So I finally passed last Tuesday after failing my first attempt back in March. I was devastated after that first fail because I honestly thought I'd studied enough — turned out I had no idea how deep some of the material actually goes. The first time around I scored a 71 and needed a 75, which was brutal to see on the screen.
What changed everything for me was actually committing to a real SHI study guide instead of just reading through the official handbook and hoping for the best. I also started doing timed SHI practice test sessions every other day for the last three weeks before my exam. That alone probably added 10 points to my score — the format familiarity is huge and I can't stress that enough.
For anyone prepping right now, my biggest SHI exam tips: don't skip the regulatory sections thinking they're boring filler, and seriously practice under timed conditions. I put in about 40 hours total over six weeks this second round. Happy to answer questions if anyone's in the same boat I was.