I did hear the Training Consultant stuff is pretty good for the Series 7 as well, although I used STC.  Unless STC changed their program, they didn't really have any situational questions in their material.  Definitely try a different set of study material to gain some variety this time- good luck.  Its nice to see you'll go at it again to see if this is really for you. 

I re-scheduled my exam again to get more understanding. I did not pass Kaplan's practice and mastery exam in my q bank. Weird thing is that I havent touched STC in 3 months and I took 7 closed book exams and scoring 78 to 84.

Kaplan is tough. i hope this pay off.

Jerefack... did you use the smart 7 program that comes with pass perfect or did you just use the books?  I ask because i also used pass perfect to study took the 7 first week in april and passed with an 85.  Passperfect overprepares you for the exam, i never scored more than a 75 on the practice tests.  If you did use the smart 7 program that comes with passperfect then disregard this post and some other material may be better suited for you.  I think all material is gonna depend on the person studying. Good luck with your next test!

i also passed the exam last week with a pretty high percentage.. karla

karlaa, which vendor did you use for your studying?

 I am about to take the seven finally and bought kaplan with qbank, does anyone know a good area for the suitability questions?

Can anyone point me in the right direction for the STC product containing 13-14 practice exams. I have all the literature I am looking to purchase the product with just the practice exams. Message me or email at [email protected] if you have any useful information.

How do the STC closed book exams compare to the actual Series 7 exam? One of the instructors told me that exams 6 thru 11 are the most similar in level of difficulty compared to the real test. Any feedback from those who used STC and took the exam recently?? Thanks!

USE PASS PERFECT’s SMART 7 program, nothing else! I passed with an 82

Really need some insight on how to properly prepare for my second go on the series 7. I began with the STC material, reading and reading then went to practice tests with scores around the 70’s. Went to the week Kaplan crash course and continued on studying for another 2 weeks. The past couple of days I put in long hours & felt pretty good about getting 180 out of 250. I have to say that I was shocked to see how heavily (ETN,coverdell,529,variable annuities etc…) were on the test. I got so flustered that time became a major issue yesterday. Any suggestions, ideas or input is much appreciated.
Thanks

Just took it and passed it in the high 70s. I used Kaplan and I was ok. Lots of questions on Variable Annuities, Preferred (including converts and callable and cumulative), risks, retirement plans, suitability, and account registration. Not as much on options (other than the basics). A little on ETF, ETN, AMT, margins (basic stuff), zero coupons, Coverdell, mutual funds, DPPs, market orders, economics, and Registration Acts. Nothing on Classes of Shares, convertible bonds (lots on convertible preferred), and market levels (1st, 2nd, etc.)

I found making a study sheet of important information was a great way to better understand things like Option Spreads, Hedges, and Income strategies. I also put down helpful tools like mil points and basis points break downs - helped a lot with debt securities.

you get the beginning time of going through the tutorial to put down helpful information on your scratch paper. I memorized my sheet and just transferred it from memory onto my scratch sheet. Helped a lot with the series 7. Hopefully, you will pass your second time. Good Luck!

I know this is a bit of an old post but I wanted to add my opinion. There are some other posts with people saying that the 7 is a joke and that you would have to be an idiot not to pass. This is absolutely not true. The 7 is a very difficult exam that take a lot of time to prepare for.

I had an undergrad degree in finance and after seeing what some other people had said I figured I would be fine. I studied maybe 10 hours and took no practice exams. I was humbled with a 59.

After convincing my sponsor to give me another chance I started really studying. You should plan on 2-3 hours everyday for a month to be really prepared. I used the STC material. It does not have everything but should get you prepared.

I took it again today, exactly one month after my first attempt, and passed with a 79. I was scoring around that mark on my practice exams so you should have a pretty good idea where you are going in.

There are a large number of best answer questions that will be difficult. There will be 2 or sometimes 3 correct answers but you will have to pick the best one. This can be very challenging. Also make sure you know the specific differences between corporate, municipal and federal bonds. Not just how they are taxed. There were much more questions about ETFs, REITs and CMOs then I expected but that may just have been my exam. The biggest part of the exam is on suitability. Make sure that you know what investment are right for what investors, not just the details of the investments themselves.

This is a very long and detailed exam. A lot of time in needed to prepare for it. It is a very passable exam though. If you put the work in you will get there, Even if you fail the first time don’t give up. I went up 20 percent in one month. You can do it too.