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Series 162 Study Plan — A Practical Reading and Review Schedule

April 23, 2026

A practical Series 162 study plan with a clear reading order, weekly milestones, review rhythm, and a final review strategy.

On this page

Use this study plan if you want a clean reading order instead of treating Series 162 like a general finance-reading test. Part II is narrower than many FINRA exams, but the dominant function is deep enough that weak analytical discipline shows quickly.

The chapter sequence under /finra/series162/ is the main reading path. Use the Cheat Sheet for fast recall, the FAQ for route and exemption cleanup, and the Resources page for official FINRA links and current source material.

Before you start

  • confirm that you need Part II of the supervisory analyst path
  • remember that Series 162 is only one part of the Series 16 qualification
  • note the official CFA Level I exemption issue early, because FINRA states that a candidate who has passed CFA Level I may be exempt from Part II
  • plan to spend most of your time on Review the Content of the Report to Ensure a Reasonable Basis Exists for the Analyst’s Conclusions, because it carries 68% of Part II

Weight-aware build order

FunctionExam weightWhy it matters to your plan
Review the Content of the Report to Ensure a Reasonable Basis Exists for the Analyst’s Conclusions68%Core block and the main place where support, logic, and analytical-basis errors show up.
Review the Content of the Report to Assess the Accuracy, Consistency, and Sources of Data and Calculations Included in the Report32%Smaller, but still important because inaccurate data and inconsistent calculations weaken the whole report.
  1. Accuracy, consistency, sources of data, and calculations
  2. Reasonable basis for the analyst’s conclusions

This order works because factual and calculation discipline makes the larger analytical-basis function easier to evaluate.

30-day plan

DaysPrimary focusWhat you should finish
1-10Accuracy, consistency, sources, and calculationsBuild the factual and numerical review frame.
11-24Reasonable basis for conclusionsSpend the bulk of your time on the dominant function.
25-30Mixed reviewUse the Cheat Sheet, FAQ, and Resources page to tighten weak spots and confirm current FINRA details.

How to review misses well

Tag each miss as one of these:

  • data or source issue
  • calculation or consistency issue
  • analytical-basis issue
  • unsupported conclusion

Your note should be one sentence: what in the report was weak, what clue should have exposed it, and what the supervisory analyst should have challenged.

Final 7-day plan

  • Day 7-5: Rework your weakest reasonable-basis notes.
  • Day 4: Review data, source, and calculation integrity together.
  • Day 3: Run a full Cheat Sheet pass from memory.
  • Day 2: Confirm the live Series 16 / Part II structure and the CFA Level I exemption note from the Resources page.
  • Day 1: Keep it light and focus on report support, internal consistency, and defensibility.
Revised on Thursday, April 23, 2026
2. Reasonable Basis
Cheat Sheet