So I just got my results back and I'm still kind of in shock — I passed! Third attempt, 82%, and honestly I feel like I wasted 6 months of my life on the first two tries because I was studying completely wrong. My background is in domestic violence advocacy, about 4 years working at a shelter, so I thought the content would come naturally. Spoiler: it doesn't, at least not for the exam format.
What finally clicked was finding a solid ICDVP practice test and actually timing myself. I wasn't struggling with knowledge — I was struggling with how the questions are worded. They love these "best response" scenarios where two answers both seem right. I also grabbed an ICDVP study guide that broke down the competency domains, which helped me stop treating it like one giant blob of content.
Anyone else here prepping for the ICDVP? Happy to share more specific ICDVP exam tips on the trauma-informed care section, which tripped me up both times I failed. That domain is sneaky.