SIE Passing Score: What a 70 Means, When Results Arrive and What a Fail Report Shows

The SIE pass mark is 70. What trips people up is what the 70 is: a score on an equated scale, which FINRA doesn't translate into a number or percentage of correct answers. That matters most when you're trying to read a practice score or a near-miss.

The SIE pass mark: 70 on an equated 0–100 scale

FINRA's SIE FAQ says the passing score is 70 on a scale of 0 to 100. It then explains how the scale works: each candidate's score is placed on a common scale with all other candidates' scores for the exam, and statistical adjustments account for slight variations in difficulty between the different sets of questions candidates receive. The content outline calls this process equating and says it ensures every candidate is held to the same passing standard, whichever set of items they got.

What follows from that:

• A 70 isn't necessarily 70% correct, or 53 of 75. Because the adjustment depends on the question set, the number of correct answers behind a 70 may differ slightly from one form to another, and FINRA doesn't publish it
• Only the 75 scored items count. The 5 unscored pretest items have no effect, and you can't tell which they are (the format guide explains the 80-item count)
• There's no penalty for guessing, so a blank answer can only cost you

What practice scores can and can't tell you

Practice percentages aren't on FINRA's scale. FINRA says even its own free practice test score "should not be taken as an absolute prediction" of your result. Treat any practice number as a trend line: whether you're improving section by section, and whether your misses come from a few topics or everywhere.

A practical approach is to track your results per section, the way FINRA's fail report does, rather than one overall percentage. A strong Products score can hide a weak Trading score, and those two sections together are 56 of 75 scored questions. That's what practice by section in the planned SIE prep is built around. In the meantime, the free SIE practice questions give a first read across all four sections.

When SIE results arrive

If you need another copy of your score report, the TESS FAQ says to contact the FINRA Support Center at (240) 386-4040.

What a pass report and a fail report show

FINRA's test center and online pages describe the reports the same way:

• Pass: no additional scoring details. You learn that you passed, not by how much
• Fail: your overall exam score and your performance on each of the topic sections, provided "to help inform your study efforts" for a retest
• Equated score: in some cases the report states that the score is equated, meaning it was placed on the common scale

So a pass report won't tell you your exact score. FINRA lists "immediate notice of your pass/fail status with performance feedback if you fail" as one of the SIE's benefits.

SIE pass rate: what FINRA does and doesn't publish

FINRA's SIE page, SIE FAQ and content outline, as checked on October 27, 2026, don't publish a pass rate. Figures you'll find online come from prep companies, are often several years old, and Passy couldn't verify any of them on finra.org. A pass rate wouldn't tell you much about your own chances anyway. Your own section results under timed conditions are a better guide, which is why full SIE prep planned for launch scores its timed mock exam at the end. The SIE difficulty guide looks at what actually makes the exam demanding.

If you think a question was wrong: FINRA's content challenge

FINRA allows a challenge to the content of one or more questions. You submit the FINRA Exam Question Challenge Form within 30 days of your test date, and the challenge must be specific. FINRA reviews it and gives a written response within 20 days of receiving the form. For concerns about the testing experience itself, FINRA points to the survey link with your score report or after the exam, an incident report filed with center staff or the online proctor, or your firm's registration department.

Remember the Rules of Conduct when you write a challenge or post online: exam content is confidential, and you may not reproduce or discuss the questions, during or after your session.

Reading a near-miss fail

A 66 or a 68 means you were close, but the useful part of the report is the section breakdown, not the gap. Two things to check:

1. Which sections fell short. Weight your next plan toward them in proportion to their share of the exam. A weak Regulatory Framework section (7 questions) costs less than a weak Products section (33)
2. Whether the misses were knowledge or pacing. If you rushed the last 20 questions, practice timed sets before you add content hours

Then check when you can retest: the waiting periods shorten on January 19, 2027, as the SIE retake rules guide explains. The free SIE retake planner turns your section results into a week-by-week plan, and when you rebuild, the planned SIE prep tracks accuracy in each of the four sections so the weakest one gets your next session.