HM online vs in-person exam — any difference in difficulty?

Quick data point: I spent 5 weeks studying, 1-3 hours a day, and passed with a 82%.

The section on HM exam took me the longest to feel confident about. Eventually I just drilled practice questions until I could answer them without hesitation.

What testing center did you end up booking? Some of them have much shorter wait times than others right now.

I actually failed the first time by a few points. Total gut punch. But passed on the second attempt with a comfortable margin.

What changed: I stopped trying to memorize answers and started actually understanding the material. Specifically on HM exam — I went back to basics and worked forward from first principles.

Also switched from reading to doing. Less time with the textbook, more time on practice questions with detailed answer explanations.

You've got this. The second attempt is always better because you know exactly what the exam is like.

Took my HM exam at a testing center the first time and bombed it — 68 when I needed a 75. Honestly I don't think the location was my problem, the format was. I'd studied like it was all definitions, but the exam leans hard on scenario stuff: a guest's room isn't ready at check-in, your food cost percentage is creeping up, a banquet event order has a conflict. You have to actually apply the concepts, not just recognize them.

Second time around I went online from home, mostly for the flexible scheduling, and it was fine — the proctor software is a little fussy about your desk being clear and your eyes staying on screen, so clear off everything and don't mutter to yourself while you read. But the real change was how I studied. I stopped memorizing and started drilling timed questions until the revenue management and front-office service stuff felt automatic. The hm practice test questions were close enough to the real wording that I wasn't thrown by how the actual exam phrased things, which was half my battle the first round.

So my honest take: online vs in-person barely moved the needle for me. The center was quieter, sure, but I passed online with a 81 because I'd fixed the studying, not the setting. Pick whichever keeps you calmer and put your energy into the scenario practice. That's where the points actually are.