Failed Series 86 - Advice on Next Try?

Failed my 86, wondering how to approach studying for me next try. Any advice would be much appreciated. I felt my exam was 85% conceptual type questions and not at all the math heavy stuff STC has. I had all the math/formulas down but clearly the exam caught me off guard.

Thanks.

410 WSO Academy Equity Research Session Reviews: 4.84/5

Springfield College

Class of '29 Sep 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Equity Research Mock Coffee Chat

“Michael gave me very practical, specific advice for breaking into equity research as a freshman. I came in with mixed results from past alumni and industry chats, and he showed me how to make them more useful. He advised tailoring the length and questions of each chat to the contact: start with a brief intro, then pivot to targeted questions tied to their role. For shorter calls, he suggested pinpoint questions that draw out actionable advice. When a contact works in a different area, he told me to phrase my interest broadly and then ask for insight into their team or function, so my goals line up with their work. He also changed how I prepare. He told me to read the analyst’s published reports or their firm’s research before the call and to bring one or two stock or sector ideas and ask for their take, which shows I’ve done my homework. He suggested using school resources like terminals and the finance club to gather sources and data. On building my resume, he recommended continuing to publish on a Substack or website, pursuing WSO or part-time research projects, and applying to the WSO equity research internship or similar programs, then adding the published pieces to my resume and portfolio. He also told me to join my school finance club and get Bloomberg access. Finally, he coached me to ask for introductions during the call when it comes up, to repeat the request in the thank-you email, and to explicitly ask who they’d recommend and offer to follow up. I left with clear action items I can start on right away.”

Class of '25 Nov 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Equity Research Career Roadmap (optional)

“Chris was very easy to talk to and made the session feel relaxed and genuinely useful. He gave me clear, actionable tasks that I can go away and work on straight away to expand my network. I hope to reconvene with him at a later date to discuss the progress I have made and get his feedback on the work I have been doing.”

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3 Comments

MrPermaBear

ER

2y

I thought STC was pretty representative of the exam. I think brute force is the best way to pass these exams. Just drill questions

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Authored by: Certified Equity Research Professional - Research AssociateCertified Equity Research Pro

RS

Prospect in Research - Other

2y

Fair. Did you take it before or after the recent exam structure change? They changed it about 7 months ago.

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Accounting Procedures

likegothamcity

?

2y

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Failed Series 86 - Advice on Next Try?

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Failed Series 86 - Advice on Next Try?

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