So I just got my results back last week and I finally cleared the SAIWA exam on my second try. First attempt I scored a 67, which stung pretty bad considering I'd put in about three weeks of studying. The problem was I was reading textbooks cover to cover without actually testing myself. Total waste of time.
What turned things around was switching to active recall. I started doing a SAIWA practice test every other day and reviewing every single wrong answer before moving on. I also found a solid study guide that broke the domains down by weight — turns out I was spending way too much time on areas that only make up like 12% of the exam. Once I focused on water infrastructure policy and assessment frameworks, my practice scores jumped from the low 70s to consistently hitting 83-86.
Anyone else preparing right now? Happy to share the specific topics I drilled hardest and the exam tips that made the biggest difference on test day. The time pressure is real so pacing strategy matters a lot more than most people realize.