A colleague just used Firesolutions and failed by 2 points.  Many have had good to say about using Training Consultants to pass on the first try.

I have met at least 3 people that have used Training Consultants and passed on the first attempt.  The book is only 125 pages, but the course material is just what you need to know to pass.  I just took the Series 66 today and passed on the first attempt with an 87%.  About 25 questions were almost identical.  The rest of the material was what I needed to know.

So, I can't recommend them enough.  I hope that it helps.

Well I passed my series this morning (THANK GOD)  and have a few comments and suggestions that people here may find helpful. First, the people saying that you will score 10% lower on your 66 than on your 7 are simply wrong. I passed the 7 with a 72% first attempt using STC. I passed the 66 on my first attempt with an 81% using a  very good different vendor...

So I have noticed a-lot of people saying they believed the 66 to be harder than the 7 and I would have to disagree. They only reason the 66 may seem harder is because you are not using the right vendor. Many people seem to be using STC for both the 7 and 66 and this is not the best way to go. My company once used this same method and while most passed the 7 on the first try, almost everyone failed the 66 on the first attempt. Some people seem to like STC for the 66, but from what I have heard, the practice tests are too easy and the material covered is not adequate for the actual test. Same deal with Kaplan and Pass Perfect... I've heard the same comments. 

My recomendation: TRAINING CONSULTANTS

This is the absolute best vendor to pass on your first attempt. You get a 125 page book that is litterally an enormous outline but it includes every single relevant topic that is on the exam. There wasn't one question on my test that I hadn't seen before in some form. Everything is done online and the study schedule is focused around recorded lectures for each section in the 8 chapters. (uniform securities act, NASAA, prudent investor act, IA Act of 1940, investment vehicle characteristics, investment recommendations and strategies, securites acts, and retirement/college tuition plans). This is the stuff you need to know and it is all there. 

Though the study schedule is good, the practice tests are what seals it. On my actual 66 exam, there must have been around 30 or so questions that were WORD FOR WORD the same questions from the practice final exams. I took each final exam twice (5 of them) and a random 110 question final the night before my test. These exams are hard and they are 100% exactly like what is encountered in the testing center. I struggled hard on each of my first attempts on the practive finals (only scored above a 75% on one out of five while looking almost every question up in the book). BUT I took them again, wrote down every question I got wrong and literally memorized 95% percent of 600 questions. THAT is how I passed. 

Finally,I did not dedicate my life to these exams. I put in the work monday through friday and that was it. Just take practice tests until you have them memorized. 

Good luck to you all!
"Checkmark, highlight, underline" 

I've seen a lot of people recommending Training Consultants for the 66 lately.

I used STC and Pass the 66 by Robert Walker. I liked Pass the 66 as it broke down the rules and questions into plain english. When I took my test (and passed the first time) I saw only 1 or 2 questions that looked unfamiliar. I don't mean I saw the question word for word but I was familiar with the topic.

The poster above hit the nail with STC. I felt like there were huge gaps of information missing in regards to the 66. I had two friends that both failed the first time by missing 2 questions. They each said they had around 30 questions that looked completely new to them and they had never seen anything on the subject in the STC study material.

For the 7, STC Is great and one of the best.

For what it's worth, I felt the 7 was a lot easier then the 66.

For both test remember "3 spoons and a fork". This helped me a lot. It means look for what 3 of the answers have in common and the one that doesn't have anything in common with the other 3 is the fork and usually the correct answer.

For the 66 specifically (and to a lesser extent the 7) - if you're unsure, choose the answer that gives the customer/client the greatest benefit.

I really cannot stress how amazing TC is.  To better understand what I mean, let me explain:

I got a 92 on my 7 using STC and taking a few fire solution tests.  I felt like I knew the material very well as a result of the stc books.  I also thought the STC questions were STRUCTURED similarly to the real questions.  

I got an 88 on the 66 using TC.  The difference is that the questions were not just STRUCTURED the same as the real test, they were literally the SAME QUESTIONS.  

I am not joking when I say I took the test in 55 minutes with a 7 minute pee and stretch break and I was surprised when I pushed the button and didn't get a 95%.  I knew I passed.  I felt like I could have stopped at 85 questions and would have passed.  There is simply no comparison to the TC material for the 66.  

I have said this before and will say it again - you are an idiot if you don't use TC.  There will be no guessing.  I called Tina before the test and she said that with her newest material the pass rate is above 93%.  

I literally felt like I was cheating when I took the test - thats how dead on the prep was.  

Oh My Gosh.  Training Consultants is AMAZING.  I bought it after reading posts on here.  I was skeptical thinking "maybe these people just work for TC and are out here trying to get all of us to buy it".  Um, either way, I WAS NOT NERVOUS AT ALL while taking the test!  Every single question I had seen, or definitely could bring it down to 2 answers.  Some of the questions were IDENTICAL, not even kidding, and if they weren't identical, they were SO CLOSE that I knew the answer right away anyway!  I was done with the test in 1 hour, no joke.  I WAS SHOCKED that I didn't see 95% on that scoresheet.  I'll take an 88% though!  Seriously guys, get Training Consultants, spend the extra money, you will NOT regret it.  sure it might be extra money, but I am sure the bonus or salary increase you'll get for passing will be WELL worth it!

I passed the series 7 with the STC that was provided by my firm, they also provided me with STC for the series 66. We had a new FAA that failed the 66 twice by using STC, so my confidence level in the material was very low, and it hurt my motivation to study using STC. I did go through the entire lesson plan but took only one practice exam from them.
Ive been reading a lot of posts on this website about how much better Training Consultants is for the 66, so I spent 225$ of my own money to buy the program. I studied for about 2 weeks, and took the 6 practice exams twice. I was getting 70’s on the first try on the exams, and was getting high 80’s and mid 90’s on the second try, mostly due to memorization. After two weeks of studying TC, I figured I was ready for the test. So I PASSED with a 79! I could have done better if I studied more, but a pass is a pass I would say TC played a big part because maybe 20 or more questions are identical to those in the practice exams.
If you are getting a 74, then I would advise on getting the TC materials. Those 20 or more identical questions is more than enough to give you that extra “one point” that you need

I am studying for the 66 now and using TC because of all the high recs from this post. I passed the 7 using STC as well as Kaplan and decided to give TC a try for the 66. Has anyone used TC for the 66 and taken it within the past month? If so please share any success/un-success stories.

Well I just took the 66 two months in a row using Training Consultants. First time I got a 72 and retook it two days ago and got a 68, I couldn’t believe it. I went into the test after taking TCs practice final exams and was averaging around an 85. First time I was averaging only around 75 and yet my score went down. Idk what happened I went in extremely confident and felt prepared. Idk if I should keep using TC or switch it up.

Training Consultants did not work for you. There is no point to reading the same book and doing the same questions for the third time. (You may have done the questions more than three times.) I recommend Pass Perfect’s Smart program to all of my 66 students. Their material is very thorough, including the answers to their questions. I think you should have a better chance of passing going in this direction. Pass Perfect helps you prepare for the exam but at the same time, you will also learn quite a bit during the process.

I took the series 7 using stc and got a 53 and a trip to the unemployment office. Unfortunately for me my company had taken a brief hiatus from using TC but returned to it unknown to me while I was studying with stc. With free time now on my hands, I bought the series 63 book from TC on my own, did the U10 and passed with a 77.To be fair, my boss did let me borrow his TC series 7 book because it was easier to study but that was 2 weeks before my test. Too little too late. The only way I knew they were using TC again was because someone hired after me was using TC! Now I’m looking for a sponsor to retake the 7. I would be willing to pay for the TC study materials. It was easy to follow in an outline format with bullet points. Stc was like information overload without anything standing out.

I used Training Consultants and studied for 6 weeks and just took the test 1 week ago and got an 83%. Everything about their program was great! Their online program is very easy to use and their book is about 1/4 the size of Kaplan.
I am now selling my Training Consultants Series 66 book and online login to pass along to anyone interested. The book literally is like-new, it has no markings of any kind since I did all my note taking in a notebook. I can also give you my online login for the TC website so you can complete all the practice Q’s. Please comment back to me on here and let me know if you’re interested in the study materials!

It took me two attempts to pass the 7 but I did on my second try. I had very limited time to pass the 66 and I missed it by 5 pts today. I don’t know if they will give me a second shot at it but the thing that kills me is that I didn’t think the test was that bad. I did pretty good on the law/regs portion of it but not so hot on the suitability/recommendation portion, go figure.

Given the data supporting people who fail Series 7 and 66 tests in correlation with FINRA complaints I could see them changing the rules to if you fail the test you must wait a year to retake.

Honestly if you aren’t able to pass the 7 and 66 on your first try, you aren’t ready to be in the industry. I have yet to meet an advisor who has entered the industry in the last 4 years and failed either test and is still in the industry.

Sorry Gekko but I don’t buy into that theory as a generalization. I know many people who passed those exams with flying colors that couldn’t last more than 2 years in the industry. Firm’s have compliance dept’s for a reason and if a person has superb people skills, with the ability to listen first, provide suitable recommendations, and be influential in terms of report and building a book then the sky is the limit.

Just passed the 7 with Kaplan, but looking for a better 66 option. Anyone using apps on their phone to study?

I have written almost all of the Securities exams in my long career history in the securities industry. Many people don’t realize that once you are registered in the state of Illinois with a series 65, you will never have to rewrite the exam again, unlike most of them which expire after two years if you don’t use them.

I have written almost all of the Securities exams in my long career history in the securities industry. Many people don’t realize that once you are registered in the state of Illinois with a series 65, you will never have to rewrite the exam again, unlike most of them which expire after two years if you don’t use them.

Sorry Gekko but I don’t buy into that theory as a generalization. I know many people who passed those exams with flying colors that couldn’t last more than 2 years in the industry. Firm’s have compliance dept’s for a reason and if a person has superb people skills, with the ability to listen first, provide suitable recommendations, and be influential in terms of report and building a book then the sky is the limit.

What you are describing is a salesperson, not an Advisor.

In addition, I did not say that people who pass the tests are guaranteed to be successful (I’ve seen plenty of those bomb out too) I’m saying people who struggle passing these entrance exams have shown a higher statistical probability of disciplinary and complain issues from clients. A lot of this still stems from not fully understanding the markets and the financial products the firms are pushing them to sell.

Firms are wanting you to have clients entrust their money with you, I personally think there needs to be a higher standard for allowing people this responsibility.

One of the most important things I learned a long time ago, when I was studying for the GMAT, about taking standardized tests is that “how you take the test” is just as important as your knowledge of the material.

Techniques like eliminating answers that are obviously wrong from consideration, for example, give you improved odds and increased confidence on tough questions.

As for test prep solutions, I used “Pass the 65” years ago and found it to be a great approach of mixing audio test prep and print test prep. They have a “Pass the 66” as well. http://www.passthe66.com/