Pass the 65: A Training Guide for the Nasaa Series 65 Exam

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 460 pages
• Published by: Firstbooks.com February 28, 2006
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0912301651
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0912301655
• Book Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.2 x 1.1 inches
• Weighs: 2.2 pounds

Reader Reviews
This books has gotten nothing but great reviews from its users on Amazon. I just finished taking the Series 65 test today and let me tell you, this book "almost" gets the job done. The previous reviewers all sounded very similar and it made me hesitant in purchasing this book, but nonetheless I did and it was helpful, though not to the point where this book ALONE would help you pass the test. The previous reviews sounded so generic and repetitive (to a point where its suspicious), so I am going to give a realistic review of this study material. Don't get me wrong, Walker did a great job explaining difficult concepts into plain English that allowed the reader to better understand the full meaning of all the difficult concepts. Unfortunately, I find myself asking why are some information missing. Besides using Walker's book, I used the Kaplan's 1st Edition in studying for the Series 65. Kaplan's strength was Walker's weakness in the sense that Kaplan covered much more materials than Walker. One might argue that you don't need that much detail to just pass the test, but having taken the test myself, there are questions that get quite detailed. Examples of materials that Walker should have covered more grounds were the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the different types of trusts just to name a few. Kaplan does a great job covering those materials, however, it is a very dry read. In addition Walker needs to completely rewrite his section on "retirement accounts" because he got it all wrong. He claim that SEP and SIMPLE IRA are non-qualified plans, which is totally wrong. Payroll deductions are non-qualified plans. So he needs to edit that part all together. I am glad I have the Kaplan book because I would have gone into the test with the wrong information if I had only relied on Walker's explanation. The other thing that annoyed me was that the book referred you to his passthe65.com website to get updated information, but unfortunately, when you get to that website, you'll find no updates and just a website that sells his products. I don't think it's hard to create a web page with updated info and Walker should consider doing that since his books keeps telling his readers to go to that website to find updated info. In addition to the context, the three practice exams that come with the book is TOO EASY. If I were to give them skill level ratings on a scale of 1-5 (1 being easiest), I would say most the questions were around 1-2 in difficultly and one or two questions are at 3 rating. If you want to pass Series 65, you must deduct about 15% - 20% off your score on Walker's sample test to get an estimate as to how well you'll do on the actual test. I recommend Kaplan's Drill CD set which contains over 2300 questions that can be randomly generated to create different tests each time the user uses it. Overall, Walker does a great job in explaining all the main big concepts (most testable points) so that his readers can fully understand the subject, but the book alone won't guarantee that you'll pass the test. Don't get me wrong, it did help me. However, my reasoning for my rating is that the book didn't discuss some other important concepts and also the practice questions were not representative of the actual test in a negative way (too easy). In addition, the whole retirement section needs to be rewritten. I recommend using this book along side a Kaplan's book to ensure passing of the test. Only if Kaplan would hire Walker to write their text, then the result would be an easy to understand book that covers ALL th testable subjects. It'll probably be the best material out there. But hey, we don't live in a perfect world. By the way, I did pass the test on my first try. :-)