What is the best SIE exam prep?
The best SIE exam prep is the course that fits how you learn, when you test and what you can spend. Most cost $99 to $300. Some teach mainly through reading and questions, some through video, and some through live classes. Check how long access lasts and what any guarantee asks of you, then test the course free before you pay.
We make one of these courses, SIE Simplified. Every fact about the others comes from their own websites, read on October 28, 2026. Prices change, so confirm them before you buy. We cover seven courses. Others, such as Securities Institute of America, aren't included.
Ask three questions before you choose:
- How do you learn? If you learn by reading, a text course with a question bank is the cheapest route. If you'd rather watch, pick one built on video. If you need a teacher to keep you on pace, pay for live classes.
- When is your exam? Access runs from 3 months to a year. Count back from your test date and leave room for a retake.
- What does the guarantee ask? If you fail, every guarantee with published terms pays a refund or extends access. Most require target scores on the course's own practice exams first.
SIE prep courses compared: price, access and trials
Kaplan and Achievable have the lowest entry price, at $99. Achievable, Knopman Marks and our one-time plan give the longest access, a full year. STC and Achievable offer free trials that need no card.
| Provider | Price | Access | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaplan | $99 to $229 | 5 months | 7-day demo of Unit 1 |
| STC | $129 to $293 | 6 months | 1 day, no card |
| Achievable | $99 | 1 year | First chapters, no card |
| Pass Perfect | $109 to $270 | 7 months | Sample questions |
| Knopman Marks | $265 to $895 | 1 year | Free practice exam |
| ExamFX | $129 to $249 | 90 or 180 days | Not stated |
| SIE Simplified | $149, or $39 a month | 1 year, or monthly | 7 days, card needed, then $39 a month |
Budget for the exam as well. FINRA charges $100 for each attempt, on top of any course. Our SIE exam cost guide covers retakes and the other fees.
SIE prep course formats: lessons and practice
| Provider | Lessons | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Kaplan | Textbook; unit videos from $149 | Question bank, practice exam |
| STC | Over 20 hours of video | Quizzes, progress exams, finals |
| Achievable | Online text, 32+ videos | 2,000+ questions, 35+ exams |
| Pass Perfect | Study guide; video review from $162 | Practice bank, final exams |
| Knopman Marks | Video lectures, textbook | Practice quizzes, benchmark exams |
| ExamFX | Textbook; video from $149 | Question sets, final exams |
| SIE Simplified | 65 short videos, notes | 247 questions, 3 mock exams |
Which SIE prep course is right for you?
Pick the course that fits how you study. Achievable and Kaplan's Basic package suit readers. STC and ExamFX suit video learners. Knopman Marks' Platinum and Pass Perfect's Pass Promise suit people who want live teaching.
Kaplan Financial Education
Kaplan suits readers who want a textbook and a question bank at a low price. Its $99 Basic package has the License Exam Manual, a question bank and a practice exam. Unit videos start with the $149 package. The $199 and $229 packages add instructor-led classes, on demand or live.
Every package gives 5 months, and 5 more cost $49. Kaplan's SIE pages don't mention a pass guarantee or say how many questions the bank holds.
STC (Securities Training Corporation)
STC suits people who learn by watching. All three packages include over 20 hours of on-demand lectures, progress exams and simulated finals. The $141 Premier adds a printed manual. The $293 Premier Plus adds a live virtual class.
Access lasts 6 months. Its 1-day free trial needs no card.
Achievable
Achievable suits self-starters who learn by reading and drilling questions. For $99 you get a year of access, an online textbook and more than 2,000 quiz questions. You also get 35 or more full-length practice exams. That's the biggest stated question count here, at the lowest price.
Achievable calls itself a quiz-focused course. Its 32 or more videos are a bonus on key topics. It also offers narrated audio. Its free trial opens the first chapters with no card.
Pass Perfect
Pass Perfect suits candidates who want a live class and a guarantee in one package. Its $270 Pass Promise adds a live virtual review to on-demand video and instructor support. If you fail, you choose a full refund or free access until you pass.
The guarantee comes only with Pass Promise, and it has conditions. The $109 Pass Plus has no video review or instructor support. Access lasts 7 months on every package.
Knopman Marks
Knopman Marks suits candidates who want faculty-led teaching and can pay more for it. Gold costs $265. It includes video lectures, a textbook, benchmark exams and flashcards. Platinum, at $495, adds unlimited live classes. Diamond, at $895, adds a faculty advisor with weekly check-ins.
Every package gives a year of access. Knopman Marks' SIE page doesn't describe a pass guarantee. The free option is a downloadable practice exam.
ExamFX
ExamFX suits video learners, with a live-webinar package for those who want it. Choose at checkout: ExamFX says you can't upgrade later. The $149 Online Course Package has on-demand video lectures and practice exams. The $249 Live Online Package adds live webinars on the hardest topics.
Access is 180 days, or 90 days on the $129 Textbook Package. ExamFX's pass guarantee covers its insurance courses only, so its SIE course has none. Its SIE page doesn't mention a free trial.
SIE Simplified (our course)
Our course suits people who learn best from short videos and clear notes. It has 65 video lessons of 4 to 7 minutes each, 101 pages of summary notes and 247 practice questions. It also has 3 timed mock exams. You can pay $149 for 12 months, or $39 a month for all three of our courses. The SIE course page lists everything included.
Weigh our weak spots before you choose us:
- No published results. We don't publish pass rates or other student results, so you can't judge us on outcomes.
- The narrator is an AI voice. A text-to-speech voice reads every lesson. There's no human instructor.
- Fewer questions. Our 247 questions are far fewer than Achievable's 2,000 or more.
- No live teaching. We don't run live classes.
- Our trial needs a card. The 7-day trial on the $39 monthly plan opens the first module in full, then bills $39 unless you cancel. STC and Achievable don't ask for a card.
Kaplan vs Achievable for the SIE
Choose Achievable if you study well on your own. It gives a year of access and more than 2,000 questions for $99. Choose Kaplan if you want unit videos, a printed manual or a class. Plan to finish in 5 months, or budget $49 for 5 more.
| What you get | Kaplan | Achievable |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99 to $229 | $99 |
| Access | 5 months, $49 for 5 more | 1 year |
| Main format | Textbook and question bank | Online text and quizzes |
| Video and classes | Unit videos from $149, classes from $199 | 32+ bonus videos |
| Practice | Count not stated | 2,000+ questions, 35+ exams |
| Pass guarantee | Not stated for the SIE | Refund after a passed practice exam |
| Free trial | 7-day demo of Unit 1 | First chapters, no card |
Achievable publishes its own Kaplan comparison. Read it knowing that a vendor wrote it, as with this page.
Which SIE prep courses have a pass guarantee?
Four of the seven publish guarantee terms: STC, Achievable, Pass Perfect and us. What you get if you fail is a refund or more access. Each one has conditions.
| Provider | If you fail | What you must do first |
|---|---|---|
| STC (Premier tiers) | Refund of what you paid, less discounts | Finish the (A) progress exams, average 75% on all finals and score 75% on one green light exam |
| Achievable | Refund | Pass one full-length practice exam in the standard time |
| Pass Perfect (Pass Promise) | Full refund, or free access until you pass | Pass 3 practice finals at 75%, then sit the exam within 5 days |
| SIE Simplified ($149 course) | Free access until you pass, no refund | Watch the lessons and take the mock exams |
Check two things in each guarantee:
- Refund or access. A refund returns your money. Extended access, like ours, gives you more study time but no money back.
- The conditions. Pass Perfect's guarantee holds only if you sit the exam within 5 days of passing its third practice final, so book your exam around it. STC and Achievable also ask for proof of your failing score.
STC's terms need a check. Its guarantee page covers Premier and Premier Plus only, but its package table marks all three. Its Premier Plus article describes free extended access, not a refund. Ask STC which terms apply before you buy.
Can you trust SIE prep pass rates?
Use them with care. Each provider counts its own students its own way, so the rates can't be compared with each other or with FINRA's.
- Achievable reports 98%. It counts students who finished its prep and reached their exam date, using self-reports and results from corporate clients.
- ExamFX reports 93%. That comes from a survey its students filled in themselves in July and August 2025. It counted students who completed 85% or more of the course and students who averaged 80% or higher on its final exams.
For context, FINRA reported in 2019 that about 74% of first-time candidates passed in the exam's first year. Our SIE pass rate guide explains it. We don't publish a pass rate. A rate based on our most committed students would tell you little.
How to try SIE prep for free before you pay
Use free tests to find your weak spots, then use a free trial to see how a course teaches them. If you're new to the exam, start with our guide to the SIE exam.
- Take FINRA's free practice test75 questions from the organization that writes the SIE.
- Take our free diagnostic20 questions, weighted like the real exam. It shows where to focus first.
- Open a free trialStudy your weakest section in it. Kaplan, STC and Achievable have trials; ours needs a card.
- Compare the questionsCheck the trial's questions against FINRA's. Easier questions give you a score that means little.
- Check the datesMake sure access runs past your exam date, with room for a retake.
FINRA's free SIE practice test uses questions FINRA calls similar to the real ones, so it makes a fair yardstick. For 15 more questions with every answer explained, try our free SIE practice test.
SIE prep FAQs
Does the course price include the SIE exam fee?
No. You pay FINRA $100 for the exam itself, on top of any course.
How many hours do you need to study for the SIE?
Most providers' own figures fall between 50 and 80 hours. Knopman Marks recommends 50 to 70, STC says 70 to 80 and Kaplan says at least 50. ExamFX is higher, at 85 to 110. Our guide on how long to study for the SIE turns that into a six-week plan.
What if your course access runs out before the exam?
You can usually buy more time. Kaplan charges $49 for another 5 months. Knopman Marks charges $30 for one more month or $65 for five.
Do you need a prep course to pass the SIE?
No. FINRA doesn't require one, and its content outline and practice test are free. A course mainly saves you time, because it teaches the topics in order and gives you far more practice.
Related SIE guides
Sources
- FINRA, Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam: the $100 fee and who can take it
- FINRA, SIE practice test: free, 75 questions
- Kaplan Financial Education, SIE study packages page and SIE free trial page, read October 28, 2026
- STC (Securities Training Corporation), SIE packages page, SIE free trial page, Pass Guarantee FAQ and Premier Plus article, read October 28, 2026
- Achievable, SIE course page (pass rate last updated May 2026) and FAQ, read October 28, 2026
- Pass Perfect, SIE course page and Pass Promise page, read October 28, 2026
- Knopman Marks, SIE exam prep course page (no visible pass guarantee), read October 28, 2026
- ExamFX, SIE exam prep page (including its no-later-upgrade note), Pass Guarantee page and SIE pass rate article, read October 28, 2026
- SIE Simplified, pricing page and SIE course page, read October 28, 2026; narration from our own production records
Every provider fact on this page comes from that provider's own website, read on October 28, 2026. Prices change. Spotted something out of date? Tell us through the contact page and we'll fix it.