Securities Industry Essentials

Here you have the best FINRA SIE practice exam questions

You have 85 total questions across 17 pages (5 per page)
These questions were last updated on February 21, 2026
This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by FINRA.

Question 1 of 85

Which of the following scenarios is an example of illegal insider trading?

A friend of an employee trades the corporation's securities after information is made public.

An employee trades the corporation's securities after learning of significant, confidential corporate developments.

A government employee trades the corporation's securities based on non-confidential information that he learned because of his employment with the government.

A vendor employee trades the corporation's securities based on confidential information that she obtained in connection with providing services to the corporation after the news was made public.

Question 2 of 85

Which of the following statements describes a characteristic of Treasury securities?

They are FDIC-insured.

They are not traded in the secondary market.

They are typically issued to fund specific government initiatives.

They are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

Question 3 of 85

A privately held company plans to issue 1 million shares of stock. An underwriting syndicate has agreed to purchase all of the stock, and the syndicate members will, in turn, sell the stock to their customers. After the offering, the stock will trade on an exchange. Which of the following terms best describes the type of offering in which this company is engaging?

Shelf offering

Private offering

Follow-on offering

Initial public offering (IPO)

Question 4 of 85

Which of the following responses is characteristic of a Coverdell education savings account (ESA)?

There are no annual contribution limits.

Contributions into a Coverdell ESA are tax deductible.

Unused funds are permitted to be transferred to an eligible relative of any age.

The designated beneficiary must be under the age of 18 or be a special needs beneficiary when the account is established.

Question 5 of 85

An individual passes the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam and is hired by a broker-dealer (BD) as a sales assistant. Prior to taking a qualification exam, which of the following functions is she permitted to perform at the BD?

Accept interdealer orders from other BDs

Take unsolicited trade orders from customers

Perform clerical work for the BD's investment banking department

Call established customers of the BD to prequalify them for a new product offering

About the FINRA SIE Certification Exam

About the Exam

The FINRA SIE (Securities Industry Essentials) validates your knowledge and skills. Passing demonstrates proficiency and can boost your career prospects in the field.

How to Prepare

Work through all 85 practice questions across 17 pages. Focus on understanding the reasoning behind each answer rather than memorizing responses to be ready for any variation on the real exam.

Why Practice Exams?

Practice exams help you familiarize yourself with the question format, manage your time, and reduce anxiety on the test day. Our SIE questions are regularly updated to reflect the latest exam objectives.