Failed SRA exam twice — what actually helped me pass on third attempt

by Megan P. 522 views3 replies
M
Megan P.OP
May 27, 2026

I'm not going to sugarcoat it — I completely bombed my first two attempts at the SRA certification and almost gave up entirely. First time I scored a 61, needed a 70. Second time, 68. I was studying from the official materials but something wasn't clicking, especially around risk assessment frameworks and the regulatory compliance sections. A colleague suggested I try an SRA practice test to see where my weak spots actually were rather than just reading chapters hoping something would stick.

That honestly changed everything. I found that I'd been spending too much time on areas I already knew and neglecting the practical application questions. I also picked up a solid study guide that broke down the terminology in plain English — the official documentation reads like it was written for people who already passed the exam, which isn't helpful when you're a first-timer.

Third attempt I scored a 79. Happy to share what worked if anyone's struggling. What topics are people finding hardest right now?

H
Hannah K.
May 27, 2026
Thank you for posting this. I'm scheduled for my first attempt in six weeks and the risk management section is destroying me. I've been doing about two hours of study per night but I keep second-guessing myself on the scenario-based questions. Did you find the actual exam matched what you practiced, or were there surprises? I feel reasonably okay on definitions but the application stuff trips me up every time.
L
lisa.prep
May 28, 2026
Went through something similar last year. What finally helped me with the compliance questions was making a one-page cheat sheet of the key regulatory thresholds — not to bring in obviously, but just writing it out by hand made things stick. Also, don't underestimate the ethics section. I thought it'd be easy common sense stuff but there are some genuinely tricky edge cases. How many weeks out were you when you started doing full practice exams?
A
Alex G.
May 28, 2026
79 on a third attempt after two tough failures is a real comeback, congrats. Exam tips like yours are more useful than anything official I've read. Bookmarking this thread for when I sit mine in the fall.

Join the Discussion

Sign in or register to reply with your account, or reply as a guest below.