When it comes to the SIE versus the Series 7, there are major differences. One takes much more studying than the other, but they are also very different animals.
In today’s post, we address the major differences between the two.
SIE vs Series 7 Exam: Surface vs Deep
One major differentiator in the SIE vs Series 7 exams is how deep your understanding of the material must go for each.
The SIE Exam includes a wide range of topics. However, you only really need to know a few points from each of these topics in order to succeed. In short, the SIE Exam is much more of an introductory exam. The basic definitions and detail you’ll need to know for each concept is fairly digestible.
On the other hand, the Series 7 top-off exam covers a lot of the same material, yet goes much deeper. For the Series 7 Exam, you should also be prepared for more math. The SIE exam is very unlikely to have more than a handful of questions for which you’ll need a calculator.
The Series 7 Exam, however, can be fairly quantitative. Furthermore, the calculations can require understanding concepts at multiple layers.
Weighting
One other important tidbit to keep in mind is that the Series 7 exam tends to be a little more weighted in specific areas.
While the SIE exam does focus on certain areas, it is unlikely that you are going to get a significant concentration of questions from any one topic.
For instance, there’s no one specific topic (e.g., Options) that will make up over 20% of the exam. That said, in the Series 7 Exam we constantly hear back from students that had repeated issues in large swaths of the exam. The silver lining is that this can give you more focus while studying.
Overall, differentiating between these two exams is important in your studying. Many students we’ve seen memorize their way through the SIE exam, however, the Series 7 exam requires more in-depth knowledge. If you need help with either exam, feel free to reach out! Good luck!