Overview
The Series 7, officially the General Securities Representative Qualification Examination, is a US securities licensing exam run by FINRA. Passing it, together with the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam, qualifies a person for General Securities registration, which covers soliciting, buying and selling nearly all securities products.
Products within scope include corporate securities, municipal securities, options, exchange-traded funds, real estate investment trusts, government securities, direct participation programs and variable contracts.
Who can apply
A candidate must be associated with, and sponsored by, a FINRA member firm or another applicable self-regulatory organisation member firm. The SIE exam is a required corequisite, so both exams must be passed for registration.
Exam pattern
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Multiple choice |
| Questions | 125 |
| Time allowed | 3 hours 45 minutes |
| Passing score | 72 |
FINRA adds that some of its exams carry extra unscored pretest questions, and that appointments include an additional 30 minutes for the tutorial and post-exam survey. Check the content outline for the Series 7 for details.
Syllabus
The questions are grouped by four job functions.
| Function | Questions |
|---|---|
| Seeks business for the broker-dealer from customers and potential customers | 9 |
| Opens accounts after obtaining and evaluating customer information | 11 |
| Provides customers with investment information and makes suitable recommendations | 91 |
| Obtains and verifies customer purchase and sale instructions and processes transactions | 14 |
Most of the exam, 91 of 125 questions, is on investment information and recommendations.
Fees
FINRA lists the exam fee at $395 as of 2026.
How to apply
Your sponsoring firm enrols you, as the exam is open only to sponsored candidates. FINRA's qualification exams page points registered persons to its Financial Professional Gateway for managing their records.
After the exam
Passing the Series 7 and the SIE together gives General Securities registration. FINRA's pages read for this file do not state retake waiting periods, so see FINRA Rule 1210 and the FINRA site for current retest rules.
Do I need to pass the SIE as well?
Yes. The SIE is a corequisite, and both exams must be passed for General Securities registration.
Can I take the Series 7 on my own?
No. You must be associated with and sponsored by a FINRA member firm or another applicable self-regulatory organisation member firm.
What is the passing score?
72, on an exam of 125 multiple-choice questions.