Finally passed CAC exam after two attempts — what actually worked for me — Forums

Alex G.OP

May 27, 2026

Okay so I've been lurking here for months and felt like I owed this community a post since your advice helped me pass. Quick background: I'm a school counselor with about four years of experience and I took the CAC exam the first time back in January thinking I could wing it with my work knowledge. Scored a 68 when I needed a 75. Embarrassing but it happens.

Second attempt I got serious. Spent about six weeks using a structured CAC study guide, focused hard on the ethics and cultural competency sections because those are where I dropped the most points the first time. I also did timed CAC practice test sets — that part is huge, seriously. The real exam moves fast and if you're not used to pacing yourself you'll run out of time on the last section.

Total score this time: 81. Not perfect but I'll take it. Happy to answer questions if anyone is prepping right now — the exam tips that actually mattered for me were all about active recall over passive reading.

Mike_T

May 27, 2026

Congrats! This is really encouraging to read. I'm sitting for mine in about eight weeks and ethics is my weak spot too. Can I ask which specific areas of cultural competency tripped you up? I've been going through practice questions but feel like I'm just memorizing answers rather than actually understanding the concepts. That's the part that worries me most going into test day.

lisa.prep

May 28, 2026

Two attempts is nothing to be embarrassed about — plenty of people I know took three. The timed practice thing is real, I preach this to everyone. I passed on my first try but honestly I think it was purely because I'd done so many timed sets that the actual test felt slower somehow. Your brain just gets calibrated differently when you've been drilling against a clock.

Alex G.

May 28, 2026

81 is a solid score, don't sell yourself short. And thanks for coming back to post — people always disappear after they pass and then the ones still studying have no recent success stories to go off. What study guide did you end up using? I've seen a few different ones floating around and can't tell which is worth the money.

Finally passed CAC exam after two attempts — what actually worked for me

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