Maximize Your Score: Free Series 6 Practice Exams
Use our free Series 6 practice exams to prepare for the FINRA Series 6 licensing exam. We offer four online tests with challenging questions and clear, detailed explanations to help with your exam prep.
Four online practice exams covering essential securities products, regulations, and sales.
Exam-level questions designed to match the difficulty and scope of the actual licensing test.
Clear explanations that break down key concepts and enhance your Series 6 exam prep.
FINRA Series 6 Exam
Investment Company &
Variable Contracts Products
Representative Exam
The Investment Company and Variable Contracts Products Representative Exam (Series 6) is a FINRA-administered test for individuals who sell mutual funds, variable annuities, and other packaged investment products.
50 Questions
Multiple Choice
90 Minutes
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Series 6 Exam Overview
The Series 6 exam — officially the Investment Company and Variable Contracts Products Representative Qualification Examination—is a FINRA-administered licensing test required for entry-level roles that focus on packaged investment products. Passing it (alongside the SIE exam) qualifies individuals to sell mutual funds, unit investment trusts, variable annuities, and limited insurance-related products like variable life and municipal fund securities.
What You Can & Cannot Do with the Series 6 License
With a Series 6 license, you are authorized to register as an investment company representative and transact specific financial products. That includes mutual funds, variable annuities, and certain insurance-related securities—but notably excludes sales of individual equities, bonds, options, ETFs, and DPPs.
Exam Format & Requirements
- Question Format: 50 scored multiple-choice questions plus 5 unscored pretest items, all randomly blended.
- Time Allowed: 90 minutes (1.5 hours).
- Passing Score: 70% (generally 35 correct answers out of 50).
- Prerequisite: Must be sponsored by a FINRA-member firm; the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam is also required, either before or in conjunction.
Exam Content Breakdown
Questions are aligned with four job functions that reflect the responsibilities of an investment company and variable contracts products representative:
| Job Function | Number of Questions | Approximate % |
| Seek business from customers | 12 | 24% |
| Open accounts and evaluate client profiles | 8 | 16% |
| Provide investment information, make recommendations, recordkeeping | 25 | 50% |
| Process transactions and confirmations | 5 | 10% |
Top Preparation Tips
- Tackle topic-by-topic quizzes followed by several full-length practice tests, aiming for consistent scores in the mid-70s to build a buffer for test-day nerves.
- Use time wisely—budget roughly 1.5 minutes per question, and flag especially long or complex questions to revisit later.
- Focus study time on core content: mutual funds, variable products, client communication, and compliance rules.
Why the Series 6 Matters
Earning the Series 6 license is a strategic step for professionals serving in advisory or wealth management roles where mutual funds, annuities, and insurance products are central. It allows new entrants to the financial industry to begin client-facing roles with a defined product scope