Series 7 — General Securities Representative Qualification Examination
FINRA's top-off exam for general securities representatives — the job functions of a working broker, from opening accounts to options and margin.
About the exam
The Series 7 qualifies you as a General Securities Representative — the registration that lets you solicit, buy and sell almost every type of security for customers. It's a top-off exam: you need the SIE plus the Series 7, and a FINRA member firm must sponsor you. Most states also require the Series 63 or 66 before you can do business there.
The exam has 130 four-option multiple-choice questions in 3 hours 45 minutes: 125 scored and 5 unscored pretest items (down from 10 since October 27, 2025). Scores are scaled, and 72 passes. Questions are organized around the four functions of the job, and the third — providing information and making suitable recommendations — makes up 73% of the exam.
Our practice follows FINRA's October 2025 outline with scenario questions on customer profiles, options strategies, municipal and debt securities, margin and account handling, plus flashcards, case simulations where a client relationship unfolds with every recommendation, and interactive illustrated guides to the strategies and calculations you need.
How we track your progress
Every blueprint domain moves through five levels as you study:
- Not startedNo questions answered in this domain yet.
- Getting startedFirst questions answered — not enough yet to judge.
- DevelopingAt least 5 answered and 50% or better on your recent questions.
- ProficientAt least 15 answered and 70% or better on your recent questions.
- Exam readyAt least 25 answered, 80% or better recently, and holding up on hard questions.
The exam blueprint
FINRA Series 7 Content Outline (October 2025) — applies to exams from October 27, 2025; function weights unchanged since the 2018 restructuring — 4 job functions of a registered rep — making suitable recommendations is 73% of scored items. Tap a domain to see its topics.
1 Seeks Business for the Broker-Dealer from Customers and Potential Customers 7% of the exam
32 practice questions in this domain so far
2 Opens Accounts after Obtaining and Evaluating Customers' Financial Profile and Investment Objectives 9% of the exam
40 practice questions in this domain so far
3 Provides Customers with Information about Investments, Makes Suitable Recommendations, Transfers Assets and Maintains Appropriate Records 73% of the exam
328 practice questions in this domain so far
4 Obtains and Verifies Customers' Purchase and Sales Instructions and Agreements; Processes, Completes and Confirms Transactions 11% of the exam
50 practice questions in this domain so far
What you get when you access this exam
Free with your QuizMe account.
Questions built on the official outline
Every question is tagged to one of the 4 Series 7 functions and its topics — written as client and trade scenarios, not trivia.
Hints that teach the rule
Reveal the principle behind the question — the rule, the calculation, the exception. Every answer comes with the full rationale.
Adaptive practice
Questions steer toward your weakest areas, weighted like the real exam, and get harder as you get stronger.
Timed practice exams
Outline-weighted exams at the real pace — 125 scored questions in about 3 hr 36 min — with a pacing indicator and full review.
Flashcards, case simulations and guides
120 flashcards, 8 unfolding client cases where every decision shows its consequence, and interactive illustrated guides you explore hotspot by hotspot.
Progress in every function
Each function moves from Not started to Exam ready, so you know exactly what to study next.
Test at home or at a center
FINRA exams are delivered by Prometric. Your sponsoring member firm opens your Series 7 enrollment by filing Form U4; then you schedule your appointment with Prometric.
At a Prometric test center
- Computer-based testing by appointment at Prometric centers across the U.S.
- Arrive about 30 minutes early with current government-issued photo ID that matches your enrollment exactly.
- Phones, bags, watches and notes go in a locker; scratch material is provided.
- No home tech check, no room scan, no worries about your Wi-Fi.
Online proctored with Prometric
- Take the exam at home or the office with a live remote proctor watching through your webcam.
- Run Prometric's system check on the same computer and network well before exam day.
- Test alone in a quiet, private room with a clear desk — no phone, notes, smartwatch or second monitor.
- Have your government-issued photo ID ready for the check-in room scan.
Exam-day game plan
How to walk in ready — and how to pace 125 scored multiple-choice questions at the real pace.
Pacing checkpoints
The real Series 7 gives you 3 hr 45 min for 130 questions, including 5 unscored pretest items. Our simulation drops the pretest items and keeps the real pace: 125 questions in about 216 minutes.
The week before
- Take one full-length timed practice exam 3–5 days out, then rest.
- Spend most of your time on Function 3 — it's 73% of the exam — and anything still below Proficient.
- Drill options strategies (breakeven, max gain, max loss) and margin math until they're automatic.
- Confirm your appointment and ID — or run Prometric's system check if you're testing online.
During the exam
- Read the whole question and find the cue: best, first, most suitable, except, not.
- For a recommendation, start with the customer's objectives, time horizon and risk tolerance — then match the product.
- On options questions, sketch the position before you calculate.
- Pick your best answer, flag it and move on; revisit flags at the end.
- Answer every question — there's no penalty for guessing.
Keep your head
- A few nerves sharpen focus. If you freeze, take three slow breaths and reread the question.
- You're measured against a fixed standard — a scaled 72 passes — not other test-takers.
- Change an answer only when you find a real reason in the question.
After you pass
- Your registration lapses if you're not associated with a firm for 2 years; FINRA's Maintaining Qualifications Program can extend that to 5 years if you keep up CE.
- Once registered, complete annual Regulatory Element continuing education plus your firm's continuing education program.
- Next step: most states also require the Series 63 — or the Series 66 if you'll also act as an adviser representative.
Official sources and further reading
- FINRA — Series 7 Exam ↗Official overview: format, passing score, fee and SIE co-requisite.
- FINRA — Series 7 Content Outline (October 2025) ↗Official function and task statements with rule references.
- FINRA — Exam fee adjustment schedule ↗Current and scheduled qualification exam fees.
Ready to start?
450 questions and scenarios across the blueprint — and growing.
FINRA® is a registered trademark of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. QuizMe and thinQtank Learning are not affiliated with or endorsed by FINRA or Prometric. Details are summarized from FINRA's Series 7 Content Outline (October 2025) and exam page; fees and policies change — always confirm at finra.org. Our Exam ready level asks for 80% or better.