As I am prepping for the Fall 2026 exam, I am wondering, for those that took practice exam prior. Did you feel those accurately prepared you to sit for your real exam? I am planning on taking the practice exam prior but also don't want to be surprised when exam time comes. I remember my collage days when my final exams were nothing like my study guides that I poured over.

Congratulations on pursuing CAP!  The practice exam is a tool. Use it to gain experience, understand the format of the exam, etc. It is largely made up of questions from previous exams that have been retired. Your will get  your results presented in a similar way as the real exam. You won't know which questions you got right and which were incorrect.  If you can take the practice exam and use it as a tool, a measure of which domains you are stronger in and which ones you are weaker, to focus your study, then 100% take the exam. If a poor outcome on the practice exam will discourage you, I would not take it. I took the practice, I want to feel what the experience would be like. I was able to refocus my studies to areas that need more concentration. I also highly suggest a joining  a study group.  The study groups for the fall exam session will be announced later this summer. Good luck!  Please do reach out if you have any questions.

Best of luck in your certification endeavors

Wishing you the best of luck on this journey.

I did take the practice test and failed it.  But when I took the 'real' exam I passed.  The practice test is a great resource to prepare you for the real exam.   Best of Luck!   You've Got This!  

I did not take the practice exam because the study group I was in offered mock tests and I did find those were helpful to me.

I admit I'm not familiar with today's practice test. I can tell you about the days before computer testing. We always offered dry run exams to candidates in our area through local chapters. Members wrote the questions. It was more about preparing for the timing of the exam rather than the questions themselves. Members did a lot of research on the questions but we were not perfect. I worked with candidates preparing the the paper exam for a number of years and that always included a practice test/dry run. My candidates were successful. II would take the practice test in today's environment just to see what it was about.

The practice exam can be useful as a tool to identify areas where you might want to focus, but too many students use it as a weapon to undermine their confidence when they don't do as well as they were expecting.

As for the study guide, I would just add a note that the writers of the study guide did not have access to the exam questions. They are writing the guide based on the body of knowledge. That's why it can sometimes feel like there is a disconnect.