SIE exam Knopman Marks

I'm using Knopman Marks to study for the SIE. For those that used Knopman or a similar test prep, how difficult did you feel the SIE was in comparison to the practice exams? Taking the test soon and I'm scoring in high 70s/low 80s. thanks

edit: passed. not too bad. 

36 Comments
 

Here's how I would do it:

Go chapter by chapter

In each chapter, watch the videos FIRST. They are more high level than the textbook, so they give a good overview. Then it makes the reading a lot easier because you already know what they're talking about and can dial in on the nitty gritty details and touch on other areas the video didnt cover.

then do some flashcards, then practice questions. 

practice questions are great for prep

 

Took the exam about a month or two ago. Never read the book - if you watch the videos, take detailed notes, and then do the practice exams and extra questions, should be fine to pass. Honestly, the book seemed dry and enough practice questions should let you know what FINRA’s looking for vs what’s an obviously wrong answer that you can just eliminate answer choices on the exam. 

 

If you do Knopman (including for SIE--I passed) I would also recommend reviewing the "Class Summary" tool -- it is about 15 pages which summarizes all the content.  The flow charts are pretty good also.  They are both located on your study page down below the videos etc.  In my view it is just as important to know the overall concepts as to answer hundreds and hundreds of question (I did another longer post on that etc. here on WSO). Good luck with your tests. 

 

Saw this thread was from a while ago but curious to hear your inputs. I'm not doing too well on the unit assessments (high 60s, mid 70s). Is this a cause for concern? I have already read the book and gone through the video lectures. 

I find that when I go over my mistakes, the majority of it stems from not being to fully apply what I know to certain problems. Any input is appreciated. Taking the exam in a week.

I did score a 63% on the exam they have you take after you entirely read the book.

 

Pinpoint your 5 weakest areas and test those subjects exclusively until you achieve a consistent 80%. You'll be consistently passing after this

 

Sorry for late post -- just saw this and good luck on the test which seems to be very close.  First, I would not cram the night before -- you want to be somewhat fresh so try to something relaxing the night before.  And per below post only select the new questions in your KM tests.  When you make an error they give you the section of the book to review--check that out, but do it quickly as you just want the main concept and then move on the more questions.  As I mentioned before I also like the KM class summaries as you can go through the whole think quickly and it highlights almost everything.  Good luck.

 

And have a strategy to relax during the exam if needed -- take a couple deep breaths, visualize something positive etc. -- whatever works for you. I tried a bunch of stuff before the exam so I knew what worked for me.

 

Knopman is great and most firms use them.
Unpopular opinion but I def recommend skimming the textbook before starting the videos. Having a general idea of all the concepts will prep you better. After, watch all the videos and take notes on the packet they provide. I would do the chapter quizzes after each lesson. Then do the first practice exam. Depending on your score, I would just keep studying the packet you took notes on, the class summary, and a lot of practice questions. Doing about 1k questions will prepare you well. If you score a 68% on the benchmark practice exam, the chances of passing the real one is 95%, according to knopman. 
I received high 60s and low 70s on my exams and passed the SIE. I don't think it's easy but if you put in around 2 solid weeks, you should be good.  

 

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