Licensing Exams and Recruiting

Posting this because I see a ton of people asking about taking/thinking about taking exams while recruiting.

Candidates tend to put way too much emphasis on licensing exams like the SIE and Series 63. The reality is that they don’t matter. Firms aren’t hiring people because they passed these exams—anyone who earns an offer is expected to have the aptitude and work ethic to pass them.

The SIE and Series 63 are both very easy with proper studying—you can get through them in less than a week to a week max.

Instead of worrying about these exams, spend your time on the things that actually matter like maintaining a strong GPA, building a compelling story, gaining relevant experience, mastering technicals and modeling, networking, and understanding finance and the markets.

Those are the things that will help you land the offer. The licensing exams are simply something you complete afterwards.

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