I've been trying to pass the COI exam for almost eight months now and honestly it's been humbling. First attempt I scored a 68, needed a 75. Second time I bumped up to a 72 and felt sick about it. I was studying the wrong way — just re-reading the CPCU materials and hoping things would stick.
What changed for the third attempt was actually drilling with a COI practice test repeatedly instead of passive reading. Like, doing timed questions, reviewing every wrong answer, then doing them again two days later. The exam hits really hard on policy exclusions and endorsements, way more than I expected. The study guide I found broke those sections down in a way the official materials just don't.
Passed with an 81 last week. Total study time was probably 60 hours across all three attempts, but the last 20 hours were the most efficient I've ever studied. Happy to share what resources helped if anyone's prepping right now. Don't give up — this exam is passable, it just punishes surface-level studying.