Hey KES, I think you might want to take a look at the PassPerfect Smart 66.  The thing I liked about this company's study materials is how it drills the information into your little cerebellum through the chapter quizzes.  If you get a question wrong, it'll ask you a different question but on the same topic you just got wrong, up to 3 times.  If you get it wrong all 3 times it'll flag it for you so you know what areas you struggled with the most. It also does a good job of explaining why the answer you chose is incorrect.

I'm not sure what methods you learn from best, but I personally am not a read and retain type of person.  I like to have repetition so maybe this will help:  I only the read the book once, and I cruised through it as fast as I could.  After each chapter I did the book quiz, and then went on the Smart 66 and did the chapter quizzes that I was mentioning.  After, I would review the questiosn I got wrong and cut and paste the question and answer of all the ones I got wrong into a word document and then cut those to make some flash cards.  When studying the flashcards I would make 2 piles, RIGHT and WRONG.  I would keep going through any of the cards in the "wrong" pile until there were none left.  Eventually, you'll have flashcards for all the questions and topics you struggled with most.  Also important is to  make sure that you actually read the answer and explanation each time you put the card back into the "wrong" pile.  It's one thing to memorize the answers, and it's another to understand them! I know this sounds like a juvenile way of studying, but for me it helped a great deal.

I almost forgot to mention that the Smart 66 also has a number of timed practice tests that are weighted by topic in the same format as the actual 66.  I think there's 10 total.

Anyways, good luck on the test, you were almost there anyways!  Now you just have tie up some loose ends and you'll be good to go!

I used Keir for both 7 and 66 and didn't have a huge problem with either of them. The program I used had online tests and a correspondent you worked with in their offices to help go through areas I did poorly on. I've since given my books to others to study from (without the online part) and they've liked them a lot more then the Kaplan or Securities Training Corporation ones.

The 66 is SO DRY to study for.... the material covered is so non-interesting it makes one gag.... but not as boring as the 24..

Get the Pass the 66 ExamCram Online Test Prep and the textbook by Robert  Walker at a bare minimum.  Not sure what a "cheesy" practice exam would be, but the guy who writes those questions and that book actually took and blew away the exam recently, unlike the folks writing questions and books at other companies.  The big companies are under a settlement with the regulators barring their instructors from taking the tests they "teach". You'll be able to understand what the exam is talking about at the very least.

Good timing to read this post. Passed the Series 7 recently with no major problems, and assumed the 66 would be a cakewalk.

Actually just got my 66 book in today, I'm using RegEd (as i did for the 7) for their study book and online practice tests. The practive exams from RegEd seem very detailed, and for the 7 were actually harder than the questions on the actual 7 exam. Just another company to check out

[quote=BullRunt]

I took the 66 a bit over year ago and passed with a 77%.  I used Fire Solutions, my company's choice, and found them to be extremely useful.   Each and every question seems to be designed to trick you.  A 74% is not bad and until last January, that would have passed.  I would recommend hitting the material again and giving yourself 2 weeks to study.  Practice tests were my saving grace, I found the material dry and daunting, but simply doing the questions over and over got me accquainted with how the test would appear.  As far as identifying your missteps, that will be hard to pin down, like you said.  Good luck and don't get down, this is merely a jumping off point to better things.

[/quote]

I would agree with BullRunt here.  I took the Series 7 when I worked on the institutional side several years ago, but took the 66 when I joined up with ML.  Failed it by ONE POINT as well the first time around, simply because of a combination of a few things - time between taking the previous test (not in the right frame of mind, I suppose), and I ignored Fire Solutions, which Merrill provided.  I studied only STC, which I used to a lot of success with the 7. 

Case in point, don't lose your mind.  I studied differently the next time, and passed with flying colors the next time around.  A LOT of people fail the 66 the first go around.  I'll give you an example - I passed the CFP (this year) on the first shot and had trouble with the 66. 

Keep the faith.  

Kris,

I passed my 7 6 months ago with a 93 and as soon as I started studying for the 66 I knew the test was gonna be a bear, not becasue of the material but the test is written by lawyers, so everything is intended to trip you up and confuse you.

I luckily passed with a 77 my first time but when I hit submit I thought for sure I failed.

I used pass perfect and it was great, I forced myself to read everything and take each chapter test, then once the reading was done I never looked at the reading material again.  My advice if the test is 100 questions you should take 1500 practice questions minimum.  If you do that you will most likely see every question at least twice. 

If you need practice tests let me know I will send you my pass perfect CD, in return for 2 7 figure clients:)

Add me to the list of people that passed the 66 the first time using Pass Perfect.  I pretty much just followed the program (took each section exam with 2 80's or higher), and then took about 7 finals.  It's VERY important to go back over each final and look at the explanations of the questions you missed AND the questions you got right.  The explanations of each question are what solidify your knowledge, and its just as important to know WHY you got the correct answers as well as WHY you missed the incorrect ones.   My high on the finals was 87, low was 77, and average was around 83.   I got an 84 on the actual exam.    The one caveat I would say is that the actual wording on the 66 was trickier than the finals from PassPerfect.   There were alot of questions involving Fraud/prohibited acts, and the choices on the actual exam were very nitpicky as to whether something was prohibited or not.   Most of the time it came down to just one word or phrase in the question or the answer.

Kletus

You just made my day.  I have been using the passperfect material for the 66, took my last practice test today.  I will take the actual exam tomorrow.  I took 7 practice finals with an average of 86, high 93 low 82.  Based on what I was reading it sounded damn near impossible to pass this thing.  You are a very good comparison to my situation.  Hope I do as well as you.

Would you care to post your email so I could pick your brain.

Bored,

If you are getting over an 85 on the passperfect finals then you are prepared for the exam.    I'd say the most important thing for you to do at this point is relax, get a good nights sleep and have a good breakfast in the morning.   Your success on the actual test will most likely hinge on your reading comprehension of the questions more than whether you study harder from this point.

Keep in mind... this test is mainly about protecting investors from fraud.    Here are may keys to study:

1.  Know the details of anything that is prohibited or fraudulent inside and out.    There was literally one question for me where every single thing the example did was against the rules... but you had to pick out the one thing that was MOST wrong.

2.  Know the exclusions and exemptions for State and Federal  Broker-dealers and Advisers.

These two things were most of the exam.

The rest of the info should really have already been drilled into your brain by passperfect.

If a question has you stumped... try thinking of it a different way.    Remember that every question is on the exam for a reason.   So look at the question and ask yourself  "what are they trying to find out if I know?"   There is likely some very small detail in the question or one of the answers that makes all the difference.   I know that a few had me stumped, but then I saw the key phrase and the answer was obvious.   An example might be Municipal bonds.... if you see   Low Tax bracket, IRA, retirement plan, etc in a question... then there is a good chance they might be trying to get you to point out that "municpal bonds aren't a good choice for retirement plans".

All the themes are the same, but the wording WILL be different than what you are used to seeing on passperfect.   The biggest thing is "what are they asking me".  

I am in a group of 4 new FA's to start at nearly the same time out of our area.   So far we are 3 for 3 on the 66 using passperfect.     You'll do fine .

I'm not big on giving out my email because if I'm not careful my email program will respond with my email that has my real name in it.   However, feel free to PM me if you have any questions.   I'll probably be checking stuff on the computer for another couple of hours tonight.

Passed the 66 today with an 80.  Tough test much tougher than the 7.  Used Passperfect and though I think it helped a great deal, the wording on this test was so different.  Anyway happy to get it and move on.

Study 2 times as hard as you did originally for the 66.  Not a test you should fail twice.  The statistics are against you each time you fail.

Today I took the 66 and failed.  I got a 62, but to be honest I have to say that I didn't put in the right amount of time for certain areas.  I passed the 7 and I figured that the hard part was over.  Boy was I wrong.  I thought I knew the Client Recommendations and strategies section well, so I didn't really do much studying for it.  So I got a 48% on just that section which killed me.  I am using Kaplan,and I think that if I just study a bit harder this time I should be fine.  This test is so humbling.  I had to walk back into the office and tell everyone I failed.  I was embarassed, but I guess that is what you get when you don't study hard enough.  I might try some different material to study from, but I thought that the Kaplan stuff was decent. 

Does anyone know what I have to do besides wait the 30 days?  My 120 day window passes on December 31.  What do I have to do to open a new window?  Can I just sign up making sure that it is 30 days from the day that I last took the test?

Pete

Kes you aren't ready for this biz if you have all this detail in your message, start in operations.

Yes, I'm sick. Studied for the passed 8 weeks and got a 66. Used FireSolutions and the test was nothing like FireSolutions. I should have stuck with STC. But, when two other guys in the office got thru with FS and said it was all they needed, I trusted their advice. Hopefully my wirehouse who's having trouble finding good recruits will stick by me as I hope to take it again next month. But, if not, it's not the end the of the world. Another guy in my office took it for the 2nd time today and scored a 75. He was so thrilled to just pass it. Guess I'll put my trust in STC this time.

The good news is that you have your score sheet from the 66, so you know what areas you need to work on.  I'm not familiar with either the FireSolutions or STC, but the key is to use a system that has lots of practice questions, AND has good explanations of the answers.  I don't think any of the study programs have had enough time to get the wording exactly right.   They have to concentrate on the Theories.   Therefore, its very important for you to take practice exams from any source you can get, and understand the WHY behind every correct and wrong answer.

Best of luck to you on the next try.   It's a hard exam. 

I took the 66 and 7 in 1999 and got a 72 and 85 respectively.  I have been out of the business for five years and am getting back in now so I have just had to take all of the exams again.  I studied for about three weeks for the 7 (STC Interactive) and got a 92.  I studied with STC's materials for the 66 for about 14 days but only in the evenings after owrk and then most of the weekend. 

I got an 82.

I was pretty mad about half way through the exam.  Not becuase the material was hard but because I busted my butt to understand the material, did everything I was supposed to and the questions are just flat out unfair.  The way they are written doesn't test my knowledge of a law or concept it instead is meant to have you doubting yourself on almost every other question.  I felt like I had a chance to pass when I clicked submit but in no way was I confident.  It's really a shame that this exam is allowed to be such a ridiculous display of trickery and deceit.

Good description of the exam clainclain, I'd have to say that's exactly the feeling I had during the test. 

I'm curious if the 63 and 65 are as concerned with tricking you rather than simply testing your knowledge...

I second testteachers.com.  I used them for the 66 and passed the first time. 

I Took the 66 this morning (Passed barely with a 76), and figured i would give some observations while things are fresh. The exam is frustrating as everyone know, but i did notice however that there were some areas which i studied and only had a couple questions on, and other areas that i either didnt read or werent in my book

My practice material (Book & online exams by RegEd) was mostly dedicated to the USA, and focused on knowing all of the particular exemptions when registering as a B/D, IA, or registering a security. All in all I swear i only had 3-4 questions which you needed to know those specifics. Also my practice materials had a chapter on Modern Portfolio Theory, CAPM..etc, and I had 0 questions in regards to this.

That being said, my exam had a lot of material in regards to the NASAA policy on Dishonest and Unethical behavior, and particularily had questions in which all the answers seemed as though they could fit( as was written already in this thread, sometimes looking for the Most Wrong Answer). My biggest piece of advice (for what it is worth) would be to know the differences between the 33 act, 34' Act ,USA, NASAA you can have an idea of what the questions are looking for.

Anyways onward we go. best of luck to those with the 66 just take it one question at a time.