FINRA Series 162 Guide

Series 162 study support for Part II of the Supervisory Analyst qualification, including route fit, report-review priorities, study planning, and exact practice.

Use this guide root when you are preparing for Part II of the Supervisory Analyst qualification. Series 162 is the report-review half of the Series 16 path. It focuses on assessing the accuracy, consistency, sources, calculations, and analytical basis behind research reports rather than on the broader communications-review workflow covered in Part I.

The current Part II configuration uses two functions led heavily by reviewing whether a reasonable basis exists for the analyst’s conclusions. Treat it as a research-report quality and analytical-basis exam. The strongest candidates think in terms of evidence, support, and defensibility.

Where Series 162 fits

If your role sounds most like…Better route
supervisory review of research report content and analytical basisSeries 162
supervisory review of research communications approval workflowSeries 161
full research analyst qualification pathSeries 86/87, not Series 162 alone
broad principal supervisionSeries 24

What this guide is for

Use this guide to confirm route fit, understand the weighted outline, and decide how to use exact practice after the report-review frame is clear. Series 162 rewards candidates who can test whether the report is internally sound and whether the analyst’s conclusions are adequately supported.

In this section

Revised on Thursday, April 23, 2026