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Series 82 Exam Overview — Format, Weights & Eligibility

Understand the FINRA Series 82 (Private Securities Offerings Representative) at a glance: structure, timing, passing score, function weights, eligibility and what to do after you pass.

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Series 82 at a glance (FINRA)

  • Scored items: 50
  • Unscored pretest items: 5 (55 total)
  • Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (90 minutes)
  • Format: Multiple choice
  • Passing score: 70
  • Cost: $60
  • Corequisite: SIE

Note: FINRA includes unscored pretest items for question development. You won’t know which items are unscored, so treat every item as scored.

What Series 82 tests (job functions)

Series 82 is organized by four major job functions:

  • F1 — Seeks Business for the Broker-Dealer from Customers and Potential Customers — 50% (25 items)
  • F2 — Opens Accounts After Obtaining and Evaluating Customers’ Financial Profile and Investment Objectives — 18% (9 items)
  • F3 — Provides Customers with Information About Investments, Makes Recommendations, Transfers Assets and Maintains Appropriate Records — 26% (13 items)
  • F4 — Obtains and Verifies Customers’ Purchase Instructions and Agreements; Processes, Completes and Confirms Transactions — 6% (3 items)

Eligibility (important)

Series 82 requires firm sponsorship. You must be associated with a FINRA member firm (or other applicable SRO member firm) to enroll and test.

Series 82 is also a top-off: you must pass SIE + Series 82 to obtain the Private Securities Offerings Representative registration.

Scope reminder (high yield)

Series 82 focuses on private offerings and the workflow around private placement communications, investor qualification, documentation (PPM/subscription), and compliant processing. If your role includes broader investment banking activities (e.g., M&A advisory or public offerings), your firm may require different registrations.

✅ Next: work through the Series 82 syllabus » and then start timed drills in Practice ».

Syllabus