So I just got my results last week and I finally passed. Took me two tries and honestly the first time I had no idea what I was walking into. I'm a paraprofessional in a Title I school and my district started requiring this for anyone working with English language learners, so I didn't have much choice but to figure it out.
The second time around I spent about six weeks studying — maybe 45 minutes a night after the kids went to bed. The biggest difference was actually using an ELL practice test to figure out where I was losing points. Turns out I was weak on language acquisition stages and kept mixing up BICS vs. CALP. The study guide I used broke those down way better than anything I'd read before.
For anyone just starting out, my biggest exam tip is don't skip the instructional strategies section. It's heavier on the actual test than I expected. Happy to answer questions — I know how stressful this one can be.