Series 79

You must be associated with and sponsored by a FINRA member firm or another applicable self-regulatory organization member firm; individual candidates cannot sit without that sponsorship. FINRA directs candidates to FINRA Rule 1210 for registration requirements and to its Register a New Candidate process for the mechanics of enrolling.

Yes. The SIE is a corequisite to the Series 79. Candidates must pass both the Series 79 exam and the SIE exam to obtain the Investment Banking Representative registration, so plan to clear both before the registration is granted.

There are 75 items in total: 37 in Collection, Analysis, and Evaluation of Data; 20 in Underwriting/New Financing Transaction, Types of Offerings and Registration of Securities; and 18 in Mergers and Acquisitions, Tender Offers and Financial Restructuring Transaction.

Currently a candidate waits 30 days after a first or second unsuccessful attempt and 180 days after a third. Effective January 19, 2027, FINRA will shorten those periods to 15 days and 60 days, applying automatically to new enrollments and open enrollments without an appointment.

Not necessarily. FINRA states that someone engaged in investment banking work limited to structuring private securities offerings may register by passing the SIE and passing either the Series 79 exam or the Series 82 exam.

Only if you go beyond selling and active marketing. Selling the offering or actively marketing it to investors is covered by the General Securities Representative (Series 7) registration, but preparing a marketing plan, advising on one prepared by a sales team, or developing information for marketing materials also requires the Series 79.

No. The registration covers advising on or facilitating the marketing of an offering, such as preparing a marketing plan or contributing to marketing materials. Active marketing and investor interaction - road show activities, for example - requires an additional registration: General Securities Representative (SIE plus Series 7) or Private Securities Offerings Representative (SIE plus Series 82), depending on the offering.

Covered activities include advising on and/or facilitating debt and equity offerings through a private placement or a public offering, mergers and acquisitions, tender offers, financial restructurings, asset sales, divestitures or other corporate reorganizations, and business combination transactions.

Begin with FINRA's downloadable Series 79 Content Outline, which describes both the topics covered and the depth of knowledge required. Then work in proportion to the item counts: build the Collection, Analysis, and Evaluation of Data foundation first, since it accounts for 37 of the 75 items, before moving to underwriting and offerings and then M&A and restructuring.