Does your Series 7 score matter?

No Yes God, I hope not

Agree with all above comments. To add, I've never had an interviewer ask.

To quote my boss, "If you get a score higher than 80 on the series 7 exam I will kill you for wasting time!!!!"

I would say the score doesn't matter, well...unless you fail.

The Series 7 is a joke. It's amazing how much money firms waste on training classes and prep materials. I think I scored an 85 on the exam and I was ribbed at work for over studying. A girl at our firm scored a 97 on the 7. What a fucking waste of time.

The series exams should be pass/fail. There's no reason why you even need a raw score...

The Series 7 is made to be much bigger deal than it actually is. It's a minor detail in the bigger picture of things.

TBH ...

If a resume mentions a perfect Series 7 score, or a perfect Series 7 score is mentioned at any point during the interview process, you will NOT be hired on the grounds that we will immediately think you're an arrogant jerk. It's understood that if you're being considered for a position that requires the Series 7, that you're smart enough to pass it.

It's not uncommon for folks to transition from software development / support roles at trading desks to actually being a trader. If you're making that sort of a transition, most firms will ignore that you don't have the required Finra license and help you take care of your licenses as soon as you come onboard.

Do take preparing for it seriously, just so you'll pass it your first try and get it over with, but no one cares about your scores.

The resume is a marketing document. If your score is very high and you are at the beginning of your career, putting it on your resume might help. No one is going to ask you for your score on the series 7 exam.

OK, the world is changing. FINRA has announced that Series 7 scores will be posted on Broker Check. FINRA also conducted its own analysis and found those taking multiple attempts at passing the Series 7 have 3 to 4 times more customer complaints vs. those passing on the first attempt. Those with higher scores have less customer complaints. Explain that away...

I'd put that I have the license on my resume, leave the score out. That should be sufficient.

Most of the people you ask will tell you it doesn't matter. If you are looking to secure an entry level position as a Financial Advisor... thats mostly true. However, as with anything else in life things aren't simply black and white. I liked what the person who stated that a resume is a marketing tool. Now considering the marketing tool, IF you find a position where you need to stand out based on the your ability to pick up difficult financial concepts then tying the score in may make sense.

I actually didn't use my 92% on my resume but strangely enough I was recommended by someone for a position that was for a Private Banking position later in my career. The Director I interviewed with had gotten into some questions I didn't expect and after I could see where he was going I happened to mention that I got a 92% on my Series 7 and after getting the job I asked about that question later. He had stated that he had expectations for some of his people to rise up to a level where the institution required a CFA... and that he personally valued someone who could not just sell... but know what the hell they were talking about. So there are cases where this applies. For anyone who disagrees with this... well I understand, most of them are just pure salesmen who looked for the minimum requirement to get in the door. Again, ordinarily for an entry level position this might actually hurt you to gloat about it on your resume... but there are cases where it can come in handy.

My senior manager who hired me asked me for 7 and 63 scores. I didn't expect this at all. I got an 80 on the 7 and a 78 on the 63. I got the job, so I guess my test scores didn't hurt me. However, I passed both exams on the first try and the interviewer didn't ask me how many times I took the exam. What if the next candidate said he got a 90 on the 7, but it was never asked or revealed that he took it two or three times.

IMO, it's best not to ask or mention scores.

I scored a 74% for the 7 and a 72% for the 63. The office had a tradition of setting an O/U on candidates score. My O/U was normal, I think like 85% or so, but I wasn't sure how I felt reporting those scores to my colleagues, to be honest. I cleared both exams in under a month which I felt alright about but I think its usually best to not mention your score unless the entire trading desk demands it.