Finally passed the ANTH exam after two attempts — here's what worked

by emily_w 510 views3 replies
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emily_wOP
May 27, 2026

So I just got my results back yesterday and I'm honestly still in shock. I passed with a 78, which isn't amazing but it gets the job done. For context, I failed my first attempt back in February by four points, which was absolutely gutting after spending three months studying. I work full-time as a junior technician and was squeezing in study sessions at 6am before my shift.

What finally turned it around was switching my approach completely. I stopped re-reading the textbook and started drilling questions instead. Found a solid ANTH practice test resource that actually mirrors the real exam format — the question style is weirdly specific and you won't know that until you've done a few hundred reps. I also tracked which topic areas I kept missing and focused two weeks purely on those gaps.

Happy to share more details on my study guide and timeline if anyone's prepping right now. The exam tips I wish I'd known on attempt one could've saved me a lot of frustration. What are you all struggling with most?

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James R.
May 28, 2026
Congrats on passing! I'm about six weeks out from my test date and the equipment identification section is killing me. I've been using flashcards but it doesn't feel like it's sticking. Did you find the actual exam questions were similar to the practice materials you used, or were there a lot of surprises? I really can't afford to retake it financially.
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Tyler B.
May 28, 2026
Four points off on a fail, that's brutal. Glad the second attempt landed. For anyone else reading this — don't underestimate the written portion. I spent 90% of my prep on technical content and almost ran out of time on the scenario questions.
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Megan P.
May 28, 2026
Two attempts is actually pretty common from what I've seen on here. I passed mine last fall and honestly the biggest thing that helped me was timed practice. Set a timer for each section during your ANTH practice test runs — I was consistently running out of time on the real thing until I trained myself to move faster. Also the study guide from the official body is worth printing out and annotating by hand.

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