Sales & Trading Analyst Certification

The Sales & Trading Analyst Certification is a free intermediate-level, 20-minute skill test from Science of Apps. It tests sales and trading — how trading desks make markets across equities, rates, credit, FX and commodities, bid-ask, inventory and risk management, market structure and execution, macro drivers and the morning meeting, client coverage and trade ideas, and conduct rules — written to FINRA, CME Group, the New York Fed, SEC Regulation NMS and BIS references for 2026 and 2027 analyst classes. Score 70% or more on its 20 questions to earn a verifiable Sales & Trading Analyst certificate (SOA-STA). Every question is based on published standards and research — including Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives (John C. Hull (Pearson)), Trading and Exchanges: Market Microstructure for Practitioners (Larry Harris (Oxford University Press)), Regulation NMS (US Securities and Exchange Commission) — and each answer is explained with its source.

Science of Apps offers a free Sales & Trading Analyst Certification, written for 2026 and 2027. It tests desks, products and market making, market structure and execution, macro drivers and market narrative and clients, risk and conduct with 20 original scenario questions in all, each naming its published source; you get an instant score and a verifiable certificate with a credential ID you can add to LinkedIn.

Read the four skill areas on this page, then take the 20-minute test online — no fee, course or sign-up. You see every answer explained when you finish. Score 70% or more and you get a Sales & Trading Analyst certificate straight away, on screen, as a PDF and by email, with a credential ID anyone can verify.

Yes. The questions are original scenarios written by Science of Apps, and each one is based on a public source you can read: Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives (John C. Hull (Pearson)); Trading and Exchanges: Market Microstructure for Practitioners (Larry Harris (Oxford University Press)); Regulation NMS (US Securities and Exchange Commission); FINRA Rule 2210: Communications with the Public (FINRA); Triennial Central Bank Survey of foreign exchange markets (Bank for International Settlements); Series 7: General Securities Representative Exam (FINRA). The source is shown under each question and linked in the answer review. Science of Apps doesn't copy questions from other tests.

Four skill areas with five questions each, drawn from a bank of 10 per area so a retake brings new questions: Desks, Products and Market Making (Asset classes, Bid-ask and inventory and Flow vs exotics); Market Structure and Execution (Exchanges and venues, Best execution and Algorithms); Macro Drivers and Market Narrative (Central banks and data, Cross-asset links and The morning meeting); Clients, Risk and Conduct (Client coverage, Risk limits and P&L and Conduct and compliance). Every question is an original scenario written to the 2026–2027 standard, with the published source named under it.

Sales and trading summer analyst candidate, Markets graduate trainee, Institutional sales associate, Trading assistant and Finance student targeting markets. It suits students at leading universities, career switchers and experienced professionals who want quick, verifiable proof of Sales & Trading Analyst knowledge in 2026 and 2027.

Ivy/LSE/IIM finance clubs recruit into IB, S&T, PE and hedge funds; these roles screen on technical depth our catalog does not yet test. Passing earns a founder-signed Science of Apps certificate with a credential ID and QR code that recruiters can verify.

Traders price and risk-manage positions, making markets for clients and managing inventory; salespeople cover institutional clients, bring them ideas and flow, and connect them with traders. Structurers design tailored products.

Market awareness (what is moving and why), basic product knowledge across asset classes, mental maths, a trade or stock pitch, and fit for a fast, team-based floor. This test covers the knowledge side.

Yes. The test is online, in English and free everywhere — people take it from India, the US, the UK, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Your certificate is dated with your own local date and can be verified from anywhere at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/.

20 questions — 5 from each of 4 skill areas — with a 20-minute limit. You need 70% (14 of 20) to pass and 90% for distinction.

We rate it Intermediate: assumes hands-on experience in the role. It has 20 scenario questions — 5 from each of 4 skill areas — and a 20-minute limit. You need 70% (14 of 20) to pass and 90% for distinction.

Nothing. There is no fee to take a test, to receive the certificate, to have it emailed or to verify it, and no sign-up.

On our server, not in your browser. The answers never reach the page until you submit, so a certificate can only be earned by passing. Each certificate gets a unique credential ID stored by Science of Apps.

You see your score for each area and every question with the correct answer and why, with the published source behind it. You can retake after 30 minutes, and the retake draws questions you haven't seen yet.

No. Every certificate is dated, so it always shows when you passed. Retake a test any time for a newer date or a higher score.

Yes. After you pass, Add to LinkedIn opens the Licenses & certifications form with the certificate name, Science of Apps as the issuer, the issue date, your credential ID and the verification link filled in. You can also download it as a PDF or PNG, and it's emailed to you as a PDF.

Every certificate has a credential ID and a QR code. Scanning it, or entering the ID at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/, shows the holder's name, the certification, the score and the issue date from our records.

No. They are Science of Apps' own assessments of applied skill. They aren't issued by a university or standards body, and they work best alongside a portfolio that shows the skills in real work.