Finally passed my APA exam after two attempts — here's what actually helped

So I just got my results back yesterday and I finally passed. Honestly I cried a little. First attempt back in October I scored a 71 and needed a 75, which was crushing because I'd studied for six weeks. I took three months off, regrouped, and this time I actually had a plan.

The biggest difference was finding a decent APA study guide that broke down the ethics code section properly. That's where I was losing points — I kept second-guessing myself on boundary violations and confidentiality exceptions. I also started doing timed practice sets instead of just reading. There are some solid APA practice test resources online that mirror the actual question style pretty well, which helped me get used to the wording.

For anyone else grinding through this, my biggest exam tips would be: don't skip the research methods section thinking it'll be light, and give yourself at least 4 weeks of active practice, not just passive review. Happy to answer questions if anyone's in the thick of it right now.