The big Series 86 Exam mystery is why so many smart people fail this exam. In today’s post, we break down why this is the case and what can be done to prevent this from happening to you.
Series 86 Exam Mystery: “I’ve never failed an exam”
Most people that take the Series 86 Exam are quite high functioning. Many have a graduate degree (or degrees!). Some are experienced securities analysts or MBAs, whereas others are experienced test takers such as doctors and engineers.
Why then do so many people fail?
Unfortunately, the answer is multilayered.
First, and most common, many people fail their first attempt due simply to underestimating the difficulty of the exam. A lack of clarity, and therefore understanding, around built in assumptions make this exam difficult. Beyond what must implicitly need to be understood, a reasonably detailed understanding of GAAP accounting (or at least the parts of it needed for the Series 86) and related ratios are necessary.
Second, many people do not realize there is another source for Series 86 exam prep and practice questions outside of STC.
Tip: That other resource is yours truly at Professional Exam Tutoring. As of this writing, we are the only other company in the United States that provides a Series 86 exam course which includes practice questions.
Third, many students get fixated on a target practice score for their practice exams. In reality, a much better predictor of your preparedness is how well you thoroughly understand the material.
What Next?
If you have not done so already, we highly recommend that you purchase our practice questions. You can get access to them through tutoring sessions or buy them online.
Make sure that you really understand each question and their respective explanations. Knowing the answers verbatim can help occasionally, but ideally you want to have a solid understanding of the foundational concepts.
All of the above should help prepare you much better than just simply taking a few practice exams for STC and calling in a day. If you need more help, feel free to reach out for our Series 86 Tutor. Good luck!