I'm not going to sugarcoat it: I walked out of my second CPSA attempt feeling completely defeated. I'd spent maybe 40 hours studying, watched a bunch of YouTube videos, and read through the official handbook twice. Still came up short on the architecture quality scenarios section. That part genuinely surprised me — I thought I understood the concepts but the application questions were way harder than I expected.
What changed for round three was actually being more systematic about it. I found a solid CPSA practice test that mimicked the actual question style, especially the scenario-based stuff, and I started drilling those instead of just reading. I also got a decent study guide that broke down the iSAQB curriculum domains in a way that actually made sense. Spent about 15 hours over three weeks focused on weak spots only.
Passed with a 78% on my third try. So if you're struggling, don't give up — the exam is definitely passable, it just requires the right approach. Happy to share what resources I used if anyone's prepping right now.