“Can I pass my exam before the holidays?”
We are starting to hear this question more and more as the Thanksgiving weekend wraps up.
While many who work in offices start winding down their year, many exam takers are in a hurry to pass their FINRA exams before the new year begins.
Here are a few tips to make sure you can squeeze in a passing grade before the new year.
In Order to Pass Your Exam Before the Holidays…Don’t Let Up
There are close to five weeks left in 2021. If you want to finish this year on a bright note, and you’re in the middle of studying, don’t stop.
One of the worst things you can do is kill your momentum. It’s really hard to get back into studying when you take a weekend or two off.
No matter which FINRA or NASAA exam you take, it takes somewhere between four and six weeks for the average person to study and pass.
If you think you are an average test taker, then there is little room for error. Given the timing, there’s little time to take off weekends or evenings. Try to squeeze in any practice questions while you can. On your lunch breaks, while carpooling, or on public transportation.
It all can help.
Finish Reading the Text ASAP
Many people get bad advice from their coworkers. We hear quite frequently that our students are told to skip reading the text, and go straight to practice questions. Usually misguided advice from coworkers or a boss.
This is rarely a good idea.
Even if you come from a top-notch school, with a finance degree, there are many rules and regulations that you would have never learned in undergrad. For instance, in the SIE Exam, Rule 144 for restricted investors is something that almost never comes up in a typical undergrad finance class – or even in an MBA class for that matter.
That said, while reading the text is helpful and necessary, try to get through it as fast as you can.
Questions are undoubtedly the most helpful way to get you to understand the contact, however you need to start with a solid foundation.
Use Your Downtime
Many offices are very quiet after about December 20. Use the downtime when your office is quiet to maximize studying, and schedule your exam.
Sometimes you can find open dates at testing centers between the Christmas holiday and New Year’s Eve. Also try booking your exam time a few days after New Year’s Day. Exam scheduling starts to really pick back up around the third and fourth week of January.
All in all, there is still plenty of time to pass your exam. Use your time well, and work your way through the material and you’ll do just fine. If you need a tutor, you know how to find us 🙂