I've been in GIS for about four years now and kept putting off getting certified because, honestly, I thought my on-the-job experience would be enough. It wasn't. Failed the ESRI technical certification the first time by 12 points, second time by 6. Both times I walked out thinking I knew the material and both times the results proved otherwise.
What finally made a difference was actually being systematic about it. I found a decent ESRI practice test that mimicked the format pretty closely — multiple choice with some scenario-based questions — and I made myself do it under timed conditions instead of just casually clicking through. That exposed the gaps I didn't know I had, especially around coordinate systems and map projections. I also finally sat down and built out a proper study guide instead of just reviewing random ArcGIS Pro docs.
Third attempt I passed with a 78. Not a perfect score but I'll absolutely take it. For anyone else grinding through this — what resources did you use? And did anyone else find the spatial analysis section harder than expected?