Failed the CodeHS exam twice — what finally helped me pass?

by Mike_T 985 views3 replies
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Mike_TOP
May 27, 2026

So I've been trying to get through the CodeHS certification for about four months now and honestly it's been humbling. First attempt I scored a 61%, second time a 67%. Both times I felt like I understood the material during the course but then blanked on actual test questions. The logic problems and debugging sections just destroyed me.

What finally clicked was finding a solid CODEHS practice test that actually matched the format — not just random coding trivia. I also went through a structured study guide that broke down control structures, functions, and object-oriented concepts separately instead of all at once. Spent about 90 minutes a day for three weeks before my third attempt.

Passed with a 79%. Not amazing, but I'll take it. My biggest exam tips for anyone else struggling: don't just read the material, actually trace through every code snippet by hand. The tricky questions are about predicting output, not just knowing syntax. Anyone else have sections they found unexpectedly hard?

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Amanda H.
May 27, 2026
The debugging section got me too on my first try. What helped me was doing at least 10-15 practice problems a day specifically focused on tracing code manually — no running it, just reading it line by line. Once I slowed down and stopped trying to speed through questions I started getting them right consistently. Also the nested loop questions are way trickier than they look at first glance.
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Chloe W.
May 28, 2026
I'm currently preparing for my first attempt and this thread is exactly what I needed. Did you find that the practice tests you used closely matched the actual exam difficulty? I've seen some study materials online that feel way too easy and I'm worried I'll have a false sense of confidence going in. Also how much did OOP come up compared to the basic control flow stuff?
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Jordan L.
May 28, 2026
OOP is probably 25-30% of what I saw on mine. Functions and loops are the real foundation though — nail those first. Congratulations on passing, by the way. Third time takes guts to keep going.

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