 questions on Forward and Future Contracts. I had several on discounted cash flow analysis. I had 0 on Time Value of Money or calculating it. I had a handful on systemic and nonsystmic risk. If you have access to the STC study materials you need to know Chapters 2 & 3 & 4 like you wrote the book (State regulations of Securities, State Regulations Governing Broker Dealers and Agents, State Regulations Governing Investment Advisors.) Also, Chapter 12 portfolio management and investment risks.

There were several questions I had that were darn close to STC. I thought the STC questions prepared me very well for the test. I think in a previous post the person said STC was way off. I did not feel this way. I thought it was pretty darn close. I would recommend STC to anyone you just need to study and know the material.

I have full confidence I will pass this again, not pregnant in the next few months. I hope this post helps someone. Read Read Read and take the practice exams and READ the exam questions carefully, many I had, had two very obvious wrong answers. Best of luck, I will update again when I retest.

FLAdvisorGirl wrote:

I recently took the 66 and wanted to share my experience. I will preface this by saying I was 37 weeks pregnant when I took the test. I was given accomodations by FINRA for extra time and I did need the extra hour for bathroom breaks and to stand up and walk around. I failed this exam with a 71. I will take it again when I'm not pregnant.

All in all I felt like this exam was very very fair. I do hold a Series 7 and a Series 6 and have been in this industry since 1999. I used the Securities Training Consultants (STC) study materials. I read the entire book 1 time and then "reread" what I highlighted one more time near the end. I watched all of the videos and took almost all of the practice exams they provided. My average scores on the practice exams were 72, 88, 64, 88, 84, 80. The final exams were 73, 66, 67, 76, 65, 70, 63, 70. Not that great but again I was super pregnant and working full time. This test wasn't make or break my career.

I had three questions on REITS. 4 questions on Forward and Future Contracts. I had several on discounted cash flow analysis. I had 0 on Time Value of Money or calculating it. I had a handful on systemic and nonsystmic risk. If you have access to the STC study materials you need to know Chapters 2 & 3 & 4 like you wrote the book (State regulations of Securities, State Regulations Governing Broker Dealers and Agents, State Regulations Governing Investment Advisors.) Also, Chapter 12 portfolio management and investment risks.

There were several questions I had that were darn close to STC. I thought the STC questions prepared me very well for the test. I think in a previous post the person said STC was way off. I did not feel this way. I thought it was pretty darn close. I would recommend STC to anyone you just need to study and know the material.

I have full confidence I will pass this again, not pregnant in the next few months. I hope this post helps someone. Read Read Read and take the practice exams and READ the exam questions carefully, many I had, had two very obvious wrong answers. Best of luck, I will update again when I retest.

Good luck on the next exam!

Greetings,

I passed the series 65 a month ago using Training Consultants. I knew the book inside and out & made sure I "green lighted" all practice tests and quizzes. Tough Exam for sure. I failed twice and passed my third time. Unfortuntaly as of October 1st 2018 they dont give scores anymore. But I feel confident I scored in the 80s. If you would like to know more about how to pass, shoot me a friendly email and I'll kindly guide you. Redtail525(at)gmail(dot)com

One piece of advice: Do exactly what Training Consultants advises you to do. (Especially Tina's test taking tricks) :-)

Thanks series 66 mega thread for introducing me to Training Consultants, they truly are amazing. BETTER THAN KAPLAN.

My top three prep providers for the series 65 are

Pass Perfect

Kaplan

STC

If anyone needs some extra help with the series 66 exam, you can visit http://www.series66examtutor.com

Just passed the Series 7 exam and need to take the 66 before the end of the year. Does anyone have access to the 66 via Training Consultants through the end of December they would be willing to sell? Thanks

I highly recommend this website for studying if you do not have a class provided to you. https://series7specialists.com They have the 6, 7, 63, 65 and 66. Outline provided as well.

If anyone is interested in getting a discount on Kaplan materials for the series 6, 7, 63, 65, 66 and SIE exams, you can use the link below: https://portal.kaplanfinancial.com/partner/examtutor/portal/login

I took the 66 in August and failed by 2 points. My post is above. I wanted to follow up. I took the 66 on 12/28/2018 and passed. Of course the new exam just says pass so I have no idea my score. I will say this, this is a completely different exam than the one I took in August. I know FINRA changed these exams in Oct. 2018, I didn't think the 66 was affected, however, I could be wrong. This test was a bear!!! I can no longer say I think this test was fair, this test was one of trickery and deceit. Holy Hell it was hard. I have no idea how I passed but I am glad I did. As normal it's a bell curve, the beginnging and end was easier than the middle. I had a completely different exam than before and many questions I didn't have the second time. Please refer to my other post about the questions I had in August. So I had the following topics this time (Dec. 2018) Closed end funds, Open End Funds, I had a question on what the term is for how long a manager is a manager! I have two questions on strong form and weak form efficiency, several questions on LATE and who are exempt, if you don't know LATE look it up. I had three or four on partnerships and LLCs, Capital Asset Pricing, I did not have any discounted cash flows. REITS or Forwards and futures like last time, NONE. Net present value and future value I had 4 questions on these. I had 5 option questions. Two Variable Life questions. Several Technical and Fundamental questions. I used Securities Training Corporation STC. I was only getting in the high 70's and low 80's on these exams. I did feel that reading the book was far more benefical to me. This exam asked some serious specific questions where I knew the 36000 feet view of things. I still recommend STC for studying. READ READ READ People. Again, most questions have two obviously wrong answers and two you can't decide which is right. I have no idea how I passed, but I did. If you have STC don't forget to print the Crunch Time Facts, they were super helpful. Best of luck to all of you, I hope this helps in some way to someone.

My top three prep providers for licensing exams are

Pass Perfect

Kaplan

STC

If anyone needs some extra help with the series 66 exam, you can visit http://www.series66examtutor.com

If anyone is interested in getting a discount on Kaplan materials for the series 6, 7, 63, 65, 66 and SIE exams, you can use the link below: https://portal.kaplanfinancial.com/partner/examtutor/portal/login

Does anyone have the Pass Perfect book that they'd be willing to sekl?

For the Series 66, I answered every question in the Qbank over and over until I got them all correct. EVERY ANSWER! Took 4 weeks.

You up can do it!

Is there anybody who recently used Kaplan to pass the 66 who would be willing to lend me a helping hand? I took the 66 at the end of Feb and failed with a 68. Signed up to take it again soon as possible but there is just a couple sections that seem to give me trouble. Please let me know!!

If you need some help, you might want to consider working with a tutor. I regularlyhelp people with the the 66. You can check out the following website: http://www.series7examtutor.com

My results with Kaplan for the 65, 7, and 63: For the Series 65 in the fall of 2018 using Kaplan: I found the Kaplan checkpoint exams and final exams harder than the real thing. I spent 2 weeks studying 40 hours a week, and then another week studying part-time. I was scoring in the low to mid 70s, and I took daily practice exams for the week before the real thing. I never felt confident because Kaplan was throwing left-field questions at me. For the real exam, I felt like they were straightforward questions, and I felt much more confident. The difficulty does ramp up so that the middle third of the exam is the hardest, and those questions will take the longest. I still finished with about an hour to spare. These days you don’t get your score, but I made a tick mark on my scratch paper every time I guessed (even if I narrowed it down to two answers) and there were 20 tick marks. So I estimate I got an 80% at least. You’ve really got to know the ‘exemption’ stuff solidly. It helps to make a cheat sheet of material that you have to memorize. Mine ended up being 30 pages, and I was studying it daily and then right before the exam.

I took the 7 and the 63 in 2015 using Kaplan. For the series 7 practice and mastery exam, I scored an 87 and 88, and then scored 85 on the real thing a couple days later. I thought Kaplan was pretty close to the real thing, though the real exam has questions phrased a bit differently. I used almost every minute of time on the 7. This was having spent a month casually reading the book, and then 3 weeks full time in-class study time at work. For the 63, I studied for about 5 days with Kaplan. I was scoring borderline on the practice exams and didn’t feel confident going in, but again, the exam was more straightforward. I scored an 82 with time to spare.


I felt like the 65 was like a very in-depth version of the 63, plus half the material on the 7. It was a real pain, very dry material.

Overall, Kaplan does a good job preparing you, though they do overprepare you. It’s a good idea to watch the videos and hear them explain things verbally, as opposed to the dry textbook. Take all the Q-bank questions you can.

I took the CFP review with Ken Zahn’s materials, and did not care for it. Not very well organized, and the questions were more designed to trick you than test you. I looked like some guy wrote it out on his 1970 typewriter. I thought their live review was very poor as well, rushing through the material with little time for questions or discussion. Due to some real-life conflicts, I reschedueld the exam for the future and have not tested yet. When I come back to it, I’ll likely use Kaplan or Dalton for the review.