Finally passed CVA on second attempt — what actually worked for me

After failing my first attempt at the CVA exam by just four points back in February, I spent the last three months completely rethinking my approach. The first time I basically just read through the NACVA materials and figured that was enough. Spoiler: it wasn't. Valuation methods, normalization adjustments, cost of capital — I knew the concepts but couldn't apply them fast enough under timed conditions.

What actually moved the needle was drilling with a CVA practice test almost every day for the last six weeks. Not just taking them, but going back through every wrong answer and writing out WHY I got it wrong. My scores went from the low 60s to consistently hitting 78-82 before I sat for the real thing. I also found a solid CVA study guide that organized the material by weight, which helped me stop wasting time on low-percentage topics.

Passed with an 81 this time. If anyone's prepping right now and wants to talk through exam tips or compare notes on the harder topic areas, drop a reply — happy to share what I used.