Finally passed my NAECB after three attempts — here's what actually worked

I've been sitting with this win all week and finally feel ready to share. I took the NAECB exam in April and passed with a 78, which honestly had me crying in my car afterward. My first two attempts were 62 and 67 — I kept hitting that wall on the pharmacology and pathophysiology sections and couldn't figure out why I was stalling out.

What finally clicked for me was switching up how I was studying. I'd been reading through my notes passively for months, but about eight weeks out I started doing timed practice blocks every single day — usually 25-30 questions in the morning before work. I also found a solid NAECB practice test that mirrored the real exam format way better than the textbook end-of-chapter stuff. That repetition under pressure made a huge difference.

For anyone else on their third attempt or just starting out: don't underestimate the pediatric nutrition questions. I had way more of those than I expected. Happy to answer questions if anyone's prepping right now.