Answers to common questions about the FINRA Series 79 exam: eligibility and sponsorship, SIE corequisite, format/timing, scoring, retakes, scope, and how to study.
Policies can change—confirm critical details with FINRA and your firm before scheduling.
Yes. Series 79 is a representative-level qualification exam and generally requires association with a FINRA member firm (or other applicable SRO member firm).
Yes. Series 79 is paired with the SIE as a corequisite. You must pass both to obtain the Investment Banking Representative registration.
Series 79 focuses on investment banking work such as:
Not by itself. Series 79 is meant for investment bankers who advise on or facilitate transactions and marketing materials. If your role includes actively marketing an offering and interacting with investors or potential investors (e.g., roadshows), additional registrations may be required, depending on the activity and offering type.
At a high level:
Your firm’s registration team should confirm the correct path for your role.
Series 79 uses a passing score of 73. FINRA also includes unscored pretest items mixed into your exam that do not affect your result.
Put most of your time into F1 (49%): financial statements, valuation metrics, and modeling logic. Then lock in points with F2/F3 by memorizing process steps, document purpose, and “best compliant next step” choices.
FINRA retake waiting periods can depend on attempt count and exam type. Verify current rules with FINRA at scheduling time.