How long does it realistically take to study for the CAL?

Bookmarking this. I'm still in the early stages of CAL prep and threads like this are way more useful than generic study guides. The specifics about exam prep are particularly helpful — that's the section I've been avoiding.

The part about reviewing wrong answers thoroughly is so underrated. Most people (including me, first time around) just move on after getting something wrong. Going back to understand the concept is what actually builds retention for the CAL.

For anyone finding this later: CAL is passable with consistent effort even working full time. I studied 61 minutes a day for 7 weeks. The cal cal certified automotive locksmith business and legal practices kept me honest about my actual gaps.

For anyone finding this later: CAL is passable with consistent effort even working full time. I studied 53 minutes a day for 11 weeks. The cal cal certified automotive locksmith business and legal practices kept me honest about my actual gaps.

Honestly, 8 weeks was my sweet spot working similar hours to you, but it really depends on how deep you go with the wrong answers. I spent the first three weeks just flying through questions and retained almost nothing. What actually moved the needle was stopping every time I got something wrong and asking myself why that answer was wrong, not just what the right one was. Like with the cal/questions/automotive door and trunk lock systems section, I didn't just memorize the correct procedure, I figured out why each distractor was plausible but off, and that's what made it stick.

With a related background you'll probably skip the "what is this even talking about" phase most people hit early on, so you're ahead there. But don't rush it. Four weeks is doable if you're purely grinding volume, but I wasn't confident going in until I could explain the wrong answers out loud. Give yourself at least 6 weeks, schedule the test date after week 4 so you have a deadline pushing you, and you'll be fine.

I passed in March and I'll be honest, I wasted the first three weeks just reading through my notes without actually testing myself. The thing that finally clicked was doing timed practice by topic instead of full mock exams back to back. For me, the mechanical stuff I thought I knew was actually where I kept dropping points. I spent a whole weekend on cal/questions/automotive door and trunk lock systems because I kept guessing on those and it was embarrassing how much detail the exam expected.

Given your schedule I'd say 8 weeks is realistic if you're disciplined. You're not going to have time to re-read everything, so don't. Find your weak spots early and hit those hard. I studied maybe 45 minutes a night on weekdays and a few hours Saturday morning and that was enough, but only because I wasn't spreading it thin across topics I already knew.