Best Series 66 Exam Prep Courses

Find the right prep course to match your learning style and study needs

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The Series 66 exam was created by the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) to address the licensing needs of Investment Advisor Representative (IAR) candidates who also want to hold the Series 7 license. Generally, anyone who wants to be registered as an IAR need only pass the Series 65 exam. However, if they're also going to hold a Series 7 license as an IAR, they must instead take the Series 66 exam, which is essentially a combination of the Series 63 and Series 65 exams.

Although you don't have to be sponsored to take the Series 66 exam, you first must pass the Series 7 exam as a prerequisite. While FINRA or NASAA don't publish pass rates for the Series 66 exam, candidates should not underestimate the exam's difficulty. 

That's why it's essential to find a Series 66 exam prep course that best matches your learning style and study needs. In this roundup, we did the legwork for you by reviewing a dozen top exam course providers to find the best in five categories.

The 5 Best Series 66 Exam Prep Courses of 2023

Best Overall : Securities Institute of America


Securities Institute of America

 Securities Institute of America

With its reasonably priced, comprehensive offerings of high-quality study materials with a money-back guarantee, the Securities Institute of America is our choice as the best overall Series 66 exam prep provider.

Pros
  • Complete lineup of course offerings

  • Six-month access to 1,800-question test bank

  • Strong instructor support

  • Money-back guarantee

  • Backed by the renowned financial publisher Wiley & Sons

Cons
  • No mobile app but online tools are responsive to mobile devices

As a division of renowned financial information publisher John Wiley & Sons, one would expect the 25-year-old Securities Institute of America (SIA) to produce high-quality, comprehensive study courses. However, its ability to deliver them at a very reasonable price with a money-back guarantee makes SIA our choice as the best overall Series 66 exam prep course provider.

For $179, the top-tier Complete Self-Study Solution has everything you need to prepare for the Series 66 exam successfully—a 322-page textbook (online and offline), eight hours of online video instruction, 1,800-question test bank for unlimited practice exams, an e-book that lets you access all course materials online or offline, and unlimited access to phone or live chat instructor support—all with six-month access.

Its $99 Text and Exam Prep Software package includes everything in the Complete package except online instruction, the personal study calendar, video tips and the e-book, making it an ideal choice for self-directed students. Students who only want access to the 1,800-question databank and practice quizzes can pay $45 for the exam prep software, which can be accessed on any device.

That's as complete a lineup of course offerings as you can find, allowing you to select an option that best matches your learning style and study needs. 

All of SIA's Series 66 course offerings include the Greenlight Exam Guarantee, promising a full refund for students who pass the Greenlight Exam yet fail the official exam on their first attempt. SIA boasts a 90% pass rate for all its securities exams.

Best Premium Course Offering : Securities Training Corporation


Securities Training Corporation Review

 Securities Training Corporation Review

For students looking for the best top-tier course, Securities Training Corporation's Premier Plus study package is stacked full of tools and features to match any learning style, making it our choice as the Series 66 exam prep course provider with the best premium course offering.

Pros
  • 50-year track record 

  • Comprehensive learning tools and training methods

  • Money-back guarantee

  • Six-month access to all materials

  • Course materials are mobile responsive

Cons
  • Money-back guarantee not available with the standard course

Securities Training Corporation has a 50-year track record of preparing students to pass securities exams, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it knows how to design a top-tier course. Its Series 66 Premier Plus study package is as comprehensive as you will find, making it our choice as the best premium course offering. 

STC's mid-tier Premier package provides six-month access to a wide range of best-in-class study tools and resources, including an online and printed study manual, online progress exams, customized practice exams, final exams, on-demand video lectures, online flashcards, and access to instructor support. Its on-demand video lectures are high quality and worth the cost of a premium course for visual learners. While that is an impressive study package at $182.46, the Premier Plus package adds live virtual or in-person classes, Series 66 Q&A sessions, and recorded live virtual courses and costs $277.45.

For some, these feature-rich study packages may be overkill. But for students who don't want to leave any stone unturned in their preparation for a challenging exam, the Premier Plus package is a great option.

STC also offers a basic self-study package for $126.97 consisting of its online and offline study materials and final exams. It doesn't include the STC Pass Guarantee.

STC claims a 95% pass rate on all its securities exams.

Best Value Self-Study Package : ExamFX


ExamFX

ExamFX 

ExamFX has an impressive lineup of Series 66 exam prep courses, but its Self-Study package offers the best bang for the buck, making it our choice as the best value self-study package.

Pros
  • Comprehensive offering of study packages to match learning styles

  • Reasonably priced, full-featured self-study package

  • Adaptive learning simulation exams

  • Money-back guarantee

Cons
  • Course access limited to 90 days

Since 1996, ExamFX has leaned on its parent company, Ascend Learning, for its best-in-class, technology-based learning solutions. ExamFX's tech-infused lineup of feature-rich Series 66 exam prep courses is impressive, but its Self-Study package is our choice as the best value self-study package.

Self-directed students, who prefer to study at their own pace with no need for on-demand or virtual instruction, will find everything they need in ExamFX's Self-Study package. At $159.95, it includes instructor support, an interactive learning portal, online exam simulations, readiness exams, and a Guarantee Exam.

The best feature of all ExamFX courses is the simulated exam, with proprietary adaptive learning technology that steers students down the right learning path for their needs. It's fueled by an extensive question bank that provides a continuous stream of questions for an unlimited number of practice exams.

The Self-Study package also includes a Guarantee Exam. ExamFX guarantees that users who successfully complete the Guarantee Exam will pass their licensing exam on their first try. If you fail the licensing exam within three days after scoring 80% or higher on the Guarantee Exam, the company will refund your money.

The only downside is the 90-day access period, which could be a tight timeframe for busy people studying during their free time.

ExamFX doesn't publish a passing rate for its Series 66 exam prep course.

Best Question Bank : Kaplan University


Kaplan University

 Kaplan University

Most students studying for securities exams will tell you that an exam prep course's essential component is its question bank. With its SecuritiesPro QBank, Kaplan University has the one that best mimics the actual exam.

Pros
  • Comprehensive offerings for any learning style

  • Robust question bank and practice test application

  • Course access for five months with a five-month extension for $49

Cons
  • Mobile app offering has limitations

Kaplan University has an 80-year history in instructional training. An essential component in an exam prep course is its question bank. You can create customizable practice quizzes that can be completed online or printed out. Kaplan has come close to perfection, making it our choice as the best question bank.

Many students studying for securities exams rely heavily on a question bank to produce as many simulated exams as they need to master the material. If you were to select an exam prep course provider strictly for its question bank, you couldn't go wrong with Kaplan's SecuritiesPro QBank. It contains multiple questions that are continuously updated to reflect the most current Series 66 exam. Users can pull questions based on topics, modules, or areas of need to create unique practice exams. 

QBank is included in all of Kaplan's study courses, including the $149 Basic package, the $189 Essential package, and the $269 Premium package. All packages come with Kaplan's highly acclaimed study manual, study calendar, performance tracker, and practice exams. The two upper-tier packages come with a video library and checkpoint exams. Only the top-tier Premium package comes with instructor support. 

While Kaplan's pricing is a little on the high end of the spectrum, it is known for producing high-quality study materials. Plus, the QBank, which can be purchased separately for $69.50, adds a lot of value.

The QBank and all of Kaplan's study packages come with five-month access, but additional five-month access can be purchased for $49. 

Best Comprehensive Offering : Training Consultants


Training Consultants

 Training Consultants

Training Consultants offers three study packages, each with a different focus, and a fourth—the Everything Package—that combines the elements of the first three. This combination package has everything any student needs, regardless of learning style or study preference, to successfully prepare for the Series 66 exam, making it our choice as the best comprehensive offering.

Pros
  • Comprehensive offering of learning tools and methods

  • High-quality, exam-focused, on-demand video lectures

  • Strong instructor support

  • Countless practice and final exams

  • Six-month access

Cons
  • No money-back guarantee

Training Consultants has helped students pass securities exams since 1979, so it knows a thing or two about what students need in a study course. Drawing on its vast experience, Training Consultants combined all essentials into its Everything Package, making it our choice as the best comprehensive offering.

At $325, the Everything Package is not the cheapest option out there, but for a comprehensive offering with all the essential studying resources, it's priced just about right.

The online courses are studio-recorded, multi-media lecture presentations featuring a seasoned subject matter expert for each chapter. The online courses can be accessed on-demand and viewed, paused, and repeated as needed. Live instruction features the same instructor and can be accessed anywhere through WebEx.

Students are introduced to the courses through a personalized study calendar that maps out a customized study plan containing links to the study tools they will need along the way. It monitors and measures progress, so students know exactly where they stand and the areas that need focus. 

As students move through the course lectures, they take spot-check quizzes to increase retention and practice question sets to gauge their progress on their way to the Standard Finals. The Standard Finals simulate the actual exam's look and feel while providing a detailed breakdown of the answers. Students also can access an unlimited number of Random Final Exams and test themselves until they are ready to take the exam.

Students have unlimited phone and online access to instructor support throughout their six-month enrollment.

Training Consultants does not offer a money-back guarantee, nor does it publish a pass rate for students using its Series 66 exam prep course.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Series 66 Exam?

Like the Series 65 exam, the Series 66 exam qualifies candidates to act as an IAR, registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or individual states. However, because the Series 65 exam duplicates many questions from the Series 7 exam, NASAA created the Series 66 exam for Series 7 license holders who want to become an IAR. Essentially, Series 66 is a combination of the Series 63 and Series 65 exams, with the duplicative questions from the Series 7 exam removed. Candidates who want to become an IAR without holding a Series 7 license can take the Series 65 exam. 

While the Series 66 exam does not require sponsorship, it does require the successful passing of the Series 7 exam as a prerequisite. Typically, a securities firm will sponsor a candidate for the Series 7 exam. 

The 150-minute exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions covering four broad topics: 

  • Economic factors and business information
  • Investment vehicle characteristics
  • Client investment recommendations and strategies
  • Laws, regulations, and guidelines including the prohibition of unethical business practices

A passing score is 73 out of 100.

Is the Series 66 Exam Difficult?

Relative to other securities exams, the Series 66 exam is considered more difficult than the SIE and Series 63 exams, but not as difficult as the Series 65 exam. The challenge for many candidates who take the Series 66 exam following the very challenging Series 7 exam is they tend to underestimate the study requirements of Series 66.

Many candidates have difficulty grasping the many industry rules and regulations, which is more about memorization than anything else. Couple that with the double- and triple-negative format of many questions, and this exam can trip up all but the best test-takers.

It takes a highly disciplined approach to study for the Series 66 exam, making investing in the right exam prep course all the more worthwhile.

How Long Does It Take to Study for the Series 66 Exam?

The length of time it takes to study for the Series 66 exam can vary widely based on a person's study habits and discipline level. Most exam prep providers recommend setting aside 50 to 80 hours, which should be spread out over four to five weeks for a person working full-time.

What Is the Pass Rate of the Series 66 Exam?

FINRA and NASAA don't publish official pass rates for the Series 66 exam. As with any securities exam, if you fail Series 66 on your first attempt, you are allowed two more retakes, waiting 30 days between exam dates. If you fail on the third attempt, you can retake the exam after a 180-day waiting period.

Methodology

Finding the right exam prep course to match your particular learning style, study needs, and budget is critical. Most people have neither the time nor inclination to exhaustively review the more than two dozen Series 66 exam prep course providers. We did just that for this roundup, narrowing the field to 15 providers that warranted a closer look to eventually identify the best exam prep course providers in five categories.

We first used baseline criteria such as track record, pricing, and range of offerings to narrow the field. Then we considered the technology, quality of materials, and unique features that each provider offered. We then identified the best providers in terms of comprehensiveness, value, and the range of learning tools to give students options based on learning styles.

Best Seriess 66 Exam Prep Courses

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