Just signed up for the CMT and trying to figure out how long to give myself. I've got 6 years in mobile device repair but zero formal certification, so I'm not sure how much of this I already know vs. what I still need to grind through.
Been doing about 2 hours a day on weeknights and planning 4-5 hours on weekends. My diagnostic and hardware skills are solid but the software and OS troubleshooting sections feel way more detailed than what I deal with day-to-day. Scored 61% on my first practice set, which was a wake-up call.
How long did you all prep before sitting? Did the real exam feel harder or easier than the practice material? Any sections that surprised you on test day?
I prepped 8 weeks and that felt about right. My shop experience covered maybe 70% of the content, but the RF interference and component-level diagnostics theory needed real dedicated study time. Don't skip the antenna and connectivity modules even if you're confident in that area.
Passed first attempt after 5 weeks, scored 74%. Went in thinking it'd be easy given my background and got humbled fast. The software unlock and carrier policy questions tripped me up way more than the hardware side ever did.
6 weeks worked for me but I was putting in 3 hours every single day. Practice exams were pretty close to the real thing in difficulty. The troubleshooting flowchart questions show up constantly so make sure you're solid on those.
I underestimated it, gave myself 3 weeks, failed by 4 points. Retook after 7 more weeks and passed at 81%. Don't let your field experience make you complacent about the theory sections.