Learn how Series 87 tests report disclosures, internal approvals, analyst certifications, conflict controls, and research-specific restrictions.
Series 87 treats research preparation as a controlled process, not as free-form writing. Before a report is published, the firm needs to know whether the ratings framework is described correctly, whether relevant conflicts are disclosed, whether the analyst certification is handled properly, and whether the draft moved through the required approval path. The exam tests whether the candidate recognizes that the safest answer is usually the most disclosed, the most supervised, and the most documentable.
This is why FINRA Rule 2241 sits at the center of the page. The candidate is expected to recognize the research-report framework at a practical level: conflict categories, disclosure categories, public-appearance implications, restrictions on communications, and the supervisory process around issuance. Series 87 usually does not ask for line-by-line rule text. It asks whether the candidate can identify the control problem in a fact pattern and choose the most protective next step.
| If the stem mentions… | The exam is usually testing… | Strongest response pattern |
|---|---|---|
| analyst or household ownership | personal conflict disclosure | disclose it, follow firm restrictions, and escalate if needed |
| market making or firm ownership | firm conflict disclosure | include the required conflict language and use the approved template |
| investment banking relationship | research independence | disclose the relationship and follow the restricted-process rules |
| draft sent externally before sign-off | approval failure | stop dissemination and route it through the required review path |
| non-GAAP or adjusted metrics | misleading presentation risk | use compliant context and do not overstate the metric |
| selective management briefing | Regulation FD / MNPI concern | do not redistribute it casually; escalate through compliance |
A Series 87 report must let the reader evaluate not only the thesis but also the possible biases around the thesis. That is why the outline emphasizes ratings systems, ratings distribution, historical price information, investment-banking conflicts, analyst or household financial interests, firm ownership interests, market-making status, and other material conflicts.
The exam often rewards the answer that adds disclosure rather than subtracts it. If two options both look plausible, the safer choice is usually the one that keeps the report fair and balanced, gives the reader enough context, and avoids hiding a conflict because it seems small. On this exam, a conflict is not “minor” just because the analyst thinks it did not affect the conclusion.
Series 87 also tests whether the candidate understands that research is issued through a supervised pipeline. A draft report should not move to clients, sales, the media, or a public platform until it has been reviewed through the firm’s required process. The outline ties this to approvals before dissemination, supervisory systems, and record retention.
Regulation AC matters because it links the research analyst personally to the views expressed in the report. The exam does not usually demand a long certification recital. It tests the principle that the analyst certification is part of the integrity framework and cannot be treated as an afterthought or delegated away casually.
Many Series 87 questions are really timing questions in disguise. A report may be broadly accurate, but it can still be issued at the wrong time, with the wrong approval status, or without the disclosures needed for a public appearance, a distribution, or a conflict-laden deal context. That is why the outline also points to communication restrictions, compensation restrictions, trading restrictions associated with publishing research, and other SRO or SEC requirements around offerings and distributions.
The best exam answer usually does three things at once:
A research analyst is ready to publish a note on a company for which the firm recently provided investment-banking services. The analysis is supportable, but the draft has not yet gone through the firm’s required review process and the conflict language has not been added. What is the best next step?
A. Distribute the note immediately because the thesis is supported by public information
B. Send the note only to institutional clients because they can evaluate conflicts for themselves
C. Route the note through the required approval path and add the required conflict disclosures before dissemination
D. Remove the rating and publish the rest of the note without disclosures
Answer: C. Series 87 favors the response that follows the approval process and ensures the required disclosures are included before the research leaves the firm.