You have worked through the whole book. This chapter is the condensed version of all of it: every unit boiled down to the must-know facts, the numbers to memorize, the mnemonics, and the gotchas the exam loves to test.
Think of it as the rapid-fire recap at the end of each podcast, gathered into one place for the days right before test day.
How to Use It
- In your final week, read one or two review units a day, then close the tab and see how much you can recall.
- The morning of the exam, skim the "Numbers to Lock In" tables and the "Top Gotchas" in each section. The Series 79 rewards precise thresholds (offering caps, holding periods, filing windows), so that is where points are won and lost.
- Pair it with a Practice Exam. Anything the review sheet reminds you that you forgot is a signal to run a Custom Quiz on that unit.
This is a recap, not a first pass. If a section shows you a topic you have never seen, go back to the full unit and study it properly before relying on the cram sheet.
The Whole Book on One Page
Short on time? The One-Page Cheat Sheet condenses every unit to a single line. Read it top to bottom the night before and the morning of your exam.
What's Inside
The FINRA outline splits the Series 79 into three job functions. Collecting, analyzing, and evaluating data is nearly half the exam, so that is where your final days should live.
| Review Unit | Covers | FINRA Function |
|---|---|---|
| Collection, Analysis & Evaluation of Data | Data sources, financial analysis, valuation, due diligence | Function 1 (49%) |
| Underwriting & New Financing | Public offerings, syndicate, execution, exempt securities and transactions | Function 2 (27%) |
| M&A, Tender Offers & Restructuring | Sell-side, buy-side, fairness opinions, tender offers, restructuring | Function 3 (24%) |
Function 1 (Collection, Analysis & Evaluation of Data) is nearly half the exam and is the analytical core everything else builds on. If you have limited time, start there.