Just got my results back and I passed the SNA certification with an 82%. I work in school nutrition administration so I thought it would be straightforward, but the regulatory and compliance sections were tougher than I expected. The National School Lunch Program regulations in particular have a lot of nuance that you can't just wing from job experience.
I studied for 9 weeks, averaging about 75 minutes a day. The first 3 weeks I focused on nutrition science and menu planning, weeks 4-6 on financial management and food safety, and the final stretch on compliance, procurement, and leadership. That distribution matched what I saw on the actual exam pretty closely.
One thing I'd tell anyone preparing: don't skip the procurement section. I almost did because it seemed dry, and it turned out to be a bigger slice of the exam than I anticipated. The questions aren't always about knowing the rule — they're about applying it in a scenario, so just memorizing definitions won't cut it.
I passed on my first attempt with a 79% last spring. Financial management was my weakest area. Your breakdown by week is really similar to what I did — seems like the right approach.
9 weeks at 75 minutes sounds very manageable. I was planning 12 weeks but maybe I'm overcomplicating it. Did you use any specific study materials beyond official resources?
The scenario-based questions are what get most people. The answer that sounds right is often the one that applies a rule incorrectly, so you have to actually understand the intent behind the regulation.
Congrats! I'm 4 weeks into my prep and the procurement stuff is exactly where I keep getting tripped up. Good to know I shouldn't deprioritize it.