I am about to start studying for my Series 24 and have found the posts on this site to be most helpful. I am still trying to decide between using Pass Perfect, which I used for my 7 and Training Consultants, which I have also heard very positive things about. I think the general reviews are that TC’s questions are most like those of the test but I am wondering if that will be enough or if using Pass Perfect and “over-preparing” is the way to go as PP was very comprehensive and tough during the studying phase. Thanks so much in advance.

Hello,

I passed my Series 24 today and as you know, if you pass, no score is given, just a "pass" (but I'll take it!). I'll say as I was taking it I really wasn't sure which way it would go.

I used STC mainly with Kaplan's Qbank. I felt STC was better prep. Here were my STC test scores: 57 64 63 70 78 79 71 64. In addition to self study, I went to STC's class in NYC and would highly recommend it. If you go, review the entire book ahead of time and try to get through a few mock test. The class helps connect the dots and the instructors tell stories that make the dry material more memorable. They also have an instructor hotline and anyone I spoke to clearly knew their stuff.

Ultimately, it comes to putting in the time, energy, and focus. As an example, when I studied Friday to Sunday, I wouldn't check my work email until Sunday evening. The material itself isn't difficult, but the volume makes it an investment of time in order to pass. As long as you know study habits that are effective for you and put in the time, you will pass. For example, I knew studying every day would make me burn out, so I studied 4 days a week, about 20 hours.

I also know when taking a test I need breaks, so I practiced and ultimately took 2 breaks during the exam to then refocus. Figured sharing tangible examples would help spur ideas for you. Also, a positive attitude can go a long way! Good luck, friends!

I just passed my S24 on my first shot. Get prepared to study study study. It took me about 12 weeks to compeltely grasp all the information. I only STC material and attended an in person class in NY as well. I would study during the week when possible but my weekends were dedicated to studying. I probably put about 12 hours total during the weekend. Ultimatley, make sure you know the concepts and the DOs and Don'ts. It's going to save you during the real exam. I didn't pass my pracitce exams until exam 4. I took 10 practice exams total. 58 - 62 - 68- 68 - 77- 84 - and my scores stated aroudn the same for the remained of the exams.

During my exam I was so accustom to the questions and verbiage that i was breezing through the questions. However, please make sure you pay close attention to what they are asking you. It could easily be missed and you'll select the incorrect answer.

I received A LOT of questions around customer and RR sharing profits and losses, on REIT interests and reporting of vioaltions. Know the reporting times. This will make it easy for you. For financial responsibility i only received about two questions around net cap requirements (15:1 8:1). Not much on margin except for the risk disclosure document.

Good luck and just make sure you are scoring above 75 before walking into this exam!

I passed my 24 yesterday. This site was instrumental in my reasearch and I want to pay it forward.

I used PassPerfect but supplemented my studying with the Training Consultants QBank. I recommend both. I did not take a class but did hire a tutor associated with PassPerfect (he wrote the quick reference book) for three hours to help me with those concepts that I was challenged to fully embrace. The more surgical approach worked well for me.

I started studying right before Christmas and took sdvantage of quiet time at work over the holidays to immerse myself. I was able to put in 8 - 10 hours most days until the new year. All told, I probably put in over 120 hours of studying. I took more practice exams than I care to remember and probably over studied but that is how I needed to approach this. By the end of last week, I was scoring in the 80s on PassPerfect and high 80s/low 90s on TC. Even so, this test is not an easy one. And given the volume of material, I would suggest trying to shorten the time between starting to study and taking the test, even though if will require a degree of focus and dedication that may be challenging.

I felt very positive about the fact based questions. There is no telling what facts will appear. A prior poster said they had only 2 questions on net capital ratios. I had none. This is just one example. There is just no way of knowing which of the many data points you will need to draw upon. I thought crowd funding and senior suitability might appear but had no questions on either. The test bank is quite large so I am not sure it makes sense to even try to guess what might appear. I was given a calculator but did not need it once for any of my 160 questions, but again, others might.

But as others have shared, even more important is being able to apply the concepts. It was not uncommon for me to feel that 2 or even 3 of the asnswers to a question were correct. The question was which one was most correct. It was so important to read each question...and each answer, very carefully. In one case, it was one word that made the difference in how I answered the quesstion. I used the “mark for review” heavily and kept track as I went along as to the topic for each and every question so I could cross reference, where helpful. By the end of the three hours I spent, I was reasonably confident that I had passed...but it definitely was a long 30 seconds before it was confirmed. And I wish they shared the score in the end but it’s only Pass/Fail now.

Whilel there was nothing on the test that surprised me with respect to the topic, I was surprised by many of the questions, how they were asked and how challenging they were to respond to. There were also at least 5 questions that I had seen before from my practice exams. I have no idea which of the 10 questions were “trial questions” that were not scored because all the questions covered topics I had studied. There is a lot of judgement required on this test beyond knowledge of the facts.

If you are able to take the 24 shortly after you take the 7, I would recommend it as there is some overlap and carry forward. I actually found the material for the 24 more interesting than the 7 but it is definitely more nuanced and dense.

Good luck! The gift of these tests are appreciation for free time once you have your life back.

Took Series 24 today. Passed. It was my first time taking. Just wanted to pay it forward for the valuable advice I received from this site. I went with the STC program. Took the in person course in NYC. Very good. Studied for about 2 weeks straight about 5-7 hours a day. Took all 8 STC practice tests - 67, 66, 65, 67, 71, 67, 73, 74. Thought I failed when I hit submit and was elated to see the word pass on the screen. I would say the STC tests were slightly (but not by much) harder then the real test. Read a lot of the Pass Perfect book as well which I thought exaplained some of the harder concepts very well. Also bought the Training Consultants exam bank. Questions were def easier then STC and the real test but still good to get another test bank. One thing I did not like about TC is that it didn't have an option to see answers as you took test. I much prefer that way. Or at least the option. Maybe I just didn't see it. The one complete test I took with TC scored a 79.

*** - Do not buy Testeachers/ExamFX - the video lecture is WAY out of date (it was made around the time FINRA was first formed - not kidding). After seeing that I did not trust the rest of the material. And I had used them previously for Series 7 and thought the video lectures were excellent so was disappointed.

Between all the material I studied, the class and practice test taken there were honestly only about 5-6 question where I had no idea or never heard of something mentioned in the question. Maybe they were experimental I don't know. Doesn't mean though there weren't a lot other questions I didn't know the answer to or were 50/50 between 2 choices. Just that I had at least seen the material and should have known it. Most of the answers choices all sound pretty good. You have to pick out the "more correct" one if that makes sense.

Anyway good luck. Glad I'm done.

Paying this thread forward - I took this test in 2005 (got an 86) via brute-force question repetition from the dearborn CD, and have no real memories of it being difficult. my licenses lapsed, and I retook it this week.

originally studied with the kaplan materials (which I had used retaking the 7 and sie in january). read here that this would likely not be adequate so I picked up TC's question bank. averaged high 80s on the practice exams after doinng a lot of the question set.

I think it is important to note that, unlike kaplan, TC does not show you the total questions you have answered, incorrect, etc.. kaplan lets you focus on things you got wrong, and/or only use questions you have not seen before. I likely did not see the entire TC question bank and find this to be a singular defect. after the tenth time you answer how to sign a stock certificate, it gets old. also, their interface does not allow simple keyboard entry and paging - why on earth not?

I took the actual test and passed. I definitely knew about 45-50% of the questions, probably or 1 of 2 items knew maybe 35%, and was wild guessing on the rest. my raw % guess before finishing was high 60%'s. I passed, which may be due to curvinng rather than % correct. Perhaps there were TC questionss I never saw which would have prepared me.

Many of the concepts in the questions I had no idea on were items I had not seen in either the kaplan or TC question set.

I just passed the series 24 Saturday and wanted to pass on some feedback that may help.

First, I selected STC and used them exclusively. Make sure to get the online training which I thought was very helpful. In total, I spent probably abouit 120 hours studying for this test. I would go to the library after work for 2 hours which helped and I spent about 8 hours a weekend studying for this test. It isn’t really difficult stuff but there is soooo much information. On the STC self tests I didn’t pass my first test until the 5th test I took. From there I average in the mid 70’s and scored a 63% on test 8 a week before my test. Yes I was concerned. All in all I did all 8 practice exams closed and open and even took a few a 3rd time. Also, I used the about 40% of the flashcards and listened to some of the lectures 2 or 3 times and made a my own flashcards.


A couple testing tips. There is a ton of time that is allowed. Like a previous post I would suggest take a bathroom break. During this time I got some water (water not allowed in testing center) and ate some nuts that I brought. It was quick but I think it really helped me. Also, take your time and read each question carefully. Think of the answer before you look at the answers.


Overall I thought the STC practice tests were harder than the actual test. But if you put in the time and take all 8 tests open and then closed and can get into the mid 70’s toward the end you should be okay. Don’t memorize answers but read each answer to the questions included the ones you got correct. STC provides detailed answers that will help with other test questions. Most of the questions are scanrio based which you can only gain experience by taking the practice exams.


Anyway, I wanted to provide some encouragement to those out there that are overwhelmed by the material and not scoring well on the practice tests. Make sure to get at least in the mid 70’s on a few of the tests. Call or email the instructors if you have questions. Lastly, go in with a postive attitude.


Good luck.


Good Luck.

I’m a terrible test taker. I have been since I could remember and it’s not just regarding study habits but about anxiety and overthinking everything. I passed the 24 this morning!

Process: I started by using the Kaplan Book and Q Bank with my own dime prior to my start date with my firm (about 3 weeks). Once I started with my firm I received the STC material. I used the STC material only going forward, which was about 6 weeks of study time. I read both books once and highlighted. I took some notes here and there but at the end of the day, you won’t know what notes to take until you start taking tests, the whole book needs to be memorized. I took all STC quizzes and exams. The Green Light 1 was 2 days before the exam and Green Light 2 was the day before the exam. I took all 8 practices tests via “open book” and then I took the first 3 again via “closed book.”

Open Book Scores: 66, 59, 59, 61, 70, 68, 69, 63

Closed Book Scores: 74, 74, 77

Green Light 1: 68

Green Light 2: 71

Regarding the actual test… it was tough. There were times I felt like I was crushing it and then there were times I felt like I was bombing it. I marked just a few for review. Stay positive, there is a reason passing is only 70%.

Recommendation: Whichever material you are using, USE it to the fullest. There is a reason there is a process and trust the process. You need to take time to study and at times, possibly sacrifice other things that may be more appealing (everything) to push through this test. There is more than enough time to complete the test so take your time reading each question. Go in confidently and stay positive! This test is knowledge based but I think it really focuses on mindset of the test taker as well! Good luck future test taker! You’ve got this!

I passed the 24 yesterday with Kaplan…it is the hardest test I have taken. I actually failed it twice with 65 in the last few months with STC. I am glad I went to Kaplan the third time. I undestood the Kaplan content the best and I found myself more comfortable during the test because of it.


Here is my disclaimer: I never liked reading big books! and I was never a really good student, but I was alwas a good test taker, and english is not my first language.



If you are in the industry and like most, are just looking to pass a test, you probably are looking for a way to pass it period so you can move with your life…I get it, I have done in the past with no problems.


But here is my experience with the 24.


Here is my side by side comparison on STC VS Kaplan.

STC: 16 Chapters where concepts can overlap and get you confused, at times I could not tell where one topic begun or end. I had to read the book severl times to make sense of it. The practice test were challenging in a good way but the explanations were limited in nature for me.

Kaplan: 5 Chapters. That format kept me more focus. The Test questions writting was easier to understand but challenging enough. Most questions in both books are for the book exams, meaning they do not push you out of what’s written, and you need more that that.

.

I read the books and looked for rules, regulations, definitions, exceptions, exemptions bla bla bla…there are just so many that you can get confused easily, I did. I tried to memorize as much as I could, I actually over did it…really.

Eventually the hard way, I figured out that you need to “fully” understand the whole story in the book which happens to be boring content in some chapters. Sure it is important to remember all the facts but is even more important to ask yourself “why, why not, and what if” specially when you start taking practice test. weather you get the answer right or wrong ask your self why is that the right answer (when applicable of course). The book might not provide a full explanation, or an explanation that makes perfect senses to you. And let me tell you, there might be times during the exam that the questions might seem to be written in chinese, just like many other challenging examinations…literally UNTIL you find one or two key words that ring a bell and “IF” you fully understood the story from the book you will find the right answer. If not…it might be very difficult to have a chance.

On my way to take the exam I was hoping I would reschedule it because I felt after taking the exam twice and studying different books I was finally begining to get it. Another week would put me where I wanted to be. But I moved forward and took it cause I was sick of it.

If you are going to take this exam…start reading ASAP, start asking yourself “why does it work that why?”, and if the book is not giving you clarity, go online!..is all public info, and more importanly different websites and articles are written and a simple way that gives you clarity with examples applicable to real industry scenarios.

The most valuable lesson I learned on this exam was to how to prepare for similar exams in the future.

Good luck.

Hello everyone,


My exam date is next week, and I’ve been studying with the STC. I’ve read the books and did chapter outlines and have been focusing on final exams/custom exams these past few weeks. I’ve started out really bad and was basically hitting high 60s and low 70s on them.


I took a breather and went through some notes and retook them and have been scoring in the mid 80’s now. But I’m worried if it’s memorization or if I really do understand the concept.


For the remainder of this week I’ll be doing closed book exams and then Greenlight Exams 1 and 2 this Friday. I hope I’m ready, looking forward to updating everyone next week!

Hello everyone, I passed the series 24 last night. Toughest exam I ever took in my life.


I used STC. I got my material in March, but I messed around and put it on the back burner until end of April/Early May.


I ended up reading the book only one time through while doing the Progress Exams at the end of every 4 chapters. It was a mess after that I just did load of practice exams, closed book and open book and custom.


I kind of had an issue where I hated spending my weekends doing practice exams, so I kind of rushed them. This is very bad advice. During “hell week,” the last week before my exam date, I really hunkered down and blasted through some tests while focusing on the explanations. At the end of Hell Week, I was feeling good and destroyed my greenlight exams with an 83 and 81% score. For those who don’t use STC, a Greenlight exam is a harder version of the practice exams that’s closed book and can only be done once. I read some of the STC’s Crunch Time facts and some explanations on questions I got wrong, before the exam and I was nervous going in but felt confident in my abilities.


That all went to hell when I started the actual exam. It was a nightmare, question after question, the formatting completely different from STC’s practices. I really used a bathroom break and took a breather. I refocused and some of the STC material started making sense in my head. There is ample amount of time to take all questions and return to any you may have had questions on. I really thought I failed, but i ended up passing.


My advice if I were to do this whole thing again is to get as many Q&A banks as you can. A variety of questions and explanations in different formats would really help. All in all, you can never expect what kind of questions will be asked on the real exam. Know the core concepts and really, you can afford to get 30 questions wrong, so if you don’t know it, just put the best answer down in your opinion

Hi Guys,

Wanted to pay it forward since this thread is helpful. I passed today for the first time and my partner passed a few weeks ago on his first try. He used Kaplan exclusively 100% and felt like he was pretty close 70-75% on the actual exam. I used Kaplan exclusively but also had the Solomon Materials and then the last few weeks I bought the STC exams. I feel like I got in the 80-85% range on the actual test and was not nervous when clicked the final finish button cause I felt I had passed. Here is what I would advise someone to do,

I passed the Series 24 today. I cried a little when I saw that beautiful word “Pass”. Hopefully my experience can benefit someone else who is about to undertake this arduous journey. I suggest taking this process seriously. The exam is not really that difficult, but the volume of material you will need to know to pass it is massive. You must read, study, take many exams. Just get that in your head in advance and you’ll be fine.


I started on July 1 with Kaplan. I bought the whole package- book, online class, test bank, access to instructors. I’m Independent so I paid for it all. I started reading the book. I broke it down into Units (1-5), then broke the units down into sub-sections. It’s that dense. How do you eat an elephant? One piece at a time. It took me a week or so to figure the following process out: Read one sub-section (break it down so it makes sense to you), then test yourself on that subsection until you have the basics down. Work through the entire book until you have a good working knowledge of much of the material. Kaplan’s book is very well laid-out. Their test bank is also nice because you can create your own quizzes by sections. I took the online class as well, which is helpful.


Once I started getting 90’s in Kaplan, I moved on to buy Training Consultants and Passperfect test banks. I got that information from this forum. I sort of wish I had spent less time on Kaplan’s tests and moved right into these other two. TC’s question format is very similar to the actual test, and PP was just agony at first. The questions seemed very difficult compared to Kaplan, or maybe I just got too used to Kaplan test bank. I soldiered on. I also spent a lot of time on the FINRA and SEC websites, reading the actual rules and regs. I suggest this as part of your process. I also found a couple of really good securities law firms that had some very clear, easy to read white papers. This will bring the concepts to light. I also have to give props to Peter from PP, he’s very smart and knows this stuff in and out. I emailed him a few times. He does tutoring as well. The Kaplan instructors are also very responsive, and they are good. I will tell you that TC has some wrong material, and well, that’s just wrong! But, since I had Kaplan and PP, I was able to verify the truth. I also looked up many things on my own.


I made index cards for each section. You’ll know the areas that are weak, and you’ll just work them until you have it. I then went back to the Kaplan book and re-read many, many sections.


For my testing- I had open book until the last week before the test- hey, last week in fact. I did look things up that I got wrong, re-read, then re-tested until I had it clear. I was getting 90-100 in TC, 77-88’s in PP. I finally felt like I had enough, maybe, to pass the test last night at 9 pm. Remember, you are learning until you go into that test center. Try to get these scores consistently and you’ll likely pass the exam.


For a study timeframe: 11 weeks total. All weekend except for some breaks, during the week after work as much as I could stomach. This is what it takes. My husband is a saint. And this is the first weekend since June 30th that he has me all to himself, Ya!


For the actual exam- I took two bathroom breaks, stretched, got water. You can’t go onto your locker during the exam. My stomach was growling loudly at the end. Hopefully others had earphones on. I used earplugs and noise-canceling earphones. I’m noise-sensitive, but you’ll figure out what you need to stay focused. I suggest finishing the exam, then taking a break and going back to review your marked questions. I changed 3 answers upon review. Don’t give up, it’s worth it. You will be a General Securities Principal if you put in the time, effort and focus.

I passed my series 24 yesterday and I’ve got some golden advice I wish someone had shared with me sooner. I too almost cried when I saw I passed and didn’t stop shaking with excitement for about 30 minutes because passing this test meant a LOT to my career opportunities in the near future.


For starters, it was my 3rd attempt at the test so the pressure was on. I got a 62 on my first try, and the worst score possible on my second try, 69. I also hold my series 6, 63, 65 and 7, all of which I passed the first try so I came in to the 24 overly confident, boy was I wrong.


Between the 2nd test and the 3rd, they were two completely different tests. One had a ton of questions on margin, code of procedure, and arbitration, the other had none. So you really have to know ALL the material well in order to pass because you just dont know what the test is going to emphasis.


On this third attempt I did a few things differently. For starters, I re-watched all the videos and every time they talked about anything with a timeline, I would write it down. The stuff that refers to days, weeks, months, quarters, or years either things need to be reported or submitted to FINRA or whoever else. When it came to market making time questions, I also wrote down whether it was NYSE, NASDAQ or OTCBB. Then I memorized that list as much as possible. There were a LOT of long, comprehensive type questions, but there were also a lot of easy questions that involve time tables that you just don’t want to miss, so just memorize that list.


Also, I spent way more time on this third attempt really hammering the details of market making and underwriting. There seemed to be a lot of questions on each of the tests I took for those. I made flash cards in addition to the list and I started out using Kaplan to study but then added in STC for this third attempt. Not to say STC was the reason I passed, but I think being exposed to both brands of study materials helped make sure everything was covered. STC was better to narrow down specific topics for videos, Kaplan was better for practice quiz questions.


Hope that helps for whoever is reading this, and good luck!!

Does anyone have a Kaplan Q Bank for sale?

Took the series 24 today and passed. I studied 3 weeks pretty intense with Training Consultants only. I read the entire book in depth with 3 chapter quizzes for each and then a total of 7 finals: 67,79,67,82,87,87,92. After the second 67 is when I reviewed everything again.


all I can say is that the exam is very different than the practice exams, so make sure you understand the material inside and out.

Hello everyone I took the exam on 12/12/2019 and passed first attempt. I studied with STC and also used Pass Perfect practice exams, I never had an 90’s in the practice test my avg was 77%. Here’s my advice for the futre test taker:

Paying it forward as these posts are definitely why I passed! I failed the first time with a 67 back in Feb. Then COVID happened and the testing centers shut down for months and I couldn’t get in until just last week. Finally passed.


I ended up cramming for basically 3 straight weeks. Stuck with Knopman Marks for second time but panicked in week before test and listened to everyone here. Bought passperfect, STC and TC. Yes, that is not a smart plan and a lot of money.

Passed the series 24 and wanted to pay it forward like all these other lovely people! If you’re a procrastinator like me, please read on…


The materials I had were STC premier access (class, book, qbank, practice tests etc) and Kaplan (just q bank). I later bought the TC qbank and practice tests (literally two days before the test…lol)


I got my materials 2 months before the test. I did one practice quiz then didn’t look at it at ALL. Then, ONE WEEK before the exam, I picked back up. I haaaaate reading textbooks, and I got through the series 7 3 years agoby just taking quiz after quiz, so I figured that would work here for me. So in the STC materials, I would have the quiz for each chapter on one screen, then the pdf of the text book on the other, and would just control + f to find answers. I would just do the quizzes once and that’s it. Then did progress exams after the allotted chapters, didn’t pass most of them. After I got through all the questions, I started doing Kaplan questions. So different! I did worse on the Kaplan questions.


Anyways, I decide to do one of the Green Light exams before getting into my review and got a 56…6 days before the exam. So then I keep taking practice exams; low to mid 60s. So then I switch over to Kaplan and take quizzes and tests there; even worse. I’m convinced that if I take a ton of questions, it will all magically click. And it kind of did. But I later realized I was just memorizing the questions. I didn’t review any of the explanations, I just kept taking more tests.


So 3 days before the test, I’m STILL getting 60-64s on the practice tests. I’m freaking out, so I come on this lovely forum and see all the great advice. I immediately buy the TC qbank and start taking quizzes there. Got a 59 on my first exam. But then I start taking quizzes on the weak areas there and actually reviewed the explanations - that was the game changer. I work my way up to a 69 on the TC practice exams the day before my test.

Studying:

Buy STC and TC. STC was on par with the exam and materials were helpful. TC was basically identical to the exam, but a little easier. I could take or leave Kaplan.

Take lots of questions, BUT READ THE EXPLANATIONS!! My ADHD means I get sooo bored reading. Taking questions is the only thing works for me because it’s interactive. But you HAVE to make yourself slow down and learn why you got something wrong and why you got something right.

Review the STC cheat sheet every day, and add to it! I wish I had discovered it earlier! So so helpful

give yourself more than a week! I pulled 3 all nighters and studied all day every day to take questions this week - needless to say I’m gonna celebrate passing by taking a loong nap :-). A month should be sufficient, but if you want to read the textbook, give yourself a lot more time because that thing is dense.

eliminate distractions! I got a puppy recently and I ended up taking him to doggy daycare several times during the week so I could fully focus.

Ensure that you get the freebie questions! I consider freebie questions to be things that don’t require much thinking, just memory. Dedicate a lot of time to memorizing timeframes (how many days before filing with finra? How many days before settlement? How long is quiet period? That was so much of my test. Other hot topics - who can buy from a new issue, who are restricted persons, how can a research analyst interact with different folks, what goes on an order ticket vs a confirmation, etc

Taking the exam:

-Take your time. Something about me - I am a fast test taker, because I haaate sitting still for that long. I finished the full series 7 in 2 hours, and the 63 in 20 minutes. So please hear me when I say this - take your time!! You have sooo much time to answer 160 questions. Read the question, read the answers, read the question again, think it through. Mark things for review and go back and look at them after. I never mark things for review because when I’m done, I’m done, but I actually did it this time. Thank goodness I did! I changed a few answers, and some of the later questions helped me answer previous ones.

Narrow down your choices. I wrote down “A, B, C, D” on my scratch paper for many of the questions. Then I would read through the choices and cross off a letter for whatever didn’t fit. You’ll usually get down to 2, but 50% chance is better than 25!

look out for answers that are true but don’t apply in the context. For example, a question may ask you about IPOs, and then one of the choices says something correct about a do not call list. The statement might be true, but it doesn’t really have anything to do with the question.

-in a pinch, choose what’s best for the customer.


By all accounts, I should not have passed this test. And if I got to see my score, I would bet it was a 70.00000001%. So if you have the time, Listen to all the other advice on this forum!! But if you’re like me and have limited time to study, make sure you take lots of questions, read the explanations, memorize the cheat sheet, and for the love of god, don’t talk to an investment banker if you’re a research analyst


GOOD LUCK! If I can do it, you can do it!