Training Consultants and the Series 66 Exam. What if?
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I took the 66 about three weeks ago. I used fire solutions and came up 5 points short. I wish I could say it was due to lack of effort but I studied my ass off and honestly went into thinking I was going to crush it. The test I was dealt was so different than what i expected that i was surprised i was able to pull out a 70. I ordered TC after reading what you guys wrote about it. I take the test in a little over a week and i am feeling much better this time around.
I have taken the first 5 tests and have been scoring up around 90% on all of them. So if this material is as good as you say it is then I will be a happy man. I have seen the test once already and I can confrim that you will see word for word questions because i remember quite a few that i had no idea abou the first time around, which is defninitely reassuring. I was wondering if any of you used passed perfect too. i was thinking since TC only has about 5-6 exams i was going to take a bunch of pass perfect exams too since i have time, and i have heard that their exams are also very reflective of the test. Was just hoping someone in here did this too.
Hambone I was in the exact same boat. I feel like Fire gives you too much info but if you know that info, you should be able to pass. Well, that theory was shot down. I went in yesterday feeling like an 85 would be easily obtained. WRONG!
^^ wow- see. Now people will really believe me. I am serious that all the other study material sucks. Yeah, you can pass with it- but its so bad that its really hard to pass unless you get lucky on quite a few questions. I literally was done in 45 mintues with TC and I thought I was going to get in the 90s when I saw my score. An 88 is pretty close, though. haha!
I finished my Series 66 test just a few hours ago. Training Consultants is a great way to pass the test. This was the second time taking the test. I prepared the first time using just the Series 66 book from Kaplan and scored a 70. A great deal of the test is just understanding the structure of the questions and assumptions that go along with them. I bought the Training Consultants online practice question/test application 2 days before my second attempt . I took 3 standard finals and got a 74, 82 and 83. I took the last 2 standard finals today before the test with a 76 and 84. I then passed the 66 two hours later with an 82. I would say 10 to 12 questions were about word for word. My knowledge base really didn’t increase that much the second time around but I knew how to answer the questions. I wish I would have done more research before to make it easier. On a side note if you use the Kaplan book, supplement your knowledge of S,C,LLC’s ect.because it does not cover everything you need to know.
registerme doesnt work for TC, most likey he/she works for a company that is paid to post positive stuff, we have had marketing firms call our office and offer that service. Asking if they work for TC is misleading.
I used STC and got an 80% on the 66 and 7.
Im taking the CFP in march and thats the only reason im still on this forum is for advice. Registerme has been on here for years, only posting about TC…that makes alot of sense…
I just took and passed the Series 66 exam with a very strong score. Formerly, I used Kaplan and Passtheseven (Robert Walker) for the Series 7 with great success. I then decided after some online research to give Training Consultant’s Series 66 material a try - and it’s terrific. The online lectures are very informative and you will grow to love the instructors voice (check mark highlight!) - but it’s the practice exams and their full explanations that make the course worth every penny. I studied for approximately 5 weeks and passed. It does take a week to get the printed textbook shipped to you (the book is brief and gets right to the point) and it’s good to follow along in the book with the instructor. The website itself is great too and intuitive - Be sure you go back and check the practice exams and review the questions you answered incorrectly - you can even print them off and save them to a binder for later review. I definitely recommend the course and I wish I had known about training consultants for my Series 7. Thanks folks - I passed!!!
First and foremost, thank you to everyone here. I found out about TC from this site.
DISCLAIMER This is going to be a long post, if you have passed 66 then you can stop reading now. If you are about to take it, this is information I would have wanted to read prior to taking the test so I hope it helps.
I have to say I am sorry to further rain on your parade mstudy but just got back from the Series 66 and passed with a 78 first try using TC. Nothing stellar by any means but its a pass and I finished with an hour to spare so I probably could have gone back to check a few answers.
So here is my story and feedback for others…
My Prep:
I focused VERY heavily on the USA, NASAA and IA Act of '40. Made sure that I was scoring consistently in the 80’s on all these sections. For all 5 finals I reviewed EVERY question from those sections and read the rational. If it was an except question, I read the question and left the except off and read all the other answers (to help memorize what it did include) and then read the question as written with the except answer. Some questions on the actual exam for these topics were so poorly worded it was impossible to even tell what they are asking. Also for my experience the number of similar questions on the practice vs real thing was about on par with what others have said if not even higher. Seriously…just take the exams and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW. Get the concepts they have in the questions, they may package it a different way but its usually pretty clear as to what question you have seen in the past to relate it to.
Next focus was Client Investment Recommendations and Strategies. This one I struggled the most with during exam prep. So many very similar terms and just slight variations in differences to ratios or risk types that they did hit you with it hard on the exam. Flash cards are your friend, these were the lectures I had the hardest time getting through and really just read the book TC provided.
The reason for studying the way that I did is I am working full time and had to optimize my studying as much as possible. If you go to NASAA’s website there is a FULL breakdown of how many questions in each section are on each specific term or topic. Laws and Regs are 50% and Investment Rec/Strategies are 30% and it breaks each of these down into subcategories of how many questions are on each concept.
I would be studying, hit some concept or term that just didn’t click and would look at the PDF of the test break down. If it was 5 questions and one of 3 things listed, I studied it. If there were 2 questions and its in a list of 10 terms that those 2 questions pulled from then I got the general concept and moved on.
(PLEASE DO NOT LINK TO THE PDF PLEASE!!! In the off chance they are not aware of how much success people are having with TC and their web admin sees a ton of incoming traffic from here we could have a Series 7 lawsuit over the 66 and I do not want that to happen, doubtful but just don’t risk it!)
So am I just touting TC with no other experience?
NO! I got the STC material from a friend for the 66 and it was the worst possible way to relay it for the way I learn.
I then decided to take the Kaplan course, served me well in the past so figured it would here too. Well after reading the book and taking the live course I thought I knew it well enough to just brush up some. So I went home and took a mock exam. Score 56%. I was horrified. I took another one, 58%. So I had read the book and taken the class but it still did not break down the material in a way which I was able to truly differentiate between inclusions, exclusion and exemptions with the way the questions are asked. I then saw this thread and ordered the material as I was willing to try anything that would allow me to understand it. Went through the TC course (skipped the investment vehicle, retirement plans and other Series 7 stuff) and then went back to Kaplan to see if it helped. Took a mock exam and got a 77%. Plain and simple I understood the material and was able to differentiate after taking the TC course. Went back and retook the TC course in full.
Here is the most important part which many will find interesting. TC assumes you just took the 7 so they blow through many topics that are on the 7. If the 7 isn’t fresh or you are taking the 66 first via U10, I would highly suggest buying a used Series 7 book on ebay or amazon.
You need to go further in depth on Bonds, Options (make sure you can find the max gain/loss and breakeven of a simple option) as well as Business Entities (Corp, S Corp, Partnership, LLC) and taxation. They threw in some detailed tax questions on the test that really surprised me
Final thoughts
TC was spot on for the rest (no huge detailed explanations when all they asked was simple conceptual question) and if she says “Checkmark highlight!” then there is a huge chance you will see it on the test itself. Do NOT let them trick you int he wording and pay very close attention to questions you get wrong on the practice finals that are misleading or that they change something like register to file. You WILL see them do this on the 66 so if you are not on the look out for it then they will get you.
I think we have pretty well dispelled the myth that we all work for TC and are touting it because of that. But if you are one of those conspiracy theorist, send me a message and Ill send you a picture of my passing report (with my name and ID number redacted of course) showing the date of Monday July 29, 2013…
Best of luck to anyone who is going to take it and if you follow the method I outlined, I really will be shocked if you don’t pass. It will take time and effort so do not mistake this test for Life/Health exams but for me this was 10x easier than the 7.
Anyone about to take it feel free to message me with questions or concerns. I am more than happy to guide you along, but I will not tell you which questions I saw on the exam or anything exam question specific aside from the fact I was shocked I had to calculate an option! Even Kaplan said “you 66 folks wont see this.”
SandDollar, I am not sure what you mean buy raining on my parade. I originally created this tread because of all of the one sided comments about Training Consultants. Something did not smell right to me. Obviously, there was something to be concerned about.
SandDollar, I am not sure what you mean buy raining on my parade. I originally created this tread because of all of the one sided comments about Training Consultants. Something did not smell right to me. Obviously, there was something to be concerned about.
I definitely recognize your concern and realize how you could see it that way. The truth of the matter is really that the TC product for the 66 is stellar. I followed their plan and as many mentioned the lecturers voice can be a bit trying at times but the way she broke the material down and the way she relayed the material worked. Given how quickly I was able to get through it with my other work load shocked me as well.
Mstudy I do agree that it is unusual that there be so many good reviews for a product without any dissenters. In this case though, the product really is simply that good and they have developed a now proven method to be able to pass.
[quote=mstudy]SandDollar, I am not sure what you mean buy raining on my parade. I originally created this tread because of all of the one sided comments about Training Consultants. Something did not smell right to me. Obviously, there was something to be concerned about.
I definitely recognize your concern and realize how you could see it that way. The truth of the matter is really that the TC product for the 66 is stellar. I followed their plan and as many mentioned the lecturers voice can be a bit trying at times but the way she broke the material down and the way she relayed the material worked. Given how quickly I was able to get through it with my other work load shocked me as well.
Mstudy I do agree that it is unusual that there be so many good reviews for a product without any dissenters. In this case though, the product really is simply that good and they have developed a now proven method to be able to pass.[/quote]
You may not have all of the facts here. There is a very good reason to skeptical about the product. FINRA sued Training Consultants for allegedly sitting for FINRA exams over a number of years for the purpose of memorizing test questions. The NASAA exams were not included in the lawsuit, though. The case never went to trial because the lawsuit was settled.
[quote=SandDollar][quote=mstudy]SandDollar, I am not sure what you mean buy raining on my parade. I originally created this tread because of all of the one sided comments about Training Consultants. Something did not smell right to me. Obviously, there was something to be concerned about.
I definitely recognize your concern and realize how you could see it that way. The truth of the matter is really that the TC product for the 66 is stellar. I followed their plan and as many mentioned the lecturers voice can be a bit trying at times but the way she broke the material down and the way she relayed the material worked. Given how quickly I was able to get through it with my other work load shocked me as well.
Mstudy I do agree that it is unusual that there be so many good reviews for a product without any dissenters. In this case though, the product really is simply that good and they have developed a now proven method to be able to pass.[/quote]
You may not have all of the facts here. There is a very good reason to skeptical about the product. FINRA sued Training Consultants for allegedly sitting for FINRA exams over a number of years for the purpose of memorizing test questions. The NASAA exams were not included in the lawsuit, though. The case never went to trial because the lawsuit was settled.[/quote]
Ahhhhh so that is the real issue. Yes, I am fully aware there was a lawsuit and that they were accused of sitting an taking the exams to memorize questions based on the number of times they failed. I did not buy the question bank to memorize them, I bought the lecture and that is what enabled me to pass the test. Believe me, there were not 75 verbatim questions on that test!
Two things, if the way they broke the material down was not better, my score on the Kaplan practice test would not have skyrocketed after simply going through the lectures once without having taken any of their practice test. Secondly, many of the questions I saw on the TC practice exams mysteriously were on the Kaplan exams too…
The main advantage of the TC test over Kaplan though was I could click on a topic (such as Investment Vehicles) and view all the questions from that section of the practice test. With Kaplan you know how many from each section you missed but it does not let you review just the questions from your weakest section.
You are the exception on this forum. Most people here are probably buying the data bank of questions with the expectation that they will see the same questions on the actual exam. Most of my students do not use Training Consultants. The majority of my students prior to seeking help from my company, have already failed using STC or Kaplan. I normally recommend that they purchase the materials from Pass Perfect.
I do not doubt that mstudy, it is an unfortunate reality. I have not used nor ever seen pass perfect so I cannot speak to those. I can say that I got to look at a friends Series 7 material from TC and if you are the self directed studier it seems to be a good option since they are outline based and not verbose like STC and Kaplan. I did not really get a whole lot out of the Kaplan class aside from a few tricks and tips but those were not enough to pass since a whole lot of what was on there did not even get talked about in the class.
As I stated before, I did see the same questions on TC as I saw on Kaplan for the most part so you can buy either test bank. The difference though as I stated is the flexibility to review questions by unit and the way it breaks down your scoring compared to the Kaplan %. The Kaplan does not help much in my opinion if you cannot go back and see exactly what material the questions were on that you missed without going through the WHOLE test. I just find this cumbersome especially if there is one section you are very week on and need to focus on just those topics.
Kaplan in my opinion is a hard study guide to follow. You are first starting out dry in the arena of state laws, and Kaplan gives you the driest version of what you need to know. They also give you the legal jargon, expecting you to know what in the world they are talking about. Also, Kaplan is 400 pages of info. thats ridiculous. Their index and references are also a joke, so if you are not a good test taker and you decide to do a self study in Kaplan it will be tough. I did it for the 7, and it was a monster, absolutely overwhelmed and their Cheat Sheet was laughable. I purchased TC today from the good vibes that I have been reading all around from different posters. I have read the Kaplan 66 book twice and I am still scoring in the 75-78 range. I know it’s crazy to go through another course but I have a learning problem with an accident that I suffered when I was a kid, basically a head injury that affect my memory. Self directed courses do not work well with me, and I have never liked Kaplan manuals. I took courses in college that required them and it was always better to beat yourself over the head than attempt to read through their bs. I am going to give TC a shot. We will see how it goes. I intend on taking the exam in 2 weeks. I will be giving my advice to everyone. On mstudy, he is a tutor. If you need help online with a tutor who has been in the business for a long time I would recommend him. One thing that I would recommend is to approach mstudy, knowing exactly what sections you struggle with. You can’t approach him expecting to dump all of this knowledge on you in a matter of seconds. He helped me with my Series 7.
Also, I don’t have a problem with training courses taking exams just to see how the questions are written. That is more than half the battle in this industry. They continue to raise the standards of instead of making a 70% on the Series 7 you need a 72% now, or instead of getting a 70% on the Series 66 you need a 75%. I want to be challenged by my training course, and if they have an inside track on what type of questions or how they are asked I think its awesome. Sorry, its not cheating it is preparing. If I knew that an old FINRA exam writer is now publishing their own study manual I will probably look to them for incite.
Jajafosheeshee, thank you for the rec in this thread and in another. Check your messages.
I used Training Consultants and studied for 6 weeks and just took the test 1 week ago and got an 83%. Everything about their program was great! Their online program is very easy to use and their book is about 1/4 the size of Kaplan.
I am now selling my Training Consultants Series 66 book and online login to pass along to anyone interested. The book literally is like-new, it has no markings of any kind since I did all my note taking in a notebook. I can also give you my online login for the TC website so you can complete all the practice Q’s. Please comment back to me on here and let me know if you’re interested in the study materials!
I did not have the same success with TC. I recently purchased the TC series 66 program and studied for close to 30 days. The last two weeks I put in 50 plus hours of study time. I scored 76,79,76,75 & 72 on there standard finals. Followed their damage control process and retook standard tests 1,2 & 5 and I scored 88,90 & 91 respectively. Then I took a random final and scored an 81.
Today I sat for the 66 and scored a 71. The portion I failed was the Laws, Regulations and guidelines. The test questions seemed to be significantly more detailed that the study material. What other material should I secure to better prepare for round 2
I am also considering trying to sit for the 63 and 65 since I have a base of knowledge already and would like to expedite the process. Has anyone else taken that route?
@DC, that is not bueno. You need to sit and drill those topics in your head. Just listening to the recordings and retaking the exams will not help you out. I retook the exam using TC and scored an 86.
I will share what helped me pass.
The first phase of TC, about 2 weeks I went through every chapter of TC and listened to the recordings and took the section quizzes. Sometimes having to redo some.
The second phase. About a week long of taking the final exams. Averaging in the 80’s. (I then went back to realize why I missed questions etc.) I also retook some exams where I didn’t feel comfortable.
The third phase. Another week long, I actually went through every chapter and wrote a small cheat sheet or recap of the important topics to drill into my head. This phase was to memorize the topics and to be able to know what the vocab was.
The final phase. For about a week and a half, 5 hours a day on the weekdays and 8 to 9 on the weekend. I would run through my cheat sheet (which was about 48 pages long) every day. I had my time broken out in time. I would study for 45 minutes and then take a break for 15 minutes. Studying the cheat sheet, and looking at TC’s flash cards to memorize the topics. Also in some intermittent study to mix things up I would take some of the exams (doing 15-20 questions in the portion of that 45 min. mixing in the cheat sheet).
I did the final week for 2 reasons. One, is memorization. This exam is pure memorization. You must know the vocab more than anything, if you know a little you don’t know enough. Judging from your score you knew a little, and I am guessing that you had a good memory of the practice test questions. The second reason why I did the final week that way is that marathon studying is not good. You are allowed to take breaks during the exam so why not while you are studying. Getting your brain and body used to being under some sort of stress for those those 45 minutes, will prepare you to stay focused for a much longer time than marathon studying.
I wish you luck!