STC is terrible for the 66 exam.  I've found it really inflates your expectations to the point where you think you know the material and once exam day rolls around, you're like, "WTF!?"  I'd make sure you're using another provider as well. 

[quote=small_potatoes]

When you take the exam and fail it you're given a Section Analysis showing you from the 4 parts of the exam your percentage on each part totaling 100%. After Jan 01, 2010 the pass grade was increased to 75% and the exam itself was weighted differently. There are 100 questions.

50% Laws, Regs and Guidelines
30% Client Investment Recommendations and Strategies
15% Investment Vehicle Characteristics
5% Economic Factors and Business Information

My score was 64%, 63%, 80%, 40% respectively.

I don't want to waste time on chapters I know and I don't really want to buy additional material. Also, the class is in 3 days and I don't have the cash at the moment. I used STC to study and did all the practice and closed book exams. Up to a week before the exam I was scoring 85% and over on the closed books but still failed by 10 questions. I was pretty sure I covered my weak areas too.

Any tips or advice would be awesome!

[/quote]

Use lots of 3x5 cards for the memory/definition related items. Also, set aside specific hours to study, that don't get interrupted.

I personally thought stc was good… I used a 2 year old stc book and still passed. Thought Keir was the worst book ever. I thought the exam was easy even without studying, because most of the questions are common sense. Just keep studying man, there’s no tricks to this stuff or tips, its just cramming. You maybe making this into much more than it is, and getting nervous about it… Affecting your overall result.

Buddy Fox I appreciate the good words!

I checked out some stuff today and found that the material I did poorly on I knew at the time I wasn't 100% on it. Going into the exam I still didn't have the full grasp exempt securities, exempt transactions and some of the qualified/nonqualified plans. I imagine scenario questions for client product recommendations and the USA stuff in IAR/Agent problems are always good to keep doing. Gonna stick to it. It's gonna be a long month haha, but it will give me time to work on potential clients at the same time.

Try not to over study for it. I failed the 52 twice and studied for that for 4-5 months along with a few weeks to study for the 63. Then switched over to clear my head and study for the 7. I studied for the 7 for 2 weeks, took a lot of those practice exams on Kaplan, and passed it after 3 weeks of starting to study. Don't let the material get mixed up by craming that stuff in your head. Just my 2

Use multiple textbooks, exams, study guides.  Each one will approach similiar questions differently.  Too often we think we've mastered the material because we've mastered the _________ (fill in the blank) practice tests. 

At the same time be sure to RTFQ*.  The 66 questions tend to be long and convoluted.  Try to cut away the chaff and find the REAL question.

* Read The ^!%@$# Question

I passed this morning with a score of 81%, after studying from last Friday through yesterday evening.  I used an STC book/CD from 2008 that was a hand-me-down from an advisor I'm working under.  

Don't go into the exam riding the high of passing the 7... the 66 is a different monster.  It's written in lawyer's English.  If you can whittle it down to real questions, you'll do find.

ALSO - don't forget some of the basics from your 7...  there were a few questions about options, and the behavior of bonds that weren't covered in the 66 book.

Well, they are TRYING hard to fool you.  It is not black and white like the 7.  Written by lawyers.

I remember one question said the Secure Exchange Comission or some stupid spelling error like that.

Any way, go slower, read the questions and don't change an answer if you are not SURE