I failed my first CPH attempt back in February by 8 points and honestly considered just giving up on the whole thing. I'd been working in public health for three years, figured my on-the-job experience would carry me, and barely touched a study guide before sitting for it. Big mistake. The exam is way more quantitative and biostatistics-heavy than I expected coming from a more community outreach background.
After that humbling experience, I spent about six weeks actually preparing properly. I found a CPH practice test online that mirrored the real question format pretty closely — especially the epidemiology calculations and the environmental health sections, which were my weakest areas. Doing timed practice sets helped me realize I was losing points not from not knowing the material but from running out of time.
Retook it last month and passed with a 71. Not a brag score, but I'll take it. Happy to share what resources I used and which exam tips made the biggest difference if anyone's in the thick of studying right now.