I just got my results back yesterday and I passed the Certified Bookkeeper exam on my third try. Honestly I wasn't sure I'd ever get here. My first attempt I scored a 68 and needed a 75, second time a 71. I was so close but kept running out of time on the adjusting entries section and second-guessing myself on payroll.
What finally made the difference was being really systematic about my weak spots. I stopped reading the textbook cover to cover and started doing a CB practice test every single weekend for six weeks, then reviewing every wrong answer line by line. Found a study guide that broke down the depreciation methods in a way that finally clicked for me — the straight-line vs. declining balance stuff had always felt fuzzy. I also started a spreadsheet tracking which topic areas I was consistently missing.
Total prep time across all three attempts was probably 120+ hours. If you're starting fresh I'd say 60-70 focused hours is realistic if you don't have gaps in your accounting basics. Happy to answer questions about any specific sections — this community helped me a lot when I was struggling.