Finally passed CCNP after two failed attempts — here's what actually worked

I'm not going to sugarcoat it — I failed the ENCOR twice before I finally got my CCNP last month. First attempt I scored a 789 (passing is 825), second time a 802. I was devastated and almost gave up entirely. What changed on my third attempt was completely overhauling how I studied. Instead of just reading through the official cert guide cover to cover, I started doing a CCNP practice test every single morning for about 45 minutes before work. That forced me to identify exactly where my gaps were — turns out I was consistently bombing SD-WAN and network assurance questions.

I also built a proper study guide for myself using Anki cards for all the protocol timers, metric calculations, and feature comparisons. Spent roughly 180 hours total over four months this last stretch. The biggest exam tip I can offer is don't skip the automation and programmability section — it's a bigger chunk of the exam than most people expect and honestly not that hard once you actually spend time on it.

Anyone else here who's had to attempt ENCOR multiple times? Happy to share my week-by-week schedule if it helps someone.