Finally passed PMI ACP after two attempts — here's what actually worked

So I just got my results yesterday and I'm still kind of in shock — passed with Above Target in three domains after failing my first attempt back in February. I want to share what made the difference because I was seriously considering giving up after that first fail.

First attempt I relied almost entirely on one book and thought I could wing the agile mindset stuff. Big mistake. Second time around I committed to doing a solid PMI ACP practice test every single day for six weeks, then reviewing every wrong answer in detail. That review step is what I skipped before. I also switched to a study guide that actually explained the WHY behind Scrum and Kanban decisions rather than just definitions — huge difference for the situational questions.

The exam has way more scenario-based questions than I expected. It's not "what does velocity mean" — it's "your team's velocity dropped three sprints in a row, what do you do first." Anyone else have tips on those situational questions? And for anyone still studying: track your weak domains early, don't wait until week five to figure out where you're bleeding points.