Overview
This article explains exactly what "complete" means for an Adviser CE course, in what order the steps come, and why a course can still show as in progress after you have passed the final assessment.
The short version: a course is complete only when every lesson in it is marked complete — not when you pass the exam.
How Every Course Is Structured
All Adviser CE courses follow the same sequence:
# | Chapter | What's in it |
1 | Course Introduction | Course instructions and a note on FINRA reporting |
2 | Modules | The written course content, each module ending in a practice quiz |
3 | Conclusion | Key takeaways, then the required Course Survey |
4 | Final Assessment | The graded exam |
Note the order: the Course Survey comes before the Final Assessment. This is the single most important thing in this article, because it is the cause of most "I passed but nothing happened" questions.
Module Quizzes vs. the Final Assessment
These are different things and are often confused:
Module quizzes | Final assessment | |
Counts toward your grade | No — practice only | Yes |
Attempts | Unlimited | 3 |
Passing score | n/a | 70% |
Time limit | None | None |
Length | Short, per module | 10 questions per credit (1 credit → 10, 2 → 20, 3 → 30) |
The 70% pass mark, the three-attempt limit, and the question count are set by NASAA, not by Adviser CE. Questions are drawn from a larger bank and NASAA requires alternate questions on subsequent attempts, so a second or third attempt will not repeat the same paper — reviewing the material is more useful than trying to recall individual questions.
Both still need to be marked complete for the course to finish. The quizzes do not affect your score, but skipping one leaves a lesson incomplete.
The final assessment is comprehensive and draws on every module, not only the worked examples in the text — so review all the material before starting it.
If you do not pass within three attempts
You do not buy the course again. We neither require nor permit a duplicate purchase, and a second purchase of the same course would earn no additional CE credit in any case.
NASAA requires that you review the course content before any further attempt. The process is:
Review the course material again from your dashboard — your enrollment is unaffected and everything remains available to you.
Email [email protected] once you have finished and request additional assessment attempts, confirming that you have completed the review as NASAA requires.
We enable further attempts on your existing enrollment.
If you have been told you need to repurchase the course to retry, that is incorrect — contact support.
Why a Completed-Looking Course Still Shows In Progress
If you have passed the exam but have no certificate, no confirmation email, and nothing reported to FINRA, a lesson somewhere is still unfinished. In order of likelihood:
The Course Survey was skipped. It sits just before the Final Assessment, so jumping ahead to the exam passes right over it. Passing the exam does not backfill it.
A module quiz was never submitted. Opening a quiz is not the same as submitting it.
A lesson was skimmed but not opened. Scrolling past an item in the sidebar does not mark it complete.
How to fix it
Sign in and reopen the course
Work down the curriculum in the left-hand menu and look for any lesson not showing as complete
Complete those lessons
The course will finish as soon as the last one is done, and reporting proceeds normally from there.
Check each course separately. If you bought a bundle and only some completions came through, the courses that did not report each have their own unfinished lesson.
What Happens Once the Course Is Complete
Your certificate becomes available under My Account → Certificates, where you can view and download it. Certificates cannot be edited by you — if the name on one is wrong, contact support and we will update it, after which you can download the corrected copy
Adviser CE reports your completion to FINRA within 3–5 business days
FINRA then processes the report and updates your record on its own timeline
One thing to expect: FINRA applies newly reported credits to your oldest outstanding deficiency first. If you were short on credits in an earlier year, these credits may be applied to that year rather than the current one — so if your current year still shows a shortfall, check the previous year before concluding anything went wrong. This is set by the NASAA rules and is not something Adviser CE controls. See Why Your CE Credits Aren't Showing in FinPro.
Before that reporting happens, make sure your profile details are right — your first name, last name, and personal CRD number must match your FINRA record exactly, or the submission will be rejected. See Fixing a Name or CRD Mismatch.
If you also hold a CFP® certification, your CFP ID must be on your profile at the time you complete the course for your CFP CE hours to be filed with the CFP Board. Adding it afterward does not apply retroactively to courses you have already finished.
Need Help?
If you have trouble logging in, accessing your courses, or confirming completion, please contact the Adviser CE support team for assistance at [email protected].