Series 24
General Securities Principal
The principal-level exam for professionals who supervise significant parts of a broker-dealer's securities business.
$235
150
3 hr 45 min
70%
Firm sponsor
01 · Career fit
Is this the exam for your job?
Start with the functions you will perform. A title can sit in several regulatory lanes, while two people with similar titles can need different registrations.
After representative experience, when a firm delegates broad principal or supervisory responsibility.
Your firm is assigning real supervisory authority—not merely a more senior title.
Jobs that commonly point here
- General securities principal
- Branch or OSJ manager
- Supervisory principal
- Compliance manager
- Sales-practice supervisor
- Investment-banking principal in the proper registration combination
Before you enroll
- Firm sponsorship and the requested principal registration
- An appropriate representative corequisite such as Series 7, 57, 79, 82, 86/87, or 16 depending on scope
- Experience and supervisory assignment determined by the firm
Firm sponsorship is required. The representative corequisite depends on the principal registration your firm requests.
02 · Exam anatomy
What the questions actually cover.
150 scored + unscored pretest items · 3 hr 45 min
Personnel registration and supervision
6%
General broker-dealer activities
30%
Retail and institutional customer activity
21%
Trading and market making
21%
Investment banking and research
21%
What it covers
- Registration and supervision of broker-dealer personnel
- General broker-dealer activities, books and records, financial responsibility, and communications
- Retail and institutional customer supervision
- Trading, market making, investment banking, and research supervision
What it does not do
- It is a supervisory qualification, not a replacement for the representative exam tied to the underlying work.
- It does not by itself cover every municipal-securities, options, or specialized principal category.
- The title “manager” does not automatically mean the Series 24 is required; actual delegated duties control.
03 · From decision to test day
How to take it, step by step.
Confirm the registration with the firm
Your future responsibilities—not the job title alone—determine the registration. Ask the hiring manager or registration team which exam and state registrations the role requires.
Have the firm open your exam window
A FINRA member or other eligible self-regulatory organization files the appropriate Form U4 and requests the exam through CRD. You cannot self-sponsor this qualification exam.
Schedule with Prometric
Once the enrollment window is open, use the enrollment details to choose an available Prometric appointment. Confirm the identification and test-center rules before exam day.
Prepare from the official outline
Start with the current FINRA content outline, then use a reputable course, question bank, and timed practice exams. Treat the outline as the source of truth when prep materials disagree.
Pass, then complete registration
Passing is one part of the process. The firm must still complete the registration, background, fingerprinting, state, and supervisory requirements that apply before you perform regulated functions.
Where you take it
Prometric test center after firm enrollment. Confirm the current delivery and identification rules with the official administrator when you schedule.
04 · The real cost
Who pays—and what to ask first.
Official exam fee
$235
- The $235 fee is processed through the sponsoring firm's FINRA account.
- Firms generally sponsor principal exams because the registration serves an assigned supervisory function, but internal reimbursement and repayment policies vary.
- Ask how the firm handles study time, temporary duty coverage, retakes, and the consequences of missing the required deadline.
- Confirm whether the new responsibility changes compensation, title, liability coverage, or written supervisory procedures.
Budget beyond the exam
Prep, travel, replacement identification, state registration, fingerprints, and retakes may be separate. Get the employer's policy in writing before assuming any cost is covered.
05 · Study with intent
Build readiness, not just hours.
Study as the person who must supervise, document, escalate, approve, and remediate—not as the representative doing the task.
Create a matrix of who approves what, which records are kept, and when a filing, disclosure, or escalation is required.
Give extra time to general broker-dealer supervision; it is the largest domain and touches many rule sets.
Use timed sets to manage a long exam with dense regulatory scenarios.
If you do not pass
FINRA generally requires a 30-day wait after the first and second failed attempts and 180 days after a third or later failure within two years. A new enrollment and fee are required.
Official preparation resources
Prepare for Series 24.
Start with the official Series 24 exam information and content outline to check the topics you need to study. We have not verified a public FINRA practice test specifically for this exam; the resource below is study guidance, not a mock exam.
06 · After the result
Passing is a milestone—not the finish line.
Your next three actions
- 01Wait for the firm to confirm the principal registration is approved.
- 02Understand the written supervisory procedures and exact businesses assigned to you.
- 03Document delegation, review, escalation, and evidence of supervision from day one.
How it commonly fits
- SIE + Series 7 + Series 24 supports the General Securities Principal path.
- SIE + Series 79 + Series 24 can support the Investment Banking Principal path.
- Other representative corequisites produce narrower principal registrations; confirm the exact CRD category with the firm.
Normally remains active while registered; generally valid for two years after termination, subject to FINRA maintenance programs and current rules.
07 · Candidate questions
What people ask before they commit.
01Do I need Series 24 to become a branch manager?
Often, but not always. The required principal registration depends on the activities and supervisory authority of the office. The firm's compliance team should map the exact role.
02Can I take it proactively?
No. Series 24 requires firm sponsorship. Firms usually open the exam when they are prepared to assign or develop a candidate for principal duties.
03Does it make me a compliance officer?
No. It is one qualification used for certain supervisory registrations. Compliance titles, responsibilities, experience expectations, and other registrations vary.
04Is Series 24 enough to supervise every desk?
No. Municipal, options, and other specialized activities may require additional or different principal registrations. The firm's supervisory structure determines the combination.
Use the credential in context
