I'm not going to sugarcoat it: I failed CMT Level 1 twice before I passed on my third attempt last month. The first time I thought I could wing it with just the official curriculum. Big mistake. The second time I bought a random study guide from Amazon that was outdated and covered like 60% of what actually showed up on the exam. I was devastated.
What finally turned things around was building a real structured plan. I gave myself 10 weeks, did 2-3 hours per day, and focused heavily on Dow Theory, Elliott Wave, and the intermarket analysis sections — those seem to be heavily weighted. I also started using a CMT practice test site to simulate timed conditions, which was a game-changer. Doing untimed practice is totally different from the real thing when you're watching the clock.
My exam tips for anyone starting out: don't skip the ethics section (it's sneaky), and make sure you understand moving averages deeply, not just definitions but application. Scored a 74 on my pass attempt. Happy to answer questions if anyone's grinding through this right now.