Best Series 79 Study Guides & Exam Prep Courses of 2026

Completing the Series 79 exam is an essential first step toward becoming an investment banker. Much like the Series 7 exam, it’s an important top-off that measures your ability to advise or facilitate public and private offerings and sales.

Since it’s such an important job, the test to become a licensed insurance broker can be very difficult; you’ll need to put in some serious study time if you want to pass on your first try.

Similar to the prerequisite SIE exam, completing a Series 79 prep course will massively increase your chances of passing your investment banking representative qualification exams. There are many options available, making it difficult to choose the best Series 79 study guides.

That’s why I’ve thoroughly examined the best and most popular Series 79 study courses below. Take a look and find out which ones can best prepare you for a rewarding career as an insurance broker!

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1. Securities Institute of America

Our top pick is the Securities Institute of America due to its multifaceted approach to test prep. Securities Institute of America (SIA) is renowned for its dedication to providing top-tier study materials for various securities exams, and its Series 79 study material is no exception. Designed meticulously to cater to the needs of investment banking professionals, this study material ensures that candidates are well-prepared to tackle the Series 79 exam.

Course Details

SIA’s Series 79 study material is a blend of comprehensive content and practical exam strategies. Key features include:

• Structured Online Dashboard: The course gives you 180 days of online access with an exam plan, study calendar, reports, and practice tools in one place. I like that setup because it gives the Series 79 prep a clear path.
• 312-Page Study Guide: SIA includes a full Series 79 study guide in print and e-book format. It is useful for candidates who want the investment banking concepts explained in one organized source before jumping into practice questions.
• 1,000+ Practice Questions: The test bank gives you more than 1,000 Series 79 questions with explanations, which is where the course starts to feel more exam-focused.
• Custom Exams And Simulated Finals: You can create topic-focused quizzes, take unlimited simulated final exams, and use 15 different exam customization options. That makes it easier to drill weak areas and build stamina before exam day.
• 11 Hours Of Video Training: The video course includes 11 hours of instruction across 11 videos, with section tests built in. I’d use these as support for harder topics, not as the only way to study.
• GreenLight Exam: The GreenLight exam is the final readiness check. It is one of SIA’s strongest features because it gives candidates a clearer signal of whether they should sit for the real Series 79 or keep reviewing.

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2. Securities Training Corporation

STC is impressive in the way they implement study materials to reinforce learning. Lectures are followed up by practice tests to ensure you can apply your new knowledge and keep everything fresh in your mind for exam day.

Course Details

STC courses use their materials to guide you through a pre-made study plan. Each new lesson reinforces what you’ve learned elsewhere, and plenty of self-study materials are available for you to use on your own time.

Thanks to this, you can apply everything you’ve learned to your own professional experience—and you never have to worry about distractions while studying.

STC Has Been The Go-To in Securities Training for Over 50 years

Here are some of the many features and materials included with STC’s courses:

• 20-Chapter Study Manual: STC includes a printed study manual plus a downloadable PDF version, which gives you a structured way to work through the FINRA Series 79 content outline.
• Final And Custom Exams: The final exams include optional explanations after each question, and the custom exam tool lets you drill specific chapters or choose how many questions to include.
• My Scores Dashboard: STC’s score tracker shows your exam attempts, time spent testing, and chapter-level strengths and weaknesses, so review feels more targeted.
• Progress And Greenlight Exams: The course includes progress exams throughout the program, plus two 85-question Greenlight Exams designed to check readiness before the real Series 79.
• 12-Hour On-Demand Lecture: STC’s on-demand lecture adds about 12 hours of video instruction, which is helpful if you want guided review without committing to a live class schedule.
• 1,800+ Digital Flashcards: STC’s flashcards can be organized by course, chapter, or FINRA exam section, making them useful for quick review and memory-heavy topics.
• Live Class Options: Higher-tier STC packages include classroom or virtual class options, which makes this a stronger fit for students who want more instructor support.

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3. Kaplan

If you’re only interested in self-study material, then Kaplan is a good option for exam prep. They offer a wide range of independent study methods and materials that are perfect for the self-motivated student.

You’ll spend most of your time answering multiple-choice questions. These emulate the actual FINRA exam as closely as possible, so you can be assured you’re only operating off of accurate information. Plus, question contents are frequently updated at no extra charge. That way, they can keep up with industry standards.

Although practice exams are the focus of Kaplan, that’s not all they have to offer. Included with this course are:

• License Exam Manual: Kaplan’s LEM is the foundation of the course, with Series 79 content broken into units that include key terms, graphics, exercises, quizzes, and discussion questions.
• SecuritiesPro QBank: The QBank lets you build custom quizzes by topic and length, review detailed rationales, track time spent, and generate simulated exams for broader review.
• Custom Study Plan: Kaplan’s Study Plan organizes weekly tasks inside the learning platform, which is helpful if you want a self-paced course but still need structure.
• Performance Tracker: The Performance Tracker shows where your scores are strong and where you still need work, so review feels more targeted than just taking random quizzes.
• Checkpoint And Midterm Exams: The Essential package includes checkpoint exams at the end of each unit and a cumulative midterm exam, giving you built-in progress checks before the final review stage.
• Unit Intro And Wrap-Up Videos: Kaplan’s videos are used around each unit to preview key concepts and reinforce the most important points before checkpoint exams.
• Practice Exam: The Practice Exam is designed to mirror the real Series 79 in timing, difficulty, format, and topic coverage, giving you one final readiness check before exam day.

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4. Knopman Marks

Knopman offers blended classes for general securities exam preparation. These are scheduled courses that use a combination of recorded lectures, faculty-led coaching, and review sessions. This is a powerful combination that leads to great results, and it doesn’t necessitate a strict study schedule.

Course Details

Knopman has created an industry-leading training program with an incredible 96% first-time exam pass rate. They’ve done so by including comprehensive study materials in addition to instructor guidance that can be accessed at any time.

How to Pass the Series 79 Exam

Knopman’s comprehensive course includes everything you need to study and succeed, such as:

• Digital and Physical Textbook: Knopman includes both textbook formats, which is useful if you want the structure of a full manual but still need online access while studying.
• 1,400+ Practice Questions: The question bank gives Series 79 candidates a strong amount of repetition, especially for technical investment banking topics.
• Diagnostic and Benchmark Exams: Knopman includes readiness checks that help you see whether your scores are improving before you get too close to exam day.
• Faculty Support: This is one of Knopman’s biggest strengths. The course puts more emphasis on instructor guidance than most self-paced Series 79 options.
• Digital Flashcards: The flashcards are useful for quick review, especially for definitions, rules, formulas, and smaller details that are easy to forget.
• Class Summaries and Supplements: Knopman adds supporting materials beyond the textbook, which helps reinforce harder topics without making you rely on the main manual alone.
• Data-Driven Study Guidance: The course uses performance data to help steer your review, so you can focus more time on weak areas instead of studying everything equally.

Pros

Cons

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  Higher-Cost Course: Knopman Marks is usually not the cheapest Series 79 option, so it may be harder to justify if you only need basic self-study.
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  Support-Heavy Format: The course is a strong fit for guided prep, but independent students may not need all the faculty support built into the program.
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  Fewer Budget Options: Knopman’s best value comes from the full course experience, not from mixing and matching smaller study tools.

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