Finally passed my CHP exam after two attempts — here's what actually helped

So I just got my results yesterday and I'm still kind of in shock — I passed! After failing by 8 points the first time around, I honestly wasn't sure I'd get through this thing. I work in hospital administration and my manager basically told me getting the CHP certification would be a prerequisite for my next promotion, so the pressure was real.

The first time I studied I mostly just re-read AHIMA materials and figured that'd be enough. Wrong. This time I switched up my approach completely — I used a dedicated CHP practice test site to drill questions every single day for about six weeks, which helped me figure out where my actual gaps were (turns out HIPAA enforcement rules and business associate agreements were killing me). I also found a solid study guide that broke down the privacy officer responsibilities section in a way that finally clicked.

Biggest exam tips I can share: don't ignore the state law preemption questions, they show up more than you'd expect. And time yourself — I almost ran out of time on my first attempt. Anyone else here working toward their CHP? Happy to answer questions about what the format is actually like.