Form U10: Filing, Fees, and the 120-Day Enrollment Window

Form U10, the Uniform Examination Request, is the FINRA filing you use to sign up for a securities licensing exam when no broker-dealer or FINRA member firm is sponsoring you. If a firm is sponsoring you, they file a Form U4 instead. Everyone else goes through FINRA’s online Test Enrollment Services System, known as TESS, which has handled these filings since late 2018.

Who Files a Form U10

You file through TESS if you want to sit for a qualifying exam but aren’t currently registered with a FINRA member firm. FINRA’s enrollment system blocks anyone actively registered in Web CRD or employed in a registered capacity by a member firm from using it.¹ If a firm can sponsor you, your registration runs through Form U4.

In practice, unsponsored candidates tend to fall into a few groups. College students and recent graduates often want to pass the Securities Industry Essentials exam before job hunting. Insurance agents and independent financial planners take the Series 65 to offer investment advice under their own legal entity. Consultants and career-changers use the process to build credentials before entering the industry.

Exams You Can Take Without a Firm

Not every FINRA-administered exam is open to unsponsored candidates. Most representative-level exams, including the Series 7, still require firm sponsorship through a Form U4. What you can take through TESS is the SIE and the three state-level exams developed by the North American Securities Administrators Association.

Securities Industry Essentials Exam

The SIE is the most common reason people use this route. It’s open to anyone 18 or older with no sponsorship required. The exam has 75 multiple-choice questions, a time limit of one hour and 45 minutes, and a passing score of 70%.² Content covers securities products, how markets work, the role of regulators, and prohibited practices.

Passing the SIE doesn’t register you to sell securities or give investment advice. It’s the foundational half of a two-part system; once you join a firm, you’d take a top-off exam like the Series 7 to complete registration. SIE results stay valid for four years from the pass date.³

NASAA Exams: Series 63, 65, and 66

Individuals not associated with a FINRA member firm can also open enrollment windows for the three NASAA exams through FINRA.org and pay the exam fee directly.⁴

Series 63 covers state securities regulations and ethical practices. It runs 65 multiple-choice questions with 60 scored, a 75-minute time limit, and requires at least 43 correct scored answers to pass.⁴
Series 65 is the investment adviser representative exam that independent planners typically take for state registration. It has 140 questions with 130 scored, a three-hour limit, and a 72% passing score.
Series 66 combines Series 63 and Series 65 content into one exam and is preferred by candidates who plan to both sell securities and advise.

Information You’ll Need to Enroll

Filing through TESS creates a permanent record in FINRA’s Central Registration Depository, so accuracy matters. You’ll provide your full legal name exactly as it appears on your government ID, your Social Security number, date of birth, residential address, and both a primary and secondary phone number.¹

The SSN is the field to double-check. If you have an SSN but enter it incorrectly or leave it out, FINRA won’t post your exam score to Web CRD, and you could be forced to requalify by examination, effectively losing credit for a test you already passed.¹

Foreign nationals without an SSN can still enroll. When creating a TESS profile, you enter your mother’s maiden name in the SSN field instead. Every other profile requirement stays the same.¹

How to File and Book Your Exam

The whole process runs online through TESS, then hands off to Prometric for scheduling.

Create a TESS account on FINRA.org and verify your email. If you had a U10 account under the old system, your prior login credentials carry over.¹
Select the specific exam you want and pay by credit or debit card. Each exam is a separate enrollment.
Receive your FINRA ID. Unsponsored candidates typically get an ID starting with “U” or “T.” You’ll need this number to book your appointment.
Schedule with Prometric, FINRA’s testing vendor, either through the online scheduling page or by calling (800) 578-6273. Have your name, FINRA ID, phone number, and the name or series number of your exam ready.⁵

The SIE can also be taken remotely through Prometric with a proctor, which helps if you don’t live near a testing center. Other FINRA-administered exams generally require an approved accommodation to be taken remotely.⁵

Exam Fees

Fees are paid at enrollment. As of 2026, the SIE fee is $100.⁶ The NASAA exams are priced separately: $147 for the Series 63, $187 for the Series 65, and $177 for the Series 66.⁷

The 120-Day Enrollment Window

Once FINRA processes your enrollment, you have 120 days to sit for the exam.⁵ If the window closes without you testing, the enrollment expires and the fee is forfeited. No extensions. You’d have to file a new enrollment and pay again. This is where people most often trip up: they enroll, plan to study, and let the calendar slip.

Cancellation and Rescheduling

If you need to move your appointment, the cost depends on how much notice you give.

More than 10 business days out: no fee to reschedule or cancel.
Three to 10 business days out: a partial rescheduling fee. It’s $50 for the SIE, $73.50 for the Series 63, and $93.50 for the Series 65.⁸
Within two business days, or a no-show: full cost of the exam. Because unsponsored candidates prepaid through TESS, this means forfeiting the entire fee.⁸

Prometric collects late cancellation fees by credit card at the time you cancel.

Retake Rules After a Failed Exam

Failing doesn’t end your path, but you can’t try again immediately. FINRA imposes mandatory waiting periods:

After a first or second failed attempt: 30-day wait.
After a third failed attempt, and every one after: 180-day wait.³

Each retake requires a new TESS enrollment and a new fee.¹ Your FINRA ID carries over, so you won’t create a duplicate profile.

Testing Accommodations

Candidates with disabilities can request accommodations by submitting FINRA’s Testing Accommodations Request Form. Part One is your section; Part Two must be completed by a licensed professional such as a psychologist, psychiatrist, or physician who has diagnosed or treated you within the last five years. Supporting documentation must describe your current level of functioning and can’t be older than five years; self-assessments alone aren’t sufficient.⁹ FINRA typically responds within 10 business days. Open your enrollment window first, then submit the request, and wait for approval before scheduling with Prometric. Previously approved accommodations reapply automatically to new enrollments within five business days.

Candidates with limited English proficiency can request extra time: an additional 30 minutes for exams up to two hours, and an additional 60 minutes for longer exams.¹⁰ Unsponsored candidates submit a web-based LEP Request Form and wait about five business days for an email response. Don’t book with Prometric before approval, or the extra time won’t be built into your session. Previously approved LEP time carries forward automatically for five years from the original approval.

What Passing Does and Doesn’t Do

An exam passed through this route is a credential, not a license. The SIE alone doesn’t authorize you to sell securities or advise clients; its result stays valid for four years, giving you time to join a firm and pass a top-off exam like the Series 7.³ If you register with a broker-dealer and later leave, the four-year clock resets from your termination date rather than the original exam date.

The NASAA exams work differently. Passing the Series 65, for example, satisfies the exam requirement for investment adviser representative registration in most states, but you still need to file with your state securities regulator and pay state-level registration fees, which vary. The exam pass clears one regulatory hurdle; it doesn’t by itself make you a registered adviser.

1
FINRA. Frequently Asked Questions about the Test Enrollment Services System (TESS)
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FINRA. Securities Industry Essentials Exam
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FINRA. SIE Exam and Exam Restructuring Frequently Asked Questions
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NASAA. Series 63 Exam Content Outline
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FINRA. Schedule an Exam
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FINRA. FINRA Fee Adjustment Schedule
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NASAA. Exam FAQs
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FINRA. Reschedule or Cancel Your Appointment
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FINRA. Exam Candidates Requiring Testing Accommodations
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FINRA. Candidates with Limited English Proficiency