Finally passed my PI exam after two attempts — here's what worked

by Jordan L. 18 views3 replies
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Jordan L.OP
May 27, 2026

Just got my results back and I passed! Honestly didn't think I'd make it after failing the first time back in March. My first attempt I scored a 71 and needed a 75, which was brutal because I felt like I'd studied pretty hard. The thing is, I was mostly just re-reading the textbook and hoping stuff would stick.

What actually turned things around was switching to active recall. I found a solid PI practice test online and started drilling questions every single day for about 3 weeks — maybe 45 minutes in the morning before work. The questions helped me figure out exactly where my gaps were, specifically around workforce planning and job analysis frameworks, which I'd basically glossed over in my study guide the first time.

If you're prepping right now, don't just read passively. Do timed practice questions from day one and treat every wrong answer like a gift — it tells you exactly what to fix. Happy to answer questions if anyone's in the middle of studying.

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Sofia R.
May 28, 2026
Congrats!! I'm sitting mine in about six weeks and this is exactly what I needed to hear. I've been doing the same thing — just reading through the SHRM materials and hoping it clicks. Switching to practice questions starting tomorrow. Did you find the actual exam questions were similar in difficulty to the practice ones you were using, or was the real thing harder?
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Nicole F.
May 28, 2026
The workforce planning section got me too on my first attempt. I ended up making a one-page cheat sheet of the key models and reviewed it every morning the last two weeks. Also — don't skip the ethics stuff, it showed up more than I expected. Took me about 60 hours total spread over 8 weeks and passed with an 82. The exam tips I found most useful were all about time management during the actual test.
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Sofia R.
May 28, 2026
Two attempts and still passing is something to be proud of — lots of people give up after a fail. The fact that you diagnosed *why* you failed and changed your approach is honestly the whole skill. Good luck to everyone else in this thread still grinding through their study guide.

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