Got my results today — passed! Wanted to write up what actually made the difference since most study advice I found online was either vague or trying to sell something.
What worked for me:
The most useful thing was drilling "GENERAL" until I genuinely understood why each answer was right, not just which one was right. I stopped doing marathon study sessions and switched to 45-minute focused blocks.
The practice tests here matched the real exam difficulty closely. I found questions on "General" especially well-calibrated — the format and wording were similar to what I saw.
What didn't work: reading the official textbook straight through. Too dense. I'd read a chapter, take a practice test on just that chapter, review every wrong answer, then move on.
Final score: 82%. Time I had left over: about 27 minutes.
Happy to answer questions. You've got this.
Worth mentioning: the general logical reasoning and puzzles covers exactly the areas people tend to struggle with most.
For what it's worth from someone who's been through it:
The GENERAL is one of those exams where the practice tests really do prepare you well. The style of questioning is pretty consistent. If you're comfortable with "GENERAL" material under timed conditions, you'll be fine.
The one thing I'd add: read the question stems very carefully. They sometimes add a qualifier that completely changes the right answer and it's easy to miss when you're going fast.
Also check whether you need to schedule the exam in advance — some testing centers book up 2-3 weeks out.
The advice about understanding why wrong answers are wrong — not just memorizing right ones — is genuinely the best general advice in this thread. Rebuilt my prep around that and it made a real difference.
The advice about understanding why wrong answers are wrong — not just memorizing right ones — is genuinely the best general advice in this thread. Rebuilt my prep around that and it made a real difference.
Great discussion. One thing nobody mentions: sleep the night before matters more than one more study session. Went in fully rested for my general and felt sharper than expected.
I work full-time with two kids so I couldn't do the whole "study four hours a night" thing. What actually worked was consistency over volume -- fifteen or twenty minutes on my lunch break, sometimes another chunk after the kids went to bed. It wasn't glamorous but it added up. The biggest shift for me was stopping when I got something wrong and actually figuring out why, instead of just moving on to the next question.
Don't underestimate the fatigue factor either. I did a few timed practice runs in the weeks before just to get used to focusing for that long after a full workday. By test day it didn't feel overwhelming. If you're in the same boat as me, just keep it steady -- you don't need perfect conditions to pass this thing.
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