Congratulations to all who passed. I failed by 2 points and I am very discouraged about taking it again. I really cannot afford to retake test, buy new study materials, or pay for tutoring.

I can understand the frustration your are feeling R. McKay. This is indeed a worthy certification which requires an awful lot of preparation. Unfortunately sometimes that means that we fall short of our goal. But keep in mind the bigger picture. This is one score on one day of your life. It doesn't reflect your value as an administrative professional. That is displayed every day on the job.

While I do hope you will sit for it again, especially given how close you were, it's ultimately a very personal decision on whether to leave that bucket list item unchecked or not. Only you can make that final determination.

There are resources out there for you though, if you choose to try again.

Is the exam hard? Just started wondering if the material is similar to that of the study guides. I literally scored 93% on domain one with practice questions

It's a worthy certification. It does require both book learning and on the job experience. The level of "hardness" just depends on how well you know the topics being asked about. It will vary by person.