On FINRA’s website there is a SIE Exam breakdown in fairly vague terms. It’s hard to get a sense of the true composition of the exam. While we stop-short of providing exact details of what is on the exam in this post, we share what our students believe were important clues they learned to study better for next time (if a next time was needed!).
SIE Exam Breakdown
A precises SIE Exam breakdown is hard to find. If your SIE exam study material includes the STC curriculum then you can find their breakdown early on in the textbook. That said, STC simply covers the chapters they believe align with the more vague four part breakdown provided by FINRA. The exact details of what will be in each, is not included. Furthermore, how many questions to expect from each subject is also not mentioned.
So Then, What Subject Shows Up Most?
Based off the student feedback we generally get at Professional Exam Tutoring, the SIE seems to be a much broader exam than some others (such as the Series 7 Exam). In our view, the exam tests a little of everything.
FINRA’s SIE practice exam on their website has only one or two “Options” questions for example. We would not be surprised to hear a similar experience from students taking the real thing.
As an introductory exam, the SIE is meant to cover basic knowledge across a wide range of jobs. Once past this exam, there are “Top-Off” exams that get more specific. These exams, also vary in what they test depending on the job.
Concentration on The Top-Off
These “Top-Off” exams (such as the Series 7 Top-Off, Series 79 Top-Off, etc.) are much more concentrated and focused on specific subjects.
For example, the Series 7 Top-Off exam is for broker-dealer employees where the primary role of the registered representative may be in a brokerage or advisory role. Similarly, the Series 79 Top-Off is for employees focused mostly on the capital markets side of the broker-dealer – the investment banking department.
As a result, their exams are much less broad than the SIE Exam.
Overall, it’s hard to find an exact SIE Exam breakdown (FINRA has hundreds – and probably thousands of questions to choose from).
That said, a broad study strategy will help you get through this exam. Start with reading the text, and move on to practice questions. With some focus, and a good strategy, you’ll make it through! Good luck!