So I just got my results yesterday and I'm officially a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist. Honestly didn't think I'd get here after failing the first time by 11 points. The first attempt I just read through the materials casually and thought my work experience would carry me. Big mistake. The exam is way more specific than I expected — especially the ethics sections and the stuff around motivational interviewing stages.
What turned things around for me was actually committing to a structured routine. I spent about 6 weeks the second time, roughly an hour a day, working through a CPRS study guide that broke things down by domain. I also used a CPRS practice test site to simulate the actual exam format, which helped me get comfortable with the phrasing of the questions. They love asking situational stuff where two answers look almost identical.
My biggest exam tips: don't skip the boundaries and confidentiality domain, and practice explaining concepts out loud like you're teaching someone. Anyone else here prepping for their first attempt? Happy to answer questions about what the test actually felt like.