I've been trying to pass this thing for almost eight months and I'm not going to lie, after the second failure I seriously considered just giving up. My score was hovering around 68% and I needed a 75 to pass. The problem wasn't that I didn't know the material — it was that I wasn't studying the right way for how the questions are actually worded.
What finally clicked was finding a decent NEX practice test that matched the actual format. I'd been using flashcards and reading the manual cover to cover, which felt productive but wasn't translating to test performance. Once I started doing timed practice sets and reviewing every single wrong answer, my scores jumped fast. Also grabbed a NEX study guide that broke down the harder sections (especially the regulatory stuff) into manageable chunks instead of just restating the official material.
For anyone else grinding through this — don't underestimate the exam tips you'll find in communities like this one. The advice about focusing on scenario-based questions over memorization is real. Happy to answer questions about my prep approach if it helps anyone.