John S. answered 03/19/19
Series #6,7,63,66made easy by John. Registered Options Principal CBOE
Hello Katelynn,
The requirement of being sponsored, being employed by a broker/dealer member firm of FINRA, was eliminated on October first 2018. You may take the Security Industry Essentials exam without being employed by a member firm. The test results are valid for four years.
Regards
John