After three months of studying and one failed attempt, I passed the DBIA exam last week and honestly I'm still in shock. I work for a mid-size GC and my company basically said "get certified or don't expect a promotion," so I had a lot riding on this. First attempt I got a 68, needed a 70 to pass. Second time around I scored a 79.
The thing that changed everything was actually doing a solid DBIA practice test routine instead of just re-reading the DB manual. I'd do 20-25 questions every morning before work, then review the ones I missed. The risk allocation and contract structure questions tripped me up early — there's a lot of nuance in how DB differs from traditional design-bid-build that you really have to internalize, not just memorize.
Happy to share my full study breakdown if anyone wants it. What's everyone else using for their study guide? I found some resources were way more useful than others and would love to compare notes before more people sit for this thing.