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SIE, Series 7 and Series 66: What Order to Take Them (2026 Guide)

Audio from the Open Exam Hub video of the same name; the video shows the numbers and practice questions on screen.

SIE, Series 7 and Series 66: what order to take them? As of October 2026, FINRA's SIE has 75 questions in 1 hour 45 minutes, 70% to pass, $100, valid 4 years, no firm needed; the Series 7 has 125 scored questions in 3 hours 45 minutes, 72 to pass, $395, and needs a sponsoring firm; NASAA's Series 66 has 100 scored plus 10 unscored questions in 150 minutes, 73 correct to pass, $177. Covers series 7 and 66, series 7 vs series 66, SIE vs Series 7, series 66 prerequisites, the typical timeline, whether order matters, when each result expires, sponsorship, which path fits broker, adviser or both, three sample questions, retake waits (including the 2027 changes) and study-time estimates. Independent guide, not affiliated with FINRA or NASAA.

Full guide
SIE practice test
Series 7 practice test
Series 66 practice test
SIE study plan
Series 7 study plan
Series 66 study plan
Free practice questions, study guides and cheat sheets, no signup

Chapters
0:00 The Short Answer
0:49 What Each Exam Is
1:29 The Numbers Side by Side
2:05 The Typical Timeline
2:35 Does the Order Matter
3:23 When Each Exam Expires
3:57 Which Path Is Yours
4:26 Sponsorship
4:58 Three Sample Questions
5:47 Retakes and Study Time
6:32 Your Plan

Exam facts are from the official FINRA and 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 FINRA or NASAA. Practice questions are not from a real exam. Narration is an AI-generated voice.

Music
"Fresh Air" 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

"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Almost Bliss" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.

Images
"NY stock exchange traders floor LC-U9-10548-6" by Thomas J. O'Halloran, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NY_stock_exchange_traders_floor_LC-U9-10548-6.jpg
"Tickers (8085342806)" by Francisco Gonzalez, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tickers_(8085342806).jpg
"Federal Hall August 2017 01" by Arild Vågen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Federal_Hall_August_2017_01.jpg
"Automatic ticker apparatus, New York Stock Exchange. Central control station LCCN2013647237" by Miscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of Congress, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Automatic_ticker_apparatus,_New_York_Stock_Exchange._Central_control_station_LCCN2013647237.jpg

#Series7 #Series66 #SIE