So I passed the CGAP last month and I'm still kind of in disbelief. Failed my first attempt in November by 12 points, which honestly crushed me because I'd been studying on and off for about four months. The problem was I wasn't studying the right things — I was reading the IIA standards front to back like a textbook instead of actually testing myself on how they apply.
What turned it around: I found a solid CGAP practice test site and started doing timed question sets every single day for six weeks. Like, no exceptions. 30 questions in the morning before work. That repetition really drilled in the audit process standards and the sampling methodology stuff, which I always struggled with. I also stopped ignoring the government-specific audit environment questions — those tripped me up badly on attempt one.
Happy to share my full study guide approach if anyone wants it. The exam tips I wish I'd had from day one: focus heavily on performance auditing concepts and don't underestimate the professional ethics section. Anyone else in the middle of prep right now?