Failed the CRE — what to do differently the second time

Good thread. One thing I'd add: don't try to cram the night before. I did 4 hours the night before my CRE and I think it hurt more than helped. Your brain needs consolidation time. Light review or full rest is better.

For the people asking about study timelines: I studied 71 minutes per day for 13 weeks working full time. It's absolutely doable without burning out. The key is consistency — missing days hurts more than extending your timeline.

Good thread. One thing I'd add: don't try to cram the night before. I did 2 hours the night before my CRE and I think it hurt more than helped. Your brain needs consolidation time. Light review or full rest is better.

Late to this thread but wanted to add — the cre section trips up more people than any other part. If you're scoring below 73% there in practice, treat it as your only focus for at least a week before moving on. Breadth at the expense of depth in that area is a common mistake.

I'm in the same boat and honestly this thread is exactly what I needed to find. I work full-time in facilities management and was trying to squeeze in study sessions whenever I could — early mornings, lunch breaks, the occasional Saturday. What killed me was thinking I could just read through the material and retain it without actually testing myself. Second time around I'm doing timed practice runs weekly and using a cre practice test pdf to simulate the real thing on paper, which feels different than staring at a screen.

The creative and innovation section tripped me up too. I didn't give it enough weight early on and by the time I realized how much it mattered I was already running out of time before the exam. If you're juggling a busy schedule, don't wait until the last few weeks to find your weak spots. Hit them first.