The Series 66 exam is a big deal for most students. Much like the Series 7 or Series 65 exam, this FINRA exam can be quite difficult— but failure isn’t an option. That’s why it’s so important to get an effective study course as soon as possible in order to pass your licensing exam.
Luckily for you, I’ve gone ahead and found the 6 best Series 66 study guides on the market.
Each of these courses have something unique to offer its students. Read on to see which one fits your study needs the best.
6 Best Series 66 Exam Prep Courses in 2023:
1. Best Series 66 Exam Prep Overall: Securities Institute of America
2. Runner-up Best Series 66 Study Guide: Securities Training Corporation
3. Best Series 66 Exam Support: ExamFX Series 66 Study Guide
4. Best Series 66 Practice Exams: Knopman Series 66 Exam Prep
5. Top Series 66 Course Materials: Kaplan Series 66 Online Courses
6. Series 66 Basic Self Study Package: NRS Series 66 Prep Course
| AIS RANKING | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COMPANY |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| PRICE | $45 - $179 | $141 - $308 | $159 - $289 | $375 | $149 - $269 | $200 |
| DISCOUNT | Save $10 | N/A | N/A | |||
| PRACTICE EXAMS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LIVE CONENT | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BONUS MATERIALS | Textbooks, Ebooks, Video Library | Study Manual, Flashcards | Flascards, Video Library | Textbooks, Flashcards, Review Charts, etc. | Study Sheets, Class Notes, Video Library | Study Plan, Textbooks |
| PASS GUARANTEE | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| SUPPORT | Phone, Email | Phone, Email | Phone, Email, Chat | Phone, Email | Phone, Email | Phone, Email |
| GET STARTED | Get Started | Get Started | Get Started | Get Started | Get Started | Get Started |
#1. Securities Institute of America Series 66 Course
The greatest benefit of Securities Institute of America is easily their online video class. This class walks you through every concept you need to know for the Series 66 exam. Plus each video comes with key concepts, tables, and formulas displayed and highlighted throughout. This ensures that you never miss essential information as you study to become a securities agent.
This Series 66 exam prep provider also offers a comprehensive self study course. This contains everything you need to pass the licensing exam: textbooks, practice questions, practice tests, video libraries, and much more. This online course will ensure that test takers like you are ready for whatever the exam throws your way.
SIA’s Series 66 are also some of the most affordable on the market. However, some of the individual materials can be pretty expensive when purchased on their own. However, you can avoid these fees by enrolling in one of their full courses instead.
Thanks to their affordable prices and the high quality of their contents, SIA is an approachable and effective resource for any student who needs to pass their exam. You will not regret any of the time or money spent here!
Securities Institute Series 66 Pros and Cons
- Series 7 Included: Since the Series 7 exam is a prerequisite for the Series 66, it makes sense for Securities Institute of America to include both courses in one affordable prep package. This makes it quicker and easier for you to work through all the material necessary to start your career with no gaps in between.
- Impressive Track Record: Although this company has only been in business for 25 years, they’re partnered with one of the longest-running educational companies around— Wiley Efficient Learning. Thanks to the tremendous amount of expertise that went into their educational programs, students who enrolled in these courses have passed over 250,000 exams.
- Great Support: Online classes are a convenient way to learn from home— but what happens if something goes wrong? To make sure any issues can be resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible, SIA has a fantastic support team that can be accessed via live chat or over the phone.
- Pass Rates: Securities Institute of America claims that they offer the highest pass rates in the FINRA test prep industry, but they offer no hard numbers or evidence to support their claim. It’s highly likely that their Series 66 review course can help you pass your licensing exams, but the lack of supporting evidence for their claims is somewhat concerning.
#2. Securities Training Corporation Series 66 Exam Prep
One of this course’s major focuses are webinars, both live and on demand. These take the format of online lectures and cover major topics on the upcoming exam. Plus, the webinars are designed to emulate a real life classroom— so you’ll always be learning in a format you’re used to.
Securities Training Corporation periodically issues progress exams. These will let you know how close you are to being ready to take the actual exam. If you pass their Green Light exam at the end of your study schedule, then you’ll know that you are ready and able to pass the real thing!
Although some courses may charge you for new materials, all STCUSA updates come free of charge. That means you’ll always be working with the most up to date material on offer. Unfortunately, what you will need to pay more for is STCUSA’s live courses, since they are gated behind their highest payment tier. But if you’re happy with self study materials, then these courses are still a good choice.
STCUSA is ultimately a great option for traditional learning styles. Each of their courses emulates the classroom experience well, and they do an excellent job of mapping your progress. It’s an excellent study tool to help you earn a passing score!
STC Series 66 Pros and Cons
- Firm-Friendly Features: STCUSA includes some continuing education features that can help firms who employ securities agents and broker dealers. This makes it much more appealing for your employer to sponsor your education with STCUSA, since it offers them benefits as well!
- Targeted Review: In the interest of saving you time and energy, STCUSA offers Crunch Time Facts as part of their Series 66 study materials. These are short study notes full of relevant information, and are a great cram resource for quickly absorbing a great deal of knowledge.
- Practice Exams: By far the strongest aspect of STCUSA’s course is their practice exams, which come in several effective varieties. Progress exams are regularly assigned to make sure you’re retaining the information covered in each lesson, and their final Green Light Exam guarantees an identical result to your actual exam score.
- Live Content: Unlike the other courses on this list, Securities Training Corporation only offers live video content to Premier Plus students. This means you’ll miss out on one of the most popular forms of online teaching if you’re interested in one of their more affordable learning options.
#3. ExamFX Series 66 Exam Prep Review Course
ExamFX’s courses are designed to be completed in around 3 months. That’s because they understand that students like you can’t afford to waste time. Because of how effective the course materials are, this brisk pace actually ends up more beneficial since you’ll be ready for the licensing exam with time to spare.
This course’s biggest focus is on video content. Most learning is done via a series of video lectures that convey business information in a simple and effective manner. Because of that, each lecture is easily digestible. Plus, each video can be re-watched as many times as you want.
Any enrolled student can contact an ExamFX instructor for help at any time. These instructors will be able to explain any difficult concepts and help you move forward with your studying. Thanks to that, you never need to worry about being lost when learning about the exam. Help is always just one click away.
ExamFX does have some live content, but not much. Their calendar shows that they only have 4 training sessions a month— which is pretty limited when compared to some of the other options on this list. Still, their effective videos and qualified teachers do a great job preparing you for your upcoming exam in a timely manner.
ExamFX Series 66 Pros and Cons
- Fast-Paced: Realistically speaking, a lot of people can’t devote several months to prepare for exams that allow them to work for a living. If you’re one of those individuals, the good news is that ExamFX uses an accelerated schedule to prepare you for your exam within three months of rigorous study.
- Video Lectures: Sometimes, online classes cut corners on their video content and emphasize quantity over quality. ExamFX bucks this trend, so you can expect engaging lectures with plenty of visual aids if you enroll in their Video Study package for the Series 66 exam.
- Progress Tracking: Unfortunately, ExamFX’s truncated review course doesn’t have any features that track your progress as you work through the program. This may not be significant if you’re already confident in your exam-taking abilities, but more squeamish students may prefer our top pick if they want some reassurance as they progress through their studies.
Save up to 20% on ExamFX Securities Review Courses
#4 Knopman Marks Series 66 Practice Exams
Every Knopman course comes with a well designed action plan. It’s a step by step guide to passing, and it includes a list of the best practices to get a great exam grade. It also lays out the best way to use the materials available to you. All in all, it effectively organizes your work and motivates you to approach everything one step at a time.
Courses combine live instruction with video lectures in order to explicitly tell you how to pass sections of the exam. Each study session lasts around 20 to 25 minutes; this is because people learn better through bite sized chunks of content instead of being overwhelmed with information.
In addition to tests and lectures, students also gain access to textbooks, worksheets, flashcards, and more. Just like the lectures, these are tracked closely to ensure that you’re on the right path to success.
Currently, there’s only one Knopman course with the option of paying for extra live content. It would be nice to see cheaper versions of this Series 66 course or a premium option with even more features. Still, the price isn’t bad enough to warrant staying away— just keep in mind that what you see is what you get.
Knopman Marks Series 66 Pros and Cons
- Lecture Heavy: The Knopman Marks Series 66 Exam Prep Course includes over 19 hours of video lectures that go over every aspect of the exam and the content it tests in intricate detail. This makes their course one of the best resources for students who prefer to learn through this method of instruction.
- Digital Flashcards: Like many online courses, Knopman includes a pack of digital flashcards with their Series 66 prep course to help you memorize key concepts and terms. Unlike other online courses, however, you can easily access these cards on your smartphone— even when it’s not connected to the internet!
- Pass Rate: Knopman Marks has realistic pass rates for all of their FINRA review courses, but their Series 66 course pass rate is among the lowest. It’s still very high, with approximately 85% of enrolled students passing their exams on the first attempt, but it’s not as high as some other companies will boast on their websites.
#5 Kaplan Series 66 Exam Prep Course Review
Kaplan’s SIE prep courses start out by having you customize a study calendar. This allows you total control over the pace of your learning as well as when and where you study. Because of that, you’ll never have to worry about adjusting your schedule to match this course. Instead, you can set your own pace and work whenever you can.
Quizzes are a major focus of this Series 66 study guide. You’ll be able to create custom quizzes out of Kaplan’s robust question bank when you sign up for this course. Once you’ve gotten comfortable with your progres, they also offer prebuilt mastery and practice exams.
Every lesson with Kaplan also comes with a set of premade class notes. These notes highlight important exam topics and include every key point addressed in that lesson. Thanks to that, it’s easy for you to create an organized review session whenever you want.
Unfortunately, you’re not guaranteed a passing grade when you sign up for just any Kaplan FINRA course. That’s because their pass guarantees are only available for live courses— not their self study options. This can be a big source of stress if you’re worried about wasting your money, but it’s still ultimately an excellent choice for your Series 66 prep.
Kaplan Series 66 Pros and Cons
- Exam Manual: Whether you choose their most affordable or most expensive course, you’ll get a detailed exam manual to help you study for the Series 66 exam. This highly specialized textbooks is a beat-by-beat breakdown of all the essential elements covered on the exam, which makes for a terrific educational resource.
- Performance Tracking: As you work through Kaplan’s FINRA course, your progress will be tracked through the online interface. This is a powerful motivator to keep working, since you can clearly see how much you’ve learned and how each lesson you complete takes you one step closer to your final goal.
- Video Content: Unfortunately, video lectures aren’t included with the Basic package of this course. This means you’ll have to pay a little more than the bare minimum to access one of the most essential aspects of any online learning course— unless you opt for Securities Institute of America’s course instead.
Series 66 Exam Frequently Asked Questions
Passing score for the Series 66 exam requires you to get a score of 73 percent or higher. Although the pass rates for this exam aren’t published anywhere, the vast majority of test takers say that it’s difficult but not impossible. Additionally, you can improve your chances of passing by enrolling in a well-designed Series 66 exam prep course.
The best way to study for the Series 66 exam is to enroll in a prep course from a company like Securities Institute of America, STCUSA, or Kaplan. However, you could also look for resources that teach you about the concepts covered on the exam, such as the characteristics of investment vehicles, economic factors, and investment laws/regulations.
Unfortunately, there is no public data regarding specific pass rates for the Series 66 exam. However, many companies like Kaplan that offer prep courses for the exam boast high pass rates for their students, so you can increase your chances of passing by enrolling in one of these courses.
Kaplan offers helpful course materials for students preparing to take the Series 66 exam, including detailed notes for each section and fully customizable quizzes. However, our recommendation for the best Series 66 exam prep course is Securities Institute of America because of their excellent study resources and GreenLight Guarantee.
