30-Day Study Plan for the Series 65 Exam
- April 1, 2025
- Posted by: 'FINRA Exam Mastery'
- Category: Finance
📝 30-Day Study Plan for the Series 65 Exam
📍 Posted on https://finra-exam-mastery.com
The Series 65 Exam is your gateway to becoming a licensed investment adviser representative (IAR). While it’s a broad exam covering laws, economics, investment vehicles, and portfolio theory, passing in 30 days is realistic—with a disciplined, structured plan. Here’s your complete 4-week schedule.
📘 Series 65 Overview
- Number of questions: 130 (125 scored)
- Passing score: 72% (92 correct answers)
- Time limit: 180 minutes
- Topics:
- Economic Factors & Business Information (15%)
- Investment Vehicle Characteristics (25%)
- Client Investment Recommendations (30%)
- Laws, Regulations & Guidelines (30%)
🗓️ Week 1 – Foundation & Economics (Days 1–7)
| Day | Topics |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Study exam format, scoring, and study strategy. Begin economic indicators, inflation, GDP, interest rates. |
| 3–4 | Market cycles, monetary/fiscal policy, global economies |
| 5 | Business structures (sole prop, LLCs, partnerships, etc.) |
| 6 | Take 20-question quiz on economics |
| 7 | Review all notes + build flashcards |
🧠 Goal: Understand the economic forces influencing investment decisions.
🗓️ Week 2 – Investment Vehicles & Risks (Days 8–14)
| Day | Topics |
|---|---|
| 8–9 | Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, UITs |
| 10 | Annuities, insurance products, REITs, ETFs |
| 11 | Derivatives – options, futures, hedging basics |
| 12 | Risk types: market, liquidity, credit, interest rate |
| 13 | Practice quiz (25 questions) |
| 14 | Review notes + quiz errors |
🧠 Goal: Know how each product works, its risk, and its suitability.
🗓️ Week 3 – Suitability, Portfolio Theory, Client Recommendations (Days 15–21)
| Day | Topics |
|---|---|
| 15–16 | Modern portfolio theory, diversification, CAPM |
| 17 | Tax considerations (capital gains, income, trusts, estate) |
| 18 | Client profiling – time horizon, objectives, risk tolerance |
| 19 | Dollar-cost averaging, buy-and-hold, strategic vs tactical asset allocation |
| 20 | Take full quiz on suitability & strategy |
| 21 | Review, update flashcards, and re-test weak areas |
🧠 Goal: Understand how to build suitable portfolios based on client profiles.
🗓️ Week 4 – Laws, Ethics, Practice Exams (Days 22–30)
| Day | Topics |
|---|---|
| 22–23 | Uniform Securities Act (USA), registration of reps/firms |
| 24 | State vs. federal jurisdiction, exemptions |
| 25 | Ethics, fiduciary duty, insider trading, disclosure rules |
| 26 | Take full-length Practice Exam #1 (timed – 180 mins) |
| 27 | Review exam results and focus on missed concepts |
| 28 | Take Practice Exam #2 |
| 29 | Final high-yield review (laws, tax, ethics, suitability) |
| 30 | REST – prep documents, ID, relax |
🧠 Goal: Be exam-ready with full content knowledge and time-tested confidence.
✅ Tools You Should Use
- Flashcards (Quizlet/Anki)
- Official NASAA content outline
- Practice exams with analytics
- Study tracker spreadsheet or app
- Printable cheat sheets & summary notes
🎓 Study with Finra Exam Mastery
Our Series 65 course is built for 30-day success:
✅ Structured video lessons by topic
✅ 1,000+ practice questions
✅ Smart review guides and formula sheets
✅ Lifetime access, quizzes, and full-length exams
👉 Start now at https://finra-exam-mastery.com
📘 Finra Exam Mastery – Helping you earn your IAR license, one day at a time.