SIE Exam Changes 2026: What's Different Now

FINRA’s current content outline specifies 75 scored items plus 5 unidentified pretest items, for 80 displayed items in 105 minutes. Those are the counts to use when checking a study guide or planning practice timing.

Current format

The FINRA content outline is the source for the current item count and time limit.

2026 exam fees

FINRA’s fee adjustment schedule lists the SIE fee at $100 for 2026. The schedule lists $80 for the SIE in 2025, so a guide still quoting $80 as the current SIE fee needs that figure corrected.

How to check an older study resource

Compare its format and fees with the two FINRA documents linked above. Then check whether its rule discussions cite a version that still applies. A correct question count does not prove that every rule in a book is current, and an outdated fee does not prove that every lesson is wrong.

What to change in practice

Build timing drills around all 80 displayed items, not only the 75 that are scored. FINRA’s outline says pretest items are unidentified. For a timing drill, mark whether a delay came from the scenario, the rule or the calculation, then work on that specific gap.

Use the SIE study guide for explanations and the free practice questions to apply them. A practice result is not a calibrated FINRA score; a question count alone does not measure exam difficulty.