Anyone ever take the Series 65 exam?

I thought about it. When I was in sales, I worked with some folks who took it and passed, and you're much brighter than these guys. Think the salesguy from the geico commercials.

 

Please, please, please just write another story about Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley being like 12 year old white girls in a hotel room.

 

Not as tough as the series 7 -but it's not really an easy test -- if you prepare appropriately you'll pass.

 

I have both the Series 7 and Series 65. The 65 is alot easier than 7 for sure.

On the 65, there are easy points due to emphasis on ethical scenarios which alot of it is common sense. I found the fixed income/bond questions a little challenging, but then again I don't work in bonds.


You can memorize:

-Fixed income/bond questions (terminology)
-Laws, regulations, dates
-Financial reporting (financial statements and ratios)
-Quantitative methods (valuation ratios)
-Investment vehicles

Common sense (can reason even if you don't know answer):

-Ethical practices
-Investment recommendation/investment planning questions


Requires a little more thinking/more abstract/level 2 thinking:

-Economics
-Valuation of fixed income

My recommendation is not to just sit and read a book over and over again, but just to do as many practice questions/test bank that you can get a hold of. Thus when you take the exam, you won't be surprised by any question they throw at you.

 

There are of course a million different study aids on the net -- it's not just rote memorization -- two months is plenty of time to prepare and do well on the test.

 

lingerers.

 

I took the 65 back in the day. I thought it was discontinued in favor of the 66. (a combination of the 65 and the blue sky law 63 at the time.) Considering that the 65 means nothing without a series 7, 6 or 8 (and I'm not even sure it works with a 6) in the investment industry, I'm actually curious why you would take this one first?

 

I think Investopedia.com has practice exams or studies on it somewhere. I'm not sure if they have a 65 exam, but you may want to check.

 

You get 2-3 months? Seems like 2-3 weekends would be more than sufficient. I have a 63 (blue sky) and I think the exam was only like 2 hours. Now the 7 has a lot more material, so you should budget a full month for that one, and the class helps too if your employer pays for it.

 

I studied for literally 3 days for the Series 66 and passed, which is more material than the 65. I was so burnt out after the series 7 that I couldn't look at any new material. Now I'm studying for the CFP. I sit in March. Anyone taken that?

If you just do practice problems until you start getting 80s on the test, you will be fine.

The test was harder than the practice problems I was using, but I still snuck out of there with a 78.

 

memorize and do the practice tests and you'll be fine.

 

what kind of tests are these?

 

They are puberty tests.

 

how do i study for such a test?

i remember watching the videos in 5th grade on how to tell if we were going through puberty lol.

 

Very doable in 3 months assuming you're good at cramming as you say.

I've met several hundred people who have this qualification and don't know anything about the topic, so I assume all it takes is memorization and some logic.

 

Well, for double the salary it is definitely worth it. I took the 7, 63 and 65 in 1999 while working for a SVP at Prudential securities (who also scouted for the San Diego Rockets when he was younger and was roommates with Pat Riley. I had no idea Riley scouted for the Rockets at one point.)

So he had me study for the tests while I was working. I've always been good at cramming, so I studied my ass off for two weeks on the 7, took a weekend help course, and ended up with an 82.

So I figured the other two were pieces of cake and signed up to take each the next week. I ended up with a 77 on the 63 and I think I ended up with a 67 on the 65, so I signed up to take it a week later. This time I crammed for it and still only got around a 75.

Not to freak you out, by any means. Just be sure and study hard for it. To me it was the next hardest to the 7. (and I have the 31 and group one, as well.)

And the other posts are correct. Once you pass these you can throw what you learned out the window. Sad, but true.

I'd give you my study materials, but it's been too long and I have no idea if I still even have them.

Best advice is to take this class if you are worried at all about passing. This was similar to what I took for the 7, and if it is going to double your salary, the cost is probably more than worth it.

http://www.abtrainingcenter.com/showSEMDetails.asp?TCID=1000071

Let me know if you have any other questions. I still have plenty of friends in the industry.