I've been lurking here for months while prepping for my Certified Outfitter exam and honestly this community kept me sane. Passed last week with a 78 — not a perfect score but I'll absolutely take it after the stress of the past three months. I work full-time guiding river trips so study time was hard to carve out.
The biggest thing that moved the needle for me was committing to a structured CO practice test routine every other day in the final three weeks. I was failing those mocks badly at first — like 52% — and it was brutal but it exposed exactly where my gaps were. Safety regulations and liability sections wrecked me early on. The study guide I was using glossed over those topics and I had to go find supplemental material.
For anyone starting out: don't underestimate the exam tips you'll find in threads like this one. The actual test has a lot of scenario-based questions, way more than I expected. Budget 8-10 weeks minimum and drill your weak areas hard the last two weeks. Happy to answer any questions about the process!