Series 66 TC
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Ok, I promised myself that I would do this. I passed the 66 a while back and I told myself that I would share this with some of the unregistered reps that are looking for answers for taking the 66 exam.
I took the 66 for the first time a couple of months ago and failed with a 70. That was with Kaplan. I didn't like their method of getting the information across, so I started looking for another system because Kaplan really sucked.
I looked at a couple of blogs on here and saw that TC (Training Consultants) was getting a lot of good press. Everyone that wrote about it said that they passed. I was a bit skeptical, and didn't know if I could trust them. So I studied my Kaplan manual again that very night one more time, thinking that things would click and I was done. I was tired of fooling with Kaplan’s fluff, and 400 page manual. The very next day I signed up with TC.
TC's course is very simple and straight forward. The book is 125 pages, Tina basically walks you through the exam chapter by chapter on a pre-recorded setup that you can stop, or skip if you are very knowledgeable on the chapter.
I also created my own little cheat sheet for each chapter and went over that probably 10-15 times a week before my exam. I passed all of my quizzes and tests during the course of TC. The thing that I believe that really separated me from barely passing was my study schedule. It was tough. I would study for 45 minutes at a time and break for 15 minutes. I would do this until I mentally couldn't everyday leading up to the exam. I didn't really focus that much on test questions, I really focused on my cheat sheet.
I took the exam and was done in 95 minutes, and was very sure that I passed. I hit the button with no hesitations. Boom 86! The test was very easy with how I studied. Some would say that I studied too much but I really worked my butt off.
Personal message me if you need any other hints etc. Training Consultants is definitely is the way to go!
I passed my series 66 yesterday with TC! This was my second attempt.
(My first attempt was with Examfx and I only got a 63% after 15 hrs of studying. This was before I even studied for my series 7, which does help with the material)
The TC practice exams were great (especially for the laws, which were half the exam), I only used them for 3 days. I read the TC book for about 30 hours though, prior to taking the exams.
The real test had many similar questions, but there were about 20-35 in the middle of the exam that were still iffy. The answer choices to these questions were either worded really similarly or required more in-depth knowledge of things like UGMA accounts, small details of variable annuities/life insurance policies.
IMO, no one can get 100% on this beast of an exam, since NASAA basically gets to focus on any small topic and ask super detail-oriented questions that are barely addressed in TC, STC, or what have you. The wording on the questions regarding laws can get super ridiculous as well.
I’m willing to talk more about/share TC if you PM me.
Passed the Series 66 today using TC. It was a breeze, as long as you put it the same effort you did for the 7. I studied for exactly 30 days. Watched all the videos, did final exams 1-5, watched all the videos again, then took 4 random finals. Was scoring in the 91-94 range on randoms, scored an 82 on the actual exam. The key is to be consistent otherwise the material will go cold. I found the questions on the actual exam to be of similar format/difficulty of the practice finals–although I do not believe I saw too many identical questions. Good luck to all, TC is good stuff. And no, I do not work for TC or a marketing firm. I found out about TC on this site so I am simply paying it forward, worth every penny.
Yup, I took the 7 using TC last year and got a 92. TC is great. Passed the 66 and 7 in less than 2 months with them
Just passed the 7 with a 91 with STC material. I hit it hard, got a little lazy in the middle, then wised up and buckled down for the last 10 days or so. Material was fantastic. I am very good at taking tests. That doesn’t mean I magically get answers right, it means I know how to study and can determine materials worth studying. Im not bragging just being honest. That skill will do me little if any good after I pass the 66.
Now I have STC (firm-supplied) 66 material and it is crap, relative to their 7 stuff. The online lectures sound like their from an actual practicing attorney who can’t teach worth sh*t. She pauses and gets obviously lost on a regular basis. There are multiple times you can tell they went back and patched in audio when she hadn’t been clear enough, instead of re-taking a 3 minute section to make it a comprehensible unit, you know, like a lecture.
The text book varies from decent to let’s just cut and paste the Uniformed Securities Act here and let them figure it out.
Obviously TC is the way to go based on everything I’ve seen. Problem is that my firm interfaces with STC to see my progress so I have to use their stuff. I would get the whole TC package but there are only 24 hours in a day and after 3 chapters of STC in one day how much more can you really get done.
My compromise will be to use STC as directed and pay for TC tests. Mainly just posting this to whine / let those who have a choice steer clear of STC’s 66 stuff.
A recent student of mine used TC initially. At that time, he chose not to get extra materials. I think his firm paid for his materials. On his second try he purchased STC and passed the exam. I recommended Pass Perfect to him but I believe he just decided to go with the materials his firm would pay for.
I’m in the middle of the STC QAs and am doing pretty well. I’ll give them this, their harder exams are better.
Know that I know the material I would say the book is pretty good. The lectures sucked relative to their 7 lectures. My main beef is that the obvious stuff you would emphasize (BDs register state and fed, IAs one or the other) is buried deep in the explanations to their exam questions or some other obscure place. It takes me countless hours to stumble upon a crucial distinction that, were I developing the material, would be in bold in the textbook.
Regardless I’m getting it done. I’m up to the low/mid 80s on their QA exams which feel disgustingly difficult. We’ll see how it works out.
I have the TC series 7 online access, good until April. Let me know if you still need it.
If anyone’s looking to buy the TC exam pack for the 66, let me know. I still have 70 days left on mine.
Why is everyone have such a hard on for TC stuff. I mean it’s like everyone is getting a commission. Been using Kaplan and questions are hard as hell. Am I screwed? Test in 2 weeks
Why is everyone have such a hard on for TC stuff. I mean it’s like everyone is getting a commission. Been using Kaplan and questions are hard as hell. Am I screwed? Test in 2 weeks
@jets what are you scoring? if you are not passing the tests (regardless of vendor) you cannot take the exam it is usually better to reschedule outside the 10 day window (no charge to reschedule) then to just “give it a shot” and fail
Ken Finnen
twitter @wallsttutors
Why is everyone have such a hard on for TC stuff. I mean it’s like everyone is getting a commission. Been using Kaplan and questions are hard as hell. Am I screwed? Test in 2 weeks
I think its makes sense to be a little skeptical. Most people taking this exam recently passed the series 7. If you are struggling with Kaplan, you might want to revisit the exam date or get extra help.
Any recent success stories for TC? Taking the 66 next Tuesday. Have taken 2 finals, scoring an 80 and a 88. Will continue to keep testing over the next week to keep rising the average. It just seems TC is too easy but maybe that is what is needed? Everyone says the 66 is harder than the 7 but I think this is way easier than the 7 was. Just wanted to get other opinions. Thanks!
I have the TC series 7 online access, good until July. Let me know if anyone wishes to purchase my access. I have decided to not pursue the exam. Please message me if interested.
Hello all - I’m new to this forum and just wanted to throw in my two cents.
I used Kaplan at the advice of my B/D for the Series 7, passed no problem. I found their material to be excellent for the 7.
I also used Kaplan for the 66 - which I studied for with about the same effort and somehow failed with a 71 yesterday despite doing great on all practice tests and reading every single word of the book. Angry doesn’t even begin to cover my feelings. From my experience, the amount of needless extra information thrown into the Kaplan Series 66 preparation book is completely over-the-top. Seems to me that much of what was on the test was not focused on heavily in the book, and what was focused on heavily in the book wasn’t really on the test.
That being said, has anyone used both Kaplan AND TC to prepare for the test? How do you think they compare? Should I cut my losses with Kaplan and just buy the TC course? I do NOT want to read that dry, wordy, 500 page book again if I can help it, especially since learning the TC book is only 125 pages.
Also, if anyone still has online access to the TC materials for the 66, I’d be interested in buying them from someone at a discount.
Thank you in advance.
I do not think you are looking at this the right way. You feel that the more comprehensive book did not prepare you for what was on the exam but a book that is much less comprehensive will be better preparation? Mathematically, there would be a higher probability of seeing test questions related to material you saw in Kaplan. The better approach for you to take would be to use materials that are more challenging not less challenging.