So I just got my results back yesterday and I'm honestly still in shock. Passed with an 84, which feels surreal after failing by 7 points back in February. I work in network security at a mid-size MSP and my manager basically told me certification was expected by Q3, so the pressure was real.
The biggest mistake I made the first time was relying only on the official Fortinet courseware. It's thorough but it doesn't prepare you for how the questions are actually worded. This time around I spent about three weeks working through a solid NSE practice test bank — doing timed sets of 30 questions, reviewing every wrong answer, not just moving on. That repetition did more for me than reading the study guide cover to cover twice.
For anyone starting out: don't underestimate the FortiOS policy and routing sections. I'd say 30-40% of my exam touched those areas. Also the SD-WAN concepts tripped a lot of people in my study group. Happy to share more exam tips if anyone's prepping right now — what level are you targeting?