Series 65 vs 66 vs 63: Which Exam Should You Take First? (2026 Guide)
Chapters
- The Short Answer
- What Each License Is For
- The Numbers Side by Side
- How the Sixty-Six Works
- Which Path Is Yours
- The Series 65 Waivers
- Sponsorship
- Three Sample Questions
- Retakes and Validity
- Pass Rates
- Your Decision
Audio from the Open Exam Hub video of the same name; the video shows the numbers and practice questions on screen.
Series 65 vs 66 vs 63: which exam should you take first? As of October 2026, NASAA's Series 63 has 60 scored questions plus 5 unscored, 75 minutes, 43 correct to pass, $147; the Series 65 has 130 scored plus 10 unscored, 180 minutes, 92 correct to pass, $187; the Series 66 has 100 scored plus 10 unscored, 150 minutes, 73 correct to pass, $177 and needs a valid SIE and Series 7 to register. Covers what each license is for, what a Series 65 allows you to do, career paths, Series 65 waivers (CFP, ChFC, CFA, PFS, CIMA), no sponsor needed, three sample questions, retake waits, score validity and what NASAA and FINRA do and do not publish about pass rates. Independent guide, not affiliated with NASAA or FINRA.
Full guide
Series 65 practice test
Series 66 practice test
Series 63 practice test
Series 65 study plan
Series 63 study plan
Series 66 study plan
Series 65 cheat sheet
Free practice questions, study guides and cheat sheets, no signup
Chapters
0:00 The Short Answer
0:46 What Each License Is For
1:33 The Numbers Side by Side
2:12 How the Sixty-Six Works
2:57 Which Path Is Yours
3:33 The Series 65 Waivers
4:12 Sponsorship
4:34 Three Sample Questions
5:25 Retakes and Validity
5:59 Pass Rates
6:28 Your Decision
Exam facts are from the official NASAA pages as of 2026-10-20. Fees and rules can change, so confirm on the official site before you enroll. Open Exam Hub is an independent study resource, not affiliated with NASAA or FINRA. Practice questions are not from a real exam. Narration is an AI-generated voice.
Music
"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
"Carefree" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.
Images
"New York City (New York, USA), Wall Street -- 2012 -- 6614" by Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_York_City_(New_York,_USA),_Wall_Street_--_2012_--_6614.jpg
"Skyline of Financial District, Manhattan, 2025" by Julian Lupyan, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skyline_of_Financial_District,_Manhattan,_2025.jpg
"Piggy-bank-968302" by stevepb, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Piggy-bank-968302.jpg
"Legal Contract & Signature - Warm Tones" by Blogtrepreneur, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Legal_Contract_%26_Signature_-_Warm_Tones.jpg
,_Wall_Street_--_2012_--_6614.jpg){kind=link}
#Series65 #Series66 #Series63