How Many Questions Is the SIE Exam?
The SIE® exam has 75 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest questions, 85 questions total on your screen. Verified July 2026 against FINRA’s SIE content outline. Only the 75 count toward your score, but you won’t know which 10 don’t.
Why you’ll see 85 questions, not 75
A lot of prep sources say “75 questions” and stop there, which sets up an unwelcome surprise on test day when question 76 appears. The 10 extras are pretest questions, items FINRA is trialing for future exam forms. They’re mixed in at random and aren’t labeled, so the only sound strategy is to treat all 85 as if they count.
The pretest questions cost you time, not points. That’s part of why the exam gives you 105 minutes for 85 questions rather than 75.
How the 75 scored questions break down
FINRA publishes the exact weighting in the SIE content outline (verified July 2026):
| Section | Weight | Scored questions |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Knowledge of Capital Markets | 16% | 12 |
| 2. Understanding Products and Their Risks | 44% | 33 |
| 3. Understanding Trading, Customer Accounts and Prohibited Activities | 31% | 23 |
| 4. Overview of the Regulatory Framework | 9% | 7 |
Notice the shape of that table: products and their risks is nearly half the exam, 33 of your 75 scored questions, while the regulatory framework section is just 7. If your practice time doesn’t mirror that split, your score won’t either. Our SIE practice questions by topic are organized around the same four sections and the same weights.
There’s no penalty for guessing
Answer every question. FINRA doesn’t deduct points for wrong answers (verified July 2026, content outline), so a blank is a guaranteed zero while a guess on a four-option question is a one-in-four chance, better if you can eliminate an answer or two. If the clock is running out, fill in everything before it does.
What the count means for your prep
Three numbers to carry into your planning:
- 85 questions in 105 minutes works out to about 74 seconds each. The pacing details are in how long the SIE exam is.
- The target is a scaled 70, not a raw count: see what score passes the SIE for why “53 out of 75” claims are only approximations.
- 44% of the scored exam is one section, so weight your practice the way FINRA weights the exam.
For the rest of the format (cost, eligibility, and how the SIE fits the Series exam ladder) start with our full guide to the SIE exam.