So I finally passed last week after two pretty demoralizing failures, and I wanted to share what actually made the difference because I was this close to giving up. My first two attempts I was scoring in the low 60s when I needed a 70 to pass. I had been mostly just reading through my notes and watching YouTube videos, which clearly wasn't cutting it.
What changed everything was switching to structured MCAP practice test sets — actually simulating the real exam conditions, timer on, no pausing. I also found a solid study guide that broke down the content domains by percentage weight, so I could stop wasting time on stuff that barely shows up and drill the high-frequency topics hard. Took me about 6 weeks of 45 minutes a day after work.
For anyone else struggling, my biggest exam tips: don't skip the writing component practice, it's weighted heavier than people expect, and read every question stem twice before picking your answer. The distractors on this test are genuinely tricky. Happy to answer questions if anyone's prepping right now.