I just got my results back and I finally passed my CUA (Certified Usability Analyst) exam on my third try. Honestly I'm kind of emotional about it because I'd been studying on and off for almost eight months. My first two attempts I scored a 68 and a 71 — so frustratingly close — and I kept second-guessing whether I actually understood the material or was just memorizing things.
What finally clicked for me was switching up how I studied. I stopped re-reading the HFI courseware and started doing timed practice questions instead. I found a solid CUA practice test resource that simulated the real exam format pretty closely, and just doing questions under time pressure exposed all these gaps I didn't know I had — especially around heuristic evaluation and accessibility standards.
I also leaned hard on a CUA study guide that organized the usability principles by domain rather than chapter, which made it way easier to see connections. Total study time for my third attempt was probably 40 hours over six weeks. Happy to share more about my approach if anyone's preparing — exam tips that actually helped me rather than generic advice.