This week marks the first two weeks since the new Series 86 Exam was introduced on May 15, 2023. And, although we don’t know specifics about specific questions, news from the “front” are slowly starting to trickle in.
In today’s email, we share some.
News from the New Series 86 Exam Front…What You’re Using to Study Should Work!
First of all, it seems that current STC study material is more than sufficient to help you pass the new exam.
Feedback from recent students indicates that STC’s practice final exams, greenlight exams, and study addendum (recently added to their dashboard), are plenty helpful to get you a passing score.
In terms of priority, we continue to recommend that students focus on STC’s greenlight exams, as well as the new addendum. This new addendum is about 50 pages long, and includes 100 new practice questions. Although, the 100 practice questions are not each individually separate unique topics. In fact, they are grouped by topic and each is typically covered by a few questions. Relatively new subjects, not discussed much in previous practice questions, are also included.
If you’re just starting out studying, we definitely recommend that you get through all five practice final exams. However, with one week to go, the greenlight and addendum questions are our recommendation.
Is the New Exam Any Easier?
General sentiment seems to indicate that the difficulty of the Series 86 Exam remains intact. One major difference, however, is the time you have to complete it.
With about 4 1/2 hours to complete 85 questions (+10 experimental) instead of over 100, the extra time seems to be helpful. Though it seems that tested questions are highly unlikely to deviate much from those prior to May 15, 2023, test takers have more time to think about each question. Just don’t forget to double check your answers.
Overall, aside from the extra time for the new Series 86 Exam, we believe that the difficulty level of questions tested before the changes on May 15 are an excellent gauge for the current exam. Remember to review some newer topics, not covered prior to May 15 such as the GDP deflator, as well as investment securities on the balance sheet (held to maturity, held for trading, and available for sale). However, we believe you should be ok with the STC practice questions.
For some sample practice questions definitely check out the STC addendum as well. Also, watch for a new video course from us within the next few weeks.
In the meantime, good luck with your studying, and feel free to reach out if you need any help!