What to expect on exam day

One valid, unexpired government-issued ID with both a signature and a photo— a driver's license, passport, or military ID.

The name on it must match exactly the name your exam is booked under. Photocopies, faxes, and photos of an ID on your phone are not accepted, and neither are electronic copies of name-change documentation. If you've recently married or changed your name, sort this out before test day rather than at the counter.

Plan to arrive 30 minutes early for check-in. Arriving more than 30 minutes late can cost you the appointment.

At a test center you're given a four-function calculator. Online, there's an on-screen calculator. Either way, your own device stays in the locker.

This matters more than it sounds for the Series 7 and Series 65, where people practise with a financial calculator and then meet a basic one on test day. Practise the arithmetic the way you'll actually have to do it.

Everything personal goes in an assigned locker. FINRA names electronic devices, cameras, phones, any communication or recording devices, watches, purses, wallets, and jewellery — and that list is explicitly not exhaustive. Leave study materials at home or in the car.

Note the watch. People are caught out by this one, and there is a clock on screen.

Breaks are only permitted for restroom use. You may not leave the center or return to your locker, and the exam timer does not pause.

Online it's stricter still: you must notify the proctor first, and the time used for the break andthe security check afterwards is deducted from your remaining exam time. Moving out of the camera's view without authorisation is prohibited.

You get erasable note boards and dry-erase markersat a test center — not paper. Online, there's a virtual notepad instead.

If you rely on scribbling out option strategies or bond maths, practise on a small whiteboard so the surface isn't new to you.

You find out almost immediately. For computer-delivered exams, results appear on screen through the PROCTOR system shortly after you finish. There's no waiting period to learn whether you passed.

If it didn't go your way, the retake waiting periods and costs are worth reading before you rebook — a lot of sites currently have the waiting period wrong.

FINRA offers online delivery of the SIEthrough Prometric's ProProctor. Availability for other exams changes, so check FINRA's Schedule an Exam page rather than assuming your exam is offered at home.

Taking it online adds requirements a test center handles for you:

• Install ProProctor and run the system check in advance — not on the morning.
• A wired connection is preferred; other people streaming in the house competes for bandwidth.
• You must show a full 360-degree view of the room, including under the desk and chair.
• The session is video- and audio-recorded, with a visual person check covering sleeves, pockets, and glasses.

If your internet is unreliable or you share a busy space, a test center removes a category of risk that has nothing to do with how well you know the material.

Life insurance licensing is run by each state's department of insurance rather than FINRA, so its exam-day procedures, question count, and passing score are set at state level and differ from the above. Check your state's department of insurance and testing vendor.