Securities Industry Essentials® (SIE®) Exam
Your First Step to a Career in the Securities Industry
On This Page
- Overview
- Enrollment Options
- Content Outline
- Benefits
- After You Pass the SIE
- SIE Reimbursement for Military Veterans
Overview
The Securities Industry Essentials® (SIE®) Exam is a FINRA exam for prospective securities industry professionals. This introductory-level exam assesses a candidate’s knowledge of basic securities industry information including concepts fundamental to working in the industry, such as types of products and their risks; the structure of the securities industry markets, regulatory agencies and their functions; and prohibited practices.
The SIE is open to anyone aged 18 or older, including students and prospective candidates interested in demonstrating basic industry knowledge to prospective employers. Association with a firm is not required to take the SIE, and results are valid for four years.
Passing the SIE alone does not qualify an individual for registration with a FINRA member firm or to engage in securities business. In order to become registered to engage in securities business, an individual must pass the SIE and a qualification exam appropriate for the type of business the individual will engage in. The individual must be associated with a member firm to take a qualification exam.
At A Glance
- Number of Questions: 75
- Format: Multiple Choice
- Duration: 1 hour and 45 minutes
- Passing Score: 70
- Cost: $80
Enrollment Options
For the best experience, please use a Windows laptop or desktop. Users have reported issues enrolling on Mac, mobile and tablet devices.
Students, individuals considering a securities-industry career, and formerly registered individuals who do not have SIE credit can enroll themselves for the SIE. To take the SIE:
- Create an account.
- Enroll for the SIE, paying with credit card or ACH, or by redeeming a voucher.
- Schedule your exam. You have the option to test either at a Prometric test center or online.
For more information, review the self-enrollment FAQ.
Organizations with access to CRD can request exam enrollment through a Form U4 submission, directly enroll individuals for the SIE by uploading required information to the system, and purchase SIE exam vouchers to provide to individuals.
For details about uploading the required information and purchasing SIE exam vouchers, see the User Guide for Requesting SIE Enrollments.
Note: All enrollments will be charged to the firm's Flex-Funding Account. If you do not want to use the Flex-Funding Account, please see “Other Organizations.”
Other organizations, including academic institutions, training and test preparation companies, and firms can purchase vouchers to provide to individuals. To purchase a voucher:
- Create an account.
- Determine the number of vouchers you want to purchase, and pay with a credit card or ACH.
For details about purchasing vouchers, see the Purchasing Vouchers section of the User Guide for Requesting SIE Enrollments.
Note: CRD-access organizations that want to purchase vouchers using a credit card or ACH instead of the firm’s Flex-Funding Account will need to create an organization account.
Content Outline
The Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam Content Outline provides a comprehensive guide to the range of topics covered on the exam, as well as the depth of knowledge required. The outline is comprised of the four sections. The table below lists the allocation of exam questions for each section.
| Sections | Percentage of Exam Questions | Number of Exam Questions |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Knowledge of Capital Markets | 16% | 12 |
| (2) Understanding Products and Their Risks | 44% | 33 |
| (3) Understanding Trading, Customer Accounts and Prohibited Activities | 31% | 23 |
| (4) Overview of Regulatory Framework | 9% | 7 |
| TOTAL | 100% | 75 |
Download the SIE Content Outline
Benefits
Some of the benefits of completing the SIE exam include:
- the ability to distinguish yourself from your peers seeking internships or jobs,
- an opportunity to jumpstart your career goals,
- immediate notice of your pass/fail status with performance feedback if you fail and
- increased marketability in the financial services industry.
After You Pass the SIE
Passing the SIE alone does not qualify an individual for registration with a FINRA member firm or to engage in securities business. In order to become registered to engage in securities business, an individual must pass the Essentials exam and a qualification exam appropriate for the type of business the individual will engage in. The individual must be associated with a member firm to take a qualification exam.
Qualification Examinations
- Series 6 – Investment Company Representative (IR)
- Series 7 – General Securities Representative (GS)
- Series 22 – DPP Representative (DR)
- Series 57 – Securities Trader (TD)
- Series 79 – Investment Banking Representative (IB)
- Series 82 – Private Securities Offerings Representative (PR)
- Series 86 and 87 – Research Analyst (RS)
- Series 99 – Operations Professional (OS)
SIE Reimbursement for Military Veterans
Veterans who qualify for the GI Bill may be able to receive reimbursement for the cost of taking the SIE. To learn more, visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs webpage overview of eligible licensing and certification tests.