General Securities Sales Supervisor Exam (Series 9/10) Study Guide
The two-part supervisory qualification
The General Securities Sales Supervisor Exam is the qualification required to supervise sales activities in a general securities broker-dealer. It is administered by FINRA and is split into two parts commonly known as the Series 9 and the Series 10. Together, the two parts consist of 200 multiple-choice questions, and you must earn a passing score of 70 percent on each part — passing one part does not carry over to the other, so both must be cleared to earn the credential.
Why it is structured this way
Because supervision spans two distinct competency areas — general supervision (the Series 9 portion) and the supervision of options and general securities sales practices (the Series 10 portion) — separating the exam into two independently scored parts lets FINRA confirm you meet the standard in each area on its own. Candidates commonly schedule the two parts on different days so they can concentrate their preparation on one part at a time.
- Confirm you hold (or concurrently obtain) any prerequisite general securities representative registration before registering, since a supervisory qualification builds on a representative-level foundation.
- Treat the 70 percent threshold on each part as a hard floor — plan to score comfortably above it on practice exams to absorb test-day variance.
Two scores, one credential
Each of the two parts is graded against its own 70 percent passing standard, and the exam as a whole is built from 200 multiple-choice questions. Because the two parts are scored separately, your goal is not a single blended average — it is clearing 70 percent on each part independently.
Turning the numbers into a study plan
With 200 total multiple-choice items across the exam and a 70 percent bar per part, you can reverse-engineer a preparation target: build a bank of practice questions large enough that you consistently clear 70 percent on each part under timed conditions, then keep drilling the topics where you fall short. Since every question is multiple-choice, disciplined answer-elimination and careful reading of qualifiers ("except," "not," "most") are high-leverage skills.
- Take full-length, timed practice sets rather than untimed topic quizzes, so your pacing matches the real 200-item format.
- Track your percentage per part, not overall, so a strong Series 9 result doesn't mask a Series 10 gap that would still fail you.
- Do not leave any multiple-choice item blank — an unanswered item cannot earn credit, whereas an educated guess can.
Prepare for the format you'll face
Every question on this exam is one of 200 multiple-choice items, and you need 70 percent on each part to pass. That combination points to a clear preparation method: build fluency through repeated multiple-choice practice until your scores on each part sit reliably above the passing line.
Suggested cadence
- Learn the material by part. Study the Series 9 (general supervision) content and the Series 10 (options and general securities sales supervision) content as separate units, mirroring how the exam scores them.
- Drill in multiple-choice form. Because 100 percent of the exam is multiple-choice, practice exclusively in that format so recall and recognition match the test.
- Simulate full length. Sit timed sets scaled to the 200-question exam so stamina and pacing are rehearsed, not discovered on test day.
- Confirm the 70 percent floor. Only schedule the real exam once your practice scores clear 70 percent on each part with margin to spare.
Reviewing every missed question — including why each distractor is wrong — compounds faster than simply re-reading notes, because it targets the exact gaps standing between you and the 70 percent threshold.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Series 9/10 exam and what score do I need to pass?
The General Securities Sales Supervisor Exam (Series 9/10) contains 200 multiple-choice items, and the passing score is 70 percent for each part. Because the requirement applies to each part separately, you must clear the 70 percent bar on both the Series 9 portion and the Series 10 portion — a strong overall average will not compensate for falling short on one part. Plan your study time to reach a comfortable margin above 70 percent on each section rather than aiming to just squeak by.
Is the 70 percent passing score applied to the whole exam or to each part?
The passing score is 70 percent for each part, not a single combined threshold across the entire exam. This structure means the Series 9 and Series 10 parts are graded independently against the same 70 percent standard. As a practical consequence, you should treat the two parts as distinct milestones: if you pass one part but not the other, you will need to focus your retake preparation on the part you did not pass rather than re-studying everything equally.
How should I approach pacing across 200 questions?
With 200 multiple-choice items on the exam, pacing matters: you cannot afford to spend excessive time on any single question if you want to reach the end. Since you need 70 percent for each part to pass, a sound test-taking strategy is to answer the questions you know quickly, flag uncertain ones, and return to them — banking the points you are confident about first. Practicing full-length question sets in advance helps you build the stamina and rhythm needed to work through a 200-item exam without rushing at the finish.
Roughly how many questions can I miss and still pass?
Since the passing score is 70 percent for each part, you can miss up to about 30 percent of the scorable questions on a part and still pass that part. Applied to the 200-item total exam, 70 percent corresponds to answering roughly 140 items correctly overall, though the requirement is enforced separately on each part rather than on the combined count. Note that some exams include unscored pretest items that do not count toward your result, so use the 70 percent standard — not a fixed raw number — as your target, and always confirm the current scoring details on FINRA's official exam page.