Failed SGNA exam twice — what finally worked for me third attempt

by lisa.prep 1,019 views3 replies
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lisa.prepOP
May 27, 2026

I'm not ashamed to admit it took me three tries to pass the SGNA certification. The first time I walked in thinking my 8 years of GI nursing experience would carry me through. It did not. I scored a 68 and needed a 75. Second attempt I bought a random study guide off Amazon, read it cover to cover, and still came up four points short. I was ready to give up.

What changed everything was actually using a proper SGNA practice test with timed conditions. I mean actually sitting down, no phone, 150 questions, two hours — simulating the real thing. My weak spots were infection control and reprocessing standards, which I genuinely thought I knew cold because I do them every single day. Turns out doing something and being tested on the regulatory nuances of it are very different skills.

I passed with an 82 on my third attempt. Happy to answer questions about what resources I used and how I structured my last six weeks of studying.

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Jordan L.
May 28, 2026
This resonates so much. I passed on my second try and the biggest shift for me was treating the exam tips in my study guide as actual strategies, not just filler content. Specifically, the advice about not second-guessing your first answer — I tracked my wrong answers during practice and something like 70% were questions I changed from right to wrong. Also, reprocessing/disinfection levels are heavily tested. More than you'd expect.
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Amanda H.
May 28, 2026
The reprocessing section tripped me up too. One thing that helped: memorize the Spaulding classification cold — critical, semicritical, noncritical. A surprising number of questions trace back to that framework even when they don't say so directly. Good luck to everyone testing soon.
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Sofia R.
May 28, 2026
Can I ask which practice test platform you ended up using? I'm about six weeks out from my exam date and I've been doing the SGNA's own review course but I'm not sure it's enough. My main anxiety is the endoscope cleaning and high-level disinfection section. I work in a smaller facility and we do things slightly differently than what I see in the study materials, which makes me nervous about which answer they're looking for.

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